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http://www.cfl.ca/article/shakeup-in-ri ... n-chamblin

Really not sure it's completely their fault, but when you're 0-9 something's gotta give.

I don't know about tamen, but CC must have been off his meds last game. I am sure many rider fans called for his head

Coast Mountain Lion wrote:http://www.cfl.ca/article/shakeup-in-ri ... n-chamblin

Really not sure it's completely their fault, but when you're 0-9 something's gotta give.

Thanks for breaking the news...they had to go...good coaches and GMs simply don't allow teams to go 0-9...its not like SSK had 9 impossible games to start the season...they played the Lions twice!

Funny...I was just about to post about a reminder that according to scuttlebutt going around the league, Chamblin had until the Labour Day weekend and then he would be toast. Lo and behold!

Anyways, it would appear that Kirk Penton's source got at least half of their story right. All that remains is for Paul LaPolice to be hired. Check out my post, "Rod Pedersen Goes Off the Rails" for the background viewtopic.php?f=2&t=28208

Maybe Benevides will be taking over Coaches' Playbook?!?!

MexicoLionFan wrote:

Coast Mountain Lion wrote:http://www.cfl.ca/article/shakeup-in-ri ... n-chamblin

Really not sure it's completely their fault, but when you're 0-9 something's gotta give.

Thanks for breaking the news...they had to go...good coaches and GMs simply don't allow teams to go 0-9...its not like SSK had 9 impossible games to start the season...they played the Lions twice!

Hurts when you lose your starting and backup QB. I think you'd be hard pressed to find too many teams that could be successful after that happens.

The_Pauser wrote:

MexicoLionFan wrote:

Coast Mountain Lion wrote:http://www.cfl.ca/article/shakeup-in-ri ... n-chamblin

Really not sure it's completely their fault, but when you're 0-9 something's gotta give.

Thanks for breaking the news...they had to go...good coaches and GMs simply don't allow teams to go 0-9...its not like SSK had 9 impossible games to start the season...they played the Lions twice!

Hurts when you lose your starting and backup QB. I think you'd be hard pressed to find too many teams that could be successful after that happens.

Ironically it was mostly the D that let the Riders down not the O, although all those sacks that the Riders gave up against the RedBlacks kinda reminded me of a Dorazio coached Lions O line...they are slow to figure out who to block and by the time they do the defender is past them.

Some of Chamblin's coaching decisions this season wreaked of frustration and desperation. That and the guy has an arrogant demeanor. He had to go.

LaPolice must be the front runner for the head coaching gig but will he consider it, given he has a cushy job now.

What a shame. The Riders being terrible was the lone highlight of the season to date. Oh well, at least Chappy didn't get the long sought after CFL head coaching gig.

cromartie wrote:What a shame. The Riders being terrible was the lone highlight of the season to date. Oh well, at least Chappy didn't get the long sought after CFL head coaching gig.

Chaps is better off not getting the interim HC job, but instead submitting his resume to the new GM at the end of the season.


As far as LaPolice goes, while it was a mistake by the Bombers to fire him way back when, and while he is great at breaking down film and explaining plays and formations, he does not have a ton of experience as a HC.

Obviously Thorpe in Montreal and Steinhauer in Hamilton don't have any HC experience but both do a terrific job as DCs and should be next in line for HC consideration.

If the Riders get the typical boost from a coaching change, it could help the Lions. One or two Rider wins against the Bombers in the next two weeks, coupled with a B.C. win in Montreal, would greatly help the Lions' playoff chances. I think the Alouettes are still B.C.'s biggest competition for the final playoff berth, via an E-W crossover. The Bombers may be the weakest team in the West.

I'm surprised that both are gone now at this time. I agree it is better not to be an interim HC unless you're really in the grip of things as if they can't get this lot turned around you'd be toast. ST Coord to HC? that sure is interim.

I wonder how long Austin can keep his coordinators as he is not dumb - he knows he is owed big time by both all three of the top guys espec. Steinhauer.

There is an old adage in management - you get promoted for your technical skills (say OC, DC) and fired for your failures in conceptual (strategic, planning) and human skills. The HC role is like moving from a Manager to Manager of managers and that is a different role that not all the best coordinators are suited for.

If I were a Steinhauer depending on the pay pack he's getting I'd be tempted to not take any old HC job unless you have a QB - ask Reinbold.

Toppy Vann wrote:I'm surprised that both are gone now at this time. I agree it is better not to be an interim HC unless you're really in the grip of things as if they can't get this lot turned around you'd be toast. ST Coord to HC? that sure is interim.

I wonder how long Austin can keep his coordinators as he is not dumb - he knows he is owed big time by both all three of the top guys espec. Steinhauer.

There is an old adage in management - you get promoted for your technical skills (say OC, DC) and fired for your failures in conceptual (strategic, planning) and human skills. The HC role is like moving from a Manager to Manager of managers and that is a different role that not all the best coordinators are suited for.

If I were a Steinhauer depending on the pay pack he's getting I'd be tempted to not take any old HC job unless you have a QB - ask Reinbold.

Speaking of Reinbold, what do you and others think of him for a DC for next year if Washington can't turn things around on D? He has a lot of experience and even though he is an older guy he seems to be able to communicate well enough with the young players that he mostly works with on ST AND he is innovative, aggressive and has his guys very well prepared...things that are currently absent from the Lions. He actually uses trick plays and catches the other teams off guard, something the Lions are afraid to do.

Not sure about Reinebold....he seems to have done a lot of bouncing around even for CFL standards. He seems to have "blossomed" with Austin at the controls. While he tends to coach an aggressive defense, his version didn't seem to work for Montreal while he was DC. Noel Thorpe's aggressive D however is an improvement to Reinebold's.

Speaking of Noel Thorpe.....I would love to see him back in BC, this time with the Lions. Good ole' UBC boy, his defense sparkles and he simply coaches....doesn't draw attention to himself or engage in BS.

Robbie's comments on Higgins on another thread got me thinking. As they fired Taman also, would the Riders brass be thinking of making a pitch to Montreal to take Tom Higgins off their hand. Some combo of:

> Full GM/HC
> Full GM - Interim HC - with the proviso he hire a HC post season.

It would enable MTL to very likely not having to even cash settle with Higgins. If you get fired they owe you the contract and you owe them (not sure of Quebec civil labour law) to job search to mitigate the cost. Sometimes when they get a new job, the fired guy negotiates a full cash settlement for the balance of the contract usually due to the costs of re-locating etc which can be significant for a full house).

The risk the Riders would bite them in the playoffs or defeat them in the GC this year are ZERO.

He'd be a good fit.

It's the firing of Taman that seemed odd now versus end of season as they clearly need to get their scouting back working and Taman could at least do that as well as help out the interim HC.

In reading a number of articles examining Chamblin's firing, a couple of themes emerge. One, it wouldn't be crazy to think he was daring the Rider brass to fire him and his handling of Smith vs. Sunseri was a deliberate pretext to get him out of Riderville. Chamblin had been gunning for a coaching gig back in the states.
Second, pride really does goeth before a fall. The man had alienated segments of the team and it's supporters with a number of his decisions and Taman paid the price for not reining him in.