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

[JohnnyMusso]

According to Rick Dhaliwal:

Lots of speculation as to the length of Ed Hervey's deal to be the new gm of the #BCLions. I have been told it's a 2 year deal.

So if Braley sells team after 2018, new owners only on the hook for one more year. Not a long contract, if standard deal is 3 years.

[B.C.FAN]

I think you can describe the Edmonton OLIne as an overall unit, not particularly awe-inspiring during his reign. Certainly there have been years where Reilly had to run for his life just to stay in one piece.

There's no one on Edmonton's O-line that I would consider an upgrade on the Lions' personnel. The only name that jumped out at me on their roster was Simeon Rottier, and he's the guy that Hervey publicly lambasted in 2013.

Edmonton gave up 134 QB pressures this year, third highest after the Lions (141) and Hamilton (136). Reilly probably took more hits than any QB. His legendary toughness is the only thing that kept him going.

[CardiacKid]

According to Rick Dhaliwal:

Lots of speculation as to the length of Ed Hervey's deal to be the new gm of the #BCLions. I have been told it's a 2 year deal.

So if Braley sells team after 2018, new owners only on the hook for one more year. Not a long contract, if standard deal is 3 years.

I am going to go out on a limb and say the Lion’s get the 2019 Grey Cup as an incentive for Braley to sell. The $ made would help make up the difference between the Waterboys tabled offer and what Braley wants.

The 2-year deal for Hervey would tie in with a 2019 sale and whether new owners would want to extend him as GM.

[B.C.FAN]

I am going to go out on a limb and say the Lion’s get the 2019 Grey Cup as an incentive for Braley to sell. The $ made would help make up the difference between the Waterboys tabled offer and what Braley wants.

Montreal, Hamilton and Saskatchewan would probably have a beef with the Lions hosting a third Grey Cup in nine seasons.

The Quebec government has agreed to spend $250 million to replace the roof of the the Big Owe, which doesn't have a professional tenant. Having Montreal host the 2019 Grey Cup would provide a bit of return on that investment.

[TheLionKing]

I am going to go out on a limb and say the Lion’s get the 2019 Grey Cup as an incentive for Braley to sell. The $ made would help make up the difference between the Waterboys tabled offer and what Braley wants.

Montreal, Hamilton and Saskatchewan would probably have a beef with the Lions hosting a third Grey Cup in nine seasons.

The Quebec government has agreed to spend $250 million to replace the roof of the the Big Owe, which doesn't have a professional tenant. Having Montreal host the 2019 Grey Cup would provide a bit of return on that investment.

X2

[WestCoastJoe]

I am going to go out on a limb and say the Lion’s get the 2019 Grey Cup as an incentive for Braley to sell. The $ made would help make up the difference between the Waterboys tabled offer and what Braley wants.

Montreal, Hamilton and Saskatchewan would probably have a beef with the Lions hosting a third Grey Cup in nine seasons.

The Quebec government has agreed to spend $250 million to replace the roof of the the Big Owe, which doesn't have a professional tenant. Having Montreal host the 2019 Grey Cup would provide a bit of return on that investment.

I wonder if Braley feels the league owes him for ''rescuing'' it a few times. Possible. Even the charitable megarich want to feel appreciated. ''If you don't show me appreciation and respect, I will hang on to this franchise until I shuffle off this mortal coil.'' (To use a phrase of Shakespeare once again.)

[Hambone]

I am going to go out on a limb and say the Lion’s get the 2019 Grey Cup as an incentive for Braley to sell. The $ made would help make up the difference between the Waterboys tabled offer and what Braley wants.

Montreal, Hamilton and Saskatchewan would probably have a beef with the Lions hosting a third Grey Cup in nine seasons.

The Quebec government has agreed to spend $250 million to replace the roof of the the Big Owe, which doesn't have a professional tenant. Having Montreal host the 2019 Grey Cup would provide a bit of return on that investment.

I'm hoping for a return to Montreal soon. Montreal is a wonderful city for a Grey Cup road trip. Hamilton I'm not so sure. Despite the game itself being poorly attended in 1996, which was probably the lowest point of the darkest days for the CFL, they put on a great party. I enjoyed it but wonder about the logistics of hosting it in a location that lacks accommodations. There's limited hotel capacity within Hamilton's city limits. There's lots in suburban Toronto but will it hurt GC events if people have to commute back and forth from Burlington, Mississauga etc? Saskatchewan? It wouldn't break my heart if the Grey Cup didn't go back there for another 20 years.

[CardiacKid]

I am going to go out on a limb and say the Lion’s get the 2019 Grey Cup as an incentive for Braley to sell. The $ made would help make up the difference between the Waterboys tabled offer and what Braley wants.

Montreal, Hamilton and Saskatchewan would probably have a beef with the Lions hosting a third Grey Cup in nine seasons.

The Quebec government has agreed to spend $250 million to replace the roof of the the Big Owe, which doesn't have a professional tenant. Having Montreal host the 2019 Grey Cup would provide a bit of return on that investment.

I'm hoping for a return to Montreal soon. Montreal is a wonderful city for a Grey Cup road trip. Hamilton I'm not so sure. Despite the game itself being poorly attended in 1996, which was probably the lowest point of the darkest days for the CFL, they put on a great party. I enjoyed it but wonder about the logistics of hosting it in a location that lacks accommodations. There's limited hotel capacity within Hamilton's city limits. There's lots in suburban Toronto but will it hurt GC events if people have to commute back and forth from Burlington, Mississauga etc? Saskatchewan? It wouldn't break my heart if the Grey Cup didn't go back there for another 20 years.

Scott Mitchell of the TiCats has gone on the record as saying Hamilton won't be pursuing an opportunity to host the Grey Cup until the legal actions involving Tim Horton's Field are done and dusted.

Where things are at in the legal proceedings in Hamilton I have no idea. They might drag on or maybe be completed in time for 2019.

What I really appreciated with the 2017 Grey Cup Festival was just how easy it was to get around and how little time it took. We stayed at a B&B to the east of UofO on Laurier and we could walk to Byward Market and the Shaw Centre where we could take the free shuttle to Lansdowne. I took every opportunity to compliment the Ottawa organizers on how they made it as easy as possible to get around Ottawa.

In Toronto last year we stayed out in the Don Valley (cheaper accomodation) and it definitely put a damper on us going to the various events.

[TheLionKing]

Very pleased to hear Hervey's priorities are the offensive and defensive lines. Clearly this area needs to be strengthen if the Lions hope to be contenders

[Qman]

I am going to go out on a limb and say the Lion’s get the 2019 Grey Cup as an incentive for Braley to sell. The $ made would help make up the difference between the Waterboys tabled offer and what Braley wants.

Montreal, Hamilton and Saskatchewan would probably have a beef with the Lions hosting a third Grey Cup in nine seasons.

The Quebec government has agreed to spend $250 million to replace the roof of the the Big Owe, which doesn't have a professional tenant. Having Montreal host the 2019 Grey Cup would provide a bit of return on that investment.

I'm hoping for a return to Montreal soon. Montreal is a wonderful city for a Grey Cup road trip. Hamilton I'm not so sure. Despite the game itself being poorly attended in 1996, which was probably the lowest point of the darkest days for the CFL, they put on a great party. I enjoyed it but wonder about the logistics of hosting it in a location that lacks accommodations. There's limited hotel capacity within Hamilton's city limits. There's lots in suburban Toronto but will it hurt GC events if people have to commute back and forth from Burlington, Mississauga etc? Saskatchewan? It wouldn't break my heart if the Grey Cup didn't go back there for another 20 years.

braley bought the 2014 from montreal, so they have essentially had their game. it can't be played in montreal until they fix the roof at the big-0 ... which has been approved and will start soon.

[BC 1988]

What condition is the rest of Olympic Stadium in? I'd be surprised all they have to do is fix the roof. I saw an Expos game in 2004 there (just before they became the Nationals), and it was looking pretty decrepit.

[WestCoastJoe]

If Washington does not get the HC gig in Montreal, one would think that he is back here as DC.

No nibbles for Khari? Then I expect he would be back here also.

Dan Dorazio. Wally's longest serving assistant. That might be one of those situations Wally mentioned, where he and Ed battle it out behind the closed door of the War Room.

I expect Ed would not be pushing Mark W and Khari out the door. He might feel continuity is better in this one and done year for Wally. Ed might discuss the preferred approach Wally takes to the systems. He might, but gently, methinks.

This is a lame duck year for Wally. It is also a year where, once again, a prospective sale hangs over the franchise. It is hard to imagine top level people wishing to come here, with this uncertainty.

When Wally retires, and Ed takes over completely, Braley will probably still be the owner. That might not be so bad, except one wonders if he is prepared to do all that is necessary to have a state-of-the-art organization.

The hiring of Ed Hervey has eased some of the angst for long-term Lions' fans. But issues remain. Have they stopped the bleeding? Maybe.

...........

Big question for this CFL fan ... In 2018, will we see the same systems that we have seen for years? I would say the odds favour a yes answer.

Just IMO ...

[SammyGreene]

I was elated and somewhat even shocked when Wally named Ed Hervey as GM. My enthusiasm was then dampened somewhat when we eventually figured out during the presser that Wally would be still coaching.

I had to laughed at Blitz’s sarcasm about Wally’s loyalty. Someone needs to ask Neil McElvoy about it, or even Geroy. Perhaps Mark Washington too. Wally had the opportunity to follow his original plan and step into an advisory role and simply appoint his longtime “loyal” soldiers. Pretty sure he could have convinced Braley it was the right thing to do.
The fact he went outside of the organization for Hervey speaks volumes of what he thinks the Lions have done and identifying and recruiting talent in recent years. And that includes himself too. Would of loved to heard his conversation with Braley about why he thought Hervey was the right guy over his own staff.
But what a blow to McElvoy after working over a decade under Wally. Won’t be surprised to learn he has “moved on” in the coming weeks and Geroy is appointed assistant GM. Right now the Lions are top heavy in management salary without any departures.

But I could only imagine the outcry if he appointed McElvoy as GM and stayed on as head coach. Talk about Wally still being in full control.

Hervey said all the right things about having Wally back as head coach but ultimately it puts him in an excellent position too that he knows a change is coming in 2019 regardless of what happens.

But I concur with WC Joe and others. I think it will be somewhat status quo with the coaching staff knowing what’s on the horizon. For that reason it’s hard to be totally enthused about next season except for watching what changes Hervey will make to the roster via free agency if he really is completely in charge.

[Hambone]

What condition is the rest of Olympic Stadium in? I'd be surprised all they have to do is fix the roof. I saw an Expos game in 2004 there (just before they became the Nationals), and it was looking pretty decrepit.

From what I've been led to believe the issue with the Big Owe is the roof and concerns if there is a heavy snow load while an event is on. Funny thing is last year the Impact hosted somewhere around 60K to an MLS playoff game vs TFC only 1 week before Grey Cup. I suppose the big difference would be is the Impact probably had Saputo Stadium as a Plan B. It's much easier to have to go to Plan B when you're talking a single soccer game with mostly locals attending that would've been planned on short notice in the first place. By the time they knew they would be hosting the game they would know what existing weather and snow conditions were and what the 14 day forecast was calling for. In the case of Grey Cup you're committed as soon as you're awarded the game a year and a half in advance. Just having the possibility you may at the last moment find out you are unable to use the stadium makes hosting a non-starter until the roof is deemed able to withstand a heavy snow load.

[maxlion]

I expect there will be some changes to the coaching staff, but I don't think it will have a major impact.

On Dorazio, over the years we have seen his offensive lines perform quite effectively at establishing a strong running game and somewhat less effectively at protecting the QB. Still, it is just a matter of degree. This past year, the number of pressures and sacks would not have looked so bad if we had had even an average QB. The one year that Dorazio went to Saskatchewan, there was a modest dropoff in the olines performance (especially given that we were starting 3 internationals that year). We will likely see the same next year unless we are able to attract a top candidate--which may be difficult as they tend to be already employed.

Khari Jones has been an adequate OC. Not at the level of Trestman, Dickenson, Maas, Lapolice perhaps, but I would say the equal of others around the league. The OC's fate is always tied to the QB, and Jones' offense has performed well with a rookie Jennings at QB in 2016 and Lulay in 2017. It only struggled when Jennings forgot how to play. I don't see any any obvious upgrades being available. I'd be happy with Jones returning.

Washington's D has been inconsistent. To say it hasn't been aggressive is not true. It is as aggressive as Jones' defense in Saskatchewan and most others around the league. But it seemed that the good offenses were always finding ways to expose our weaknesses when it counted. Thorpe had the same problem in Montreal, but may have been a marginal upgrade.

The bottom line is that our coaching woes have been greatly exaggerated on this site. In my opinion, they are decent but not outstanding. Decent is usually not enough to win championships, but that does not mean that change will be for the better or that better options are available.