Football Operations: GM Ed Hervey, HC Wally Buono and the Coaching Staff

[CONNECTICUT YANKEE]

Quick thoughts

1. Torey Hunter - probably named as director of US scouting(currently with the Eskimos-hired by Harvey)
This would be an astute move for the Lions, hurts the Eskimos, well connected in western US college
circles(FBS,FCS,D2,D3) and would help shake things on the personnel side.
2.Rick Mueller - probably named director of player personnel
was a scout for the Lions this past season, brother of Ex-Seahawks GM Randy Mueller, experienced.
3.Simon stays as Canadian scout, Rigmaiden, McEvoy - out
4. Jon Jennings leaves for NFL - young(25) , can spend a year doing the mini-camp, training-camp, and practice roster shuffle.
5. James Franklin will try his luck in the NFL - see # 4.
6. Travis Lulay will retire - takes a broadcasting gig w/Sportsnet.
7. Do the Lions invest in more scouts? they have no dedicated Midwest/New England scouting staff.
this will tell you if Mr.Braley will skimp on budgeting for 2018.

[TheLionKing]

What are the chances Hervey raids Eskimos of players.

Wouldn't it be ironic if Mike Reilly ends up here ?

[JohnnyMusso]

It looks like West Coast Joe is right, most of the coaching staff, if not all will be back for one more year:

Hervey, meanwhile, gave every indication the bulk of the Lions’ football department and the coaching staff would remain intact. He was asked about Geroy Simon, the resident franchise icon who’s been labouring in the personnel department and who’s made clear his ambition to become a general manager.

They need to change some of the coaches. Changing the GM is not enough. But I expect no more changes since Willis indicates this.. If that comes true I will be disappointed.

[JohnnyMusso]

. Jon Jennings leaves for NFL - young(25) , can spend a year doing the mini-camp, training-camp, and practice roster shuffle.

I do not see that happening. He had a terrible year. NFL teams watch films. I cannot see any team signing him. If he struggled so badly in the CFL, he would get buried alive in the NFL. No way he would even get out of a training camp with any NFL team.

Jennings is not ready and despite talk there is interest; I would be willing to bet he is back here with the Leos. If he is foolish enough to do what Casey Printers did, he will destroy his career and never play for the Lions again. They will replace him and that will be the end.

[Matt Baker]

What a day!

Some more on Hervey from bclions.com.

https://www.bclions.com/2017/11/30/ed-h ... l-control/

[whatadisgrace]

. Jon Jennings leaves for NFL - young(25) , can spend a year doing the mini-camp, training-camp, and practice roster shuffle.

I do not see that happening. He had a terrible year. NFL teams watch films. I cannot see any team signing him. If he struggled so badly in the CFL, he would get buried alive in the NFL. No way he would even get out of a training camp with any NFL team.

Jennings is not ready and despite talk there is interest; I would be willing to bet he is back here with the Leos. If he is foolish enough to do what Casey Printers did, he will destroy his career and never play for the Lions again. They will replace him and that will be the end.

Big difference is Casey Printers had won CFL MOP and taken Lions to Grey Cup whereas Jennings isn't anywhere near that level. Remember when everyone was calling Jennings the next Russell Wilson

[whatadisgrace]

What are the chances Hervey raids Eskimos of players.

Wouldn't it be ironic if Mike Reilly ends up here ?

Was Hervey the one who traded for Reilly? What's his contract status?

[WestCoastJoe]

So we can expect the coaching staff to be back, pretty much intact. We can expect the same systems, the same offence, the same defence, the same special teams and the same conservative philosophy. For some, many, or most of the fans this is not a good thing.

However ... Wally saw the need for change, for letting go, for starting a transition to retirement.

As noted a few times, this CFL fan likes the decisions Ed Hervey made in Edmonton in hiring for a Head Coach, Chris Jones and Jason Maas. Hervey did a nice job building the talent on that roster. He looks like about the best choice we could make for a future GM. He has his issues. He seems to lack some PR skill with the media. Don Matthews had that same issue.

I like what Hervey said about pass protection being a problem. I like what he has said about Jonathon Jennings.

I have read something of Hervey's background and life history. I respect the man. I wish him well here.

But the biggest problem for the franchise is that David Braley turned down an offer of $15 million from the Waterboys group. Braley is the cause of all of this uncertainty. Will he sell? Will he not sell? He is dithering. And he is dreaming in hoping to get more than the $15 million he was offered.

This move to bring in Ed Hervey, it seems to me, is aimed at 2019. That is when he can start making his mark with this team. In view of the ownership uncertainty, this move might be the best way to deal with it. Keep things a bit quieter until 2019 rolls around. What if Hervey cleaned house now? New Head Coach, et cetera. Then the team is sold after 2018, and all of those new people are swept out. That is upheaval, happening twice, in short order. Perhaps better to put up with the same old systems for one more year. I put this mess on Braley, not Wally.

So since Braley has put the ownership issue off into the unknown future, Wally felt he had to do something. In this situation, this CFL fan can't fault Wally for bringing in Hervey.

As noted, 2018 will probably look a lot like 2017 from a football operations perspective. The product on the field will probably look a lot the same. Will it oftentimes seem that opposing coaches are reading our mail? Probably. Will we tend to go with formula game plans? Probably. But we can be competitive to a degree. As noted, if we can improve the O Line and D Line that will go a long way towards making us competitive once again.

Mike Reilly stays in Edmonton. Jonathon Jennings and Travis Lulay stay here. We don't raid the Eskimos roster. We have loads of talent. We need to shore up the O Line and the D Line, especially with the International personnel. We need guys there with All-Star level talent.

Pass protection and pressure on the opposing quarterback. Those are the keys for our team.

This fan actually likes the hiring of Ed Hervey. The problem for our franchise runs deeper than football operations. It starts and ends with the owner. Change will not really begin until 2019, methinks. At least that hope is now out there.

Just IMO ...

[WestCoastJoe]

https://www.bclions.com/2017/11/30/ed-h ... l-control/

From the article by Matt Baker ...

Ed Hervey: “I didn’t come here looking for full control.”

For Buono, the chance to focus on just one role in his final swan song made this a very appealing avenue to take as he begins to prepare for a 16th season with the franchise he helped rescue in 2003.

“Just get one thing clear: Ed had complete say on who he wanted as his head coach,” Buono stated.

“I’m doing this because I want to coach. I want to coach a football team that I still believe in. I want to coach the players that I believe in. That’s what I am here for. My career is going to be (until) 2018. Don’t ask me what I am doing after 2018, because I am not coaching and I’m not going to be involved with the BC Lions. I might be involved with the CFL. This is my final year. This is, for me, an ability to help the football club, be a part of the transition, but also to do what I enjoy most which is coaching.”

OK. That puts some perspective on the seemingly odd arrangement whereby Wally, as VP and Head Coach, is both superior and subordinate to Ed Hervey as GM.

“Jonathon has a tremendous ability. He’s accurate. He’s athletic. I think when he got banged up early in the year, from an outsider’s perspective, it looked like it shook his confidence a little bit. There is no question he has tremendous upside and tremendous ability to be one of the stars in this league. I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to sit down with him, talk with him and getting to know him a lot better.” -- Ed Hervey

2017-11-30_2343.png

[TheLionKing]

Wonder what's going to happen to Geroy Simon and Neil McEvoy. Must be very disappointed that they weren't appointed to the position.

[WestCoastJoe]

https://www.cfl.ca/2017/11/30/transitio ... ll-unfold/

From Jim Morris ...

The old general manager will continue as head coach of the B.C. Lions for one more season.

The new general manager says he wouldn’t have taken the job unless the old coach stayed. The current vice-president of football operations says the new GM can fire the coach, but it would be the owner’s decision to fire the general manager.

Such is the new reality of the BC Lions. How will it all unfold? Check in at this time next year.

Ha ha ... Alice in Wonderland, or Edward in Wallyland.

The hiring of Hervey creates many questions.

How will the relationship work between Buono and Hervey? Will Buono be content to let someone else make big picture decisions? What sway will Hervey have, if any, over Buono?

Some good questions.

The arrangement of authority is odd, but we do have some change, even some hope, mostly for 2019. 2018? Sounds like more of the same that we have seen.

[cromartie]

Can we talk about the scarf? Because that's the worst merchandise accessorizing since Skulsky wore receiver gloves with a suit at the launch press conference for the new Reebok uniforms a few years ago.

[don corleone]

Hey guys,
Liking the big statement move. In place and done by Dec. 1.
Would have been a long off season with the Argo drama plan although apparently there is merit to that program.
Bold decision maker is the description I feel applies well. Looking forward to the synergy with Geroy. All they need now is Swervin Mervin. Thinking Manny gets a new deal and in general the receiver position will be well looked after.
For the record the live mic thing was a dumb TSN idea. Hervey made the right call.
Christmas came early this year on the coast. This is positive.

[Hambone]

dEAr SaNta,

FOr chRIStMas tHis YeaR i wouLD LIKe tO seE brYAN cHiU hirED by mY bC LioNS aS ThE neW ofFEnsiVE liNE COach.

tHAnk Yuo,

yoUR frIENd,
qB CLub 63

This really cracked me up QB Club 63. Very creative!

And yes, I agree. Bryan Chiu would be a great hire. But I doubt he's willing to relocate back to Vancouver.

I would not be at all surprised to see Hervey bring in at least 2 new coaches. OC? Highly possible IMHO.


DH

Depending on what Chiu wants to do moving forward he'll go where the best opportunity is. If it happens to be in Vancouver then that's where he'll go. While born in Vancouver he pretty much left that in his rear view mirror when he graduated from Vancouver College's high school program and headed off to Pacific College in Oregon in the early 90s. His 13 playing years and 8 post-retirement years have all been spent in eastern Canada between Montreal, Concordia, the Argos and most recently REDBLACKS. As such I think he'd prefer to stay back east, perhaps waiting to see if something opens in Montreal once a new HC is hired, but certainly wouldn't shy away from returning to Vancouver. I think Vancouver might be a Plan B if nothing shakes out back in Quebec or Ontario. And of course there's the family thing. I think his wife is from Montreal. Happy wife, happy life.

[Hambone]

It looks like West Coast Joe is right, most of the coaching staff, if not all will be back for one more year:

That assumption may be premature. There a lots of coaching dominos to fall yet. They may be prepared to keep most but it may not work out that way. Supposedly Montreal has been given permission to talk to Washington, Jones and Bellefeuille. If one of them happen to get the Montreal job who knows what other changes and opportunities may fall out of that. They could take some current BC assistants with them or conversely those who wind up rounding out a Montreal staff could create openings with other clubs. We already know there are 4 vacancies in Ottawa. There will be several more before the dust settles. Just as Wally determined it was time to inject new blood and direction in football ops with the hiring of Hervey it could well be the Lions won't attempt to hold any of the assistants back if they can go elsewhere.