Wally and his staff ...

[maxlion]

So now Cortez is irreplaceable? Weren't you one of his most vocal critics all year? Maybe I'm confused. I do like Cortez, though, and wish he would have remained with the team.

Given that this was his third go round with Buono, I doubt that it was anything that Buono did that lead him to retire. If he reappears on another team, this argument may have merit. Let's see.

[TheLionKing]

No person is irreplaceable, not even Buono

[WestCoastJoe]

So now Cortez is irreplaceable? Weren't you one of his most vocal critics all year? Maybe I'm confused. I do like Cortez, though, and wish he would have remained with the team.

Given that this was his third go round with Buono, I doubt that it was anything that Buono did that lead him to retire. If he reappears on another team, this argument may have merit. Let's see.

Are you confused, max? Just a turn of phrase? OK.

I used rhe word irreplaceable.

But the mess just got much bigger with the exodus of the coaching staff, primarily the irreplaceable experience of Jeff Tedford and George Cortez. -- WestCoastJoe, page 2 of this thread

I said his experience was irreplaceable. Have I been critical of Cortez? I don't recall offhand. It seems to me this fan has been rather easy on George Cortez. Vocal critic of Wally Buono as GM? Yes. Very much so. Vocal critic of Mark Washington's defence? Yes. Very much so. Chuck McMann's STs? Yes.

The word above was about experience. It is no doubt best if you quote me, if you want to challenge what I write, when I criticize Wally Buono. Have I been criticizing Wally a lot? Yes. Wally said blame him. Well, this fan does find fault with his work as GM. In his first few years here, I sang his praises. I was very happy when Bobby Ackles pried him out of Calgary. Fateri at first tried to shop him around, put him down publicly, but then tried to play hardball with Bobby. Bobby got his man.

Can Wally turn it around next year? Possible. But it seems to me the odds are heavily against it.

Just IMO. Opinions differ.

[maxlion]

So now Cortez is irreplaceable? Weren't you one of his most vocal critics all year? Maybe I'm confused. I do like Cortez, though, and wish he would have remained with the team.

Given that this was his third go round with Buono, I doubt that it was anything that Buono did that lead him to retire. If he reappears on another team, this argument may have merit. Let's see.

Are you confused, max? Just a turn of phrase? OK.

I used rhe word irreplaceable.

But the mess just got much bigger with the exodus of the coaching staff, primarily the irreplaceable experience of Jeff Tedford and George Cortez. -- WestCoastJoe, page 2 of this thread

I said his experience was irreplaceable. Have I been critical of Cortez? I don't recall offhand. It seems to me this fan has been rather easy on George Cortez. Vocal critic of Wally Buono as GM? Yes. Very much so. Vocal critic of Mark Washington's defence? Yes. Very much so. Chuck McMann's STs? Yes.

The word above was about experience. It is no doubt best if you quote me, if to want you challenge what I write, when I criticize Wally Buono. Have I been criticizing Wally a lot? Yes. Wally said blame him. Well, this fan does find fault with his work as GM. In his first few years here, I sang his praises. I was very happy when Bobby Ackles pried him out of Calgary. Fateri at first tried to shop him around, put him down publicly, but then tried to play hardball with Bobby. Bobby got his man.

Can Wally turn it around next year? Possible. But it seems to me the odds are heavily against it.

Just IMO. Opinions differ.

I should have quoted you. It's these mobile devices...I miss my mouse and keyboard.

And I apologize if I have misrepresented your views in any way and for singling you out. I'm glad we agree about Cortez' experience. Hopefully we'll agree on many other points in the future as well.

I'm skeptical about next year as well. I was looking forward to Tedford having a second year to rebuild the team. Now we're starting again...again.

[WestCoastJoe]

So now Cortez is irreplaceable? Weren't you one of his most vocal critics all year? Maybe I'm confused. I do like Cortez, though, and wish he would have remained with the team.

Given that this was his third go round with Buono, I doubt that it was anything that Buono did that lead him to retire. If he reappears on another team, this argument may have merit. Let's see.

Are you confused, max? Just a turn of phrase? OK.

I used rhe word irreplaceable.

But the mess just got much bigger with the exodus of the coaching staff, primarily the irreplaceable experience of Jeff Tedford and George Cortez. -- WestCoastJoe, page 2 of this thread

I said his experience was irreplaceable. Have I been critical of Cortez? I don't recall offhand. It seems to me this fan has been rather easy on George Cortez. Vocal critic of Wally Buono as GM? Yes. Very much so. Vocal critic of Mark Washington's defence? Yes. Very much so. Chuck McMann's STs? Yes.

The word above was about experience. It is no doubt best if you quote me, if you want to challenge what I write, when I criticize Wally Buono. Have I been criticizing Wally a lot? Yes. Wally said blame him. Well, this fan does find fault with his work as GM. In his first few years here, I sang his praises. I was very happy when Bobby Ackles pried him out of Calgary. Fateri at first tried to shop him around, put him down publicly, but then tried to play hardball with Bobby. Bobby got his man.

Can Wally turn it around next year? Possible. But it seems to me the odds are heavily against it.

Just IMO. Opinions differ.

I should have quoted you. It's these mobile devices...I miss my mouse and keyboard.

And I apologize if I have misrepresented your views in any way and for singling you out. I'm glad we agree about Cortez' experience. Hopefully we'll agree on many other points in the future as well.

I'm skeptical about next year as well. I was looking forward to Tedford having a second year to rebuild the team. Now we're starting again...again.

Apology accepted. Thank you.

And for any of my various sins, I apologize.

We are all Lions' fans, max.

Tough times for us. Lots of pain. Lots of blame.

Back later ...

[WestCoastJoe]

In the Chris Jones hiring thread, David made valid points about whether LaPo would come here.

I will discuss that here, as it involves some more discussion of Wally's tenure with the Lions.

I agree that LaPo is unlikely to leave TSN for an OC spot. He would probably take a HC spot somewhere. Better money. Keep his relevance up as a commentator.

And he did turn down Benny previously for OC here. I doubt he would even take the HC spot here, as things stand now.

JC? Top candidate. Lots of water under the bridge with Wally. Lots. Some fans would not mind his return. Include me on that list. Some fans might riot.

Jarious would seem to be our top candidate. Fans lost hope with Khari last time. Why would he be any different with another shot at it?

But this is all looking through the bargain bin, it seems to me. We are hardly the destination of choice. Tedford was Wally's chance for the big salvation job. Save the team. Save the organization. Save his legacy as a GM in terms of rating his ability to fashion a sound succession program. Failed twice now. Once with a protégé, Benevides. Once with an extremely highly qualified outsider, Tedford.

Hufnagel was seemingly available prior to his taking the Calgary job. Dickenson was here. We let him escape to Calgary. Stubler was here. Tedford was here. Cortez was here. Dave Ritchie was here. Steve Buratto was here. O'Billovich was on staff. That is a lot of coaching talent, Head Coaching talent, OC and DC talent, that has passed through here in various roles. At one time JC was considered a top candidate for a Head Coaching gig. Now the cupboard is just about bare.

Staff in crisis mode?

Our O staff has been gutted. Many, many fans were hoping Tedford would remove Mark Washington from the DC gig. It seems to this fan that we are beneath the level of rebuilding. In regards to our coaching staff, it seems to me we are in crisis mode. Player talent is OK. Wally will fill the coaching spots. Will we be competitive? The odds are against it. Will we have a brand new, different playbook on offence? Four new OCs in four years. And it won't be Wally actually drawing up the O playbook, methinks. Philosophy from Wally, Yes. Actual plays, I don't think so. It is a tighter, neater ship when the HC is an actual OC as well. As with Hufnagel, or Dickenson, or Milanovich, or Austin. Or Trestman in his time here. They can, and will, draw up their O playbooks. LaPo could be that guy, of course. As good as the above named? Perhaps not.

Interesting off season for us. Chaotic? Yeah. Can Wally make it work? Possibly. But methinks he will have to pull some rabbits out of the hat. Maybe fill an inside straight. As he said, he did not want to find himself in this position. It did seem promising with Tedford taking over the Head Coach role. And Cortez, Malone and Ross brought large resumes and credentials also.

[SammyGreene]

In the Chris Jones hiring thread, David made valid points about whether LaPo would come here.

I will discuss that here, as it involves some more discussion of Wally's tenure with the Lions.

I agree that LaPo is unlikely to leave TSN for an OC spot. He would probably take a HC spot somewhere. Better money. Keep his relevance up as a commentator.

And he did turn down Benny previously for OC here. I doubt he would even take the HC spot here, as things stand now.

Jarious would seem to be our top candidate. Fans lost hope with Khari last time. Why would he be any different with another shot at it?

JC? Top candidate. Lots of water under the bridge with Wally. Lots. Some fans would not mind his return. Include me on that list. Some fans might riot.

But this is all rooting around in the discount bin, it seems to me. We are hardly the destination of choice. Tedford was Wally's chance for the big salvation job. Save the team. Save the organization. Save his legacy as a GM in terms of rating his ability to fashion a sound succession program. Failed twice now. Once with a protégé, Benny. Once with an extremely highly qualified outsider, Teddy.

Hufnagel was seemingly available prior to his taking the Calgary job. Dickenson was here. We let him escape to Calgary. Stubler was here. Tedford was here. Cortez was here. Dave Ritchie was here. O'Billovich was on staff. That is a lot of coaching talent that has passed through here in various roles. At one time JC was considered a top candidate for a Head Coaching gig. Now the cupboard is just about bare.

Staff in crisis mode?

Our O staff has been gutted. Many, many fans were hoping Tedford would remove Mark Washington from the DC gig. It seems to this fan that we are beneath the level of rebuilding. In regards to our coaching staff, it seems to me we are in crisis mode. Player talent is OK. Wally will fill the coaching spots. Will we be competitive? The odds are against it. Will we have a brand new, different playbook on offence? Four new OCs in four years. And it won't be Wally actually drawing up the O playbook, methinks. Philosophy from Wally, Yes. Actual plays, I don't think so. It is a tighter, neater ship when the HC is an actual OC as well. As with Hufnagel, or Dickenson, or Milanovich, or Austin. Or Trestman in his time here. They can, and will, draw up their O playbooks. LaPo could be that guy, of course. As good as the above named? Perhaps not.

Interesting off season for us. Chaotic? Yeah. Can Wally make it work? Possibly. But methinks he will have to pull some rabbits out of the hat. Maybe fill an inside straight. As he said, he did not want to find himself in this position. It did seem promising with Tedford taking over the Head Coach role. And Cortez, Malone and Ross brought large resumes and credentials also.

Great post WC Joe and I completely agree.

First off I give Wally credit for putting himself in the line of fire again at this stage of his life. However, what is left right now on the offensive side of the ball for coaching is of great concern. There didn't seem to be a better situation to bring along a young QB than with Tedford at the helm with his background and even Cortez too. That is what we were being sold a year ago at this time with Tedford's arrival.
Now we are poised to go back to the 2014 season model with a rookie OC and a head coach with no offensive background and no reputation of being an Xs and Os guy. Scary stuff.
Maybe the Lions hit out of the park by hiring Jarious (the rabbit out of the hat as you prefer it to). But I will be very skeptical after watching what unfolded two years ago with Jones in his first year.

That's a the greatest disappointment of Tedord's departure. Lots of mistakes and shortcomings last year? Absolutely but the philosophical change of bringing in a head coach with an offensive background and a reputation for developing players, especially QBs, was a welcome breath of fresh air.
Now it's back to the old warhorse with a apparently no established OC helping him out.

[WestCoastJoe]

In the Chris Jones hiring thread, David made valid points about whether LaPo would come here.

I will discuss that here, as it involves some more discussion of Wally's tenure with the Lions.

I agree that LaPo is unlikely to leave TSN for an OC spot. He would probably take a HC spot somewhere. Better money. Keep his relevance up as a commentator.

And he did turn down Benny previously for OC here. I doubt he would even take the HC spot here, as things stand now.

Jarious would seem to be our top candidate. Fans lost hope with Khari last time. Why would he be any different with another shot at it?

JC? Top candidate. Lots of water under the bridge with Wally. Lots. Some fans would not mind his return. Include me on that list. Some fans might riot.

But this is all rooting around in the discount bin, it seems to me. We are hardly the destination of choice. Tedford was Wally's chance for the big salvation job. Save the team. Save the organization. Save his legacy as a GM in terms of rating his ability to fashion a sound succession program. Failed twice now. Once with a protégé, Benny. Once with an extremely highly qualified outsider, Teddy.

Hufnagel was seemingly available prior to his taking the Calgary job. Dickenson was here. We let him escape to Calgary. Stubler was here. Tedford was here. Cortez was here. Dave Ritchie was here. O'Billovich was on staff. That is a lot of coaching talent that has passed through here in various roles. At one time JC was considered a top candidate for a Head Coaching gig. Now the cupboard is just about bare.

Staff in crisis mode?

Our O staff has been gutted. Many, many fans were hoping Tedford would remove Mark Washington from the DC gig. It seems to this fan that we are beneath the level of rebuilding. In regards to our coaching staff, it seems to me we are in crisis mode. Player talent is OK. Wally will fill the coaching spots. Will we be competitive? The odds are against it. Will we have a brand new, different playbook on offence? Four new OCs in four years. And it won't be Wally actually drawing up the O playbook, methinks. Philosophy from Wally, Yes. Actual plays, I don't think so. It is a tighter, neater ship when the HC is an actual OC as well. As with Hufnagel, or Dickenson, or Milanovich, or Austin. Or Trestman in his time here. They can, and will, draw up their O playbooks. LaPo could be that guy, of course. As good as the above named? Perhaps not.

Interesting off season for us. Chaotic? Yeah. Can Wally make it work? Possibly. But methinks he will have to pull some rabbits out of the hat. Maybe fill an inside straight. As he said, he did not want to find himself in this position. It did seem promising with Tedford taking over the Head Coach role. And Cortez, Malone and Ross brought large resumes and credentials also.

Great post WC Joe and I completely agree.

First off I give Wally credit for putting himself in the line of fire again at this stage of his life. However, what is left right now on the offensive side of the ball for coaching is of great concern. There didn't seem to be a better situation to bring along a young QB than with Tedford at the helm with his background and even Cortez too. That is what we were being sold a year ago at this time with Tedford's arrival.
Now we are poised to go back to the 2014 season model with a rookie OC and a head coach with no offensive background and no reputation of being an Xs and Os guy. Scary stuff.
Maybe the Lions hit out of the park by hiring Jarious (the rabbit out of the hat as you prefer it to). But I will be very skeptical after watching what unfolded two years ago with Jones in his first year.

That's a the greatest disappointment of Tedord's departure. Lots of mistakes and shortcomings last year? Absolutely but the philosophical change of bringing in a head coach with an offensive background and a reputation for developing players, especially QBs, was a welcome breath of fresh air.
Now it's back to the old warhorse with a apparently no established OC helping him out.

Thanks, Sammy. Not much good news to report.

But it is all interesting. In the bigger picture, many of us are fans of the CFL itself. Some teams have good news and stuff to cheer. Ottawa. Edmonton, although the rug is being snatched out from under their feet. Regina. Toronto. Calgary. Hamilton. Et cetera ...

If we can be middle of the road, that might be a reasonable goal for the Lions.

[WestCoastJoe]

All Quiet on the Western Front.

I wonder, wonder who. Who is Wally talking to?

Who will be our OC?

Not a word slipping out. In years past we heard Benny had made offers to LaPolice and Cortez. Turned down as it happened. Then we gave the OC to Khari.

This year? No idea.

I can't see Garcia coming here. Last time he was holding out for Head Coach.

So, will we wait until after Christmas, and then hear it is Khari? I guess I would rather hear before Christmas, before Wally goes to Hawaii.

It does not look like we are going to get a big name OC.

On staff, we have Doug Malone, OL coach. He has been a Head Coach and OC at the American college level.

In years past, when we were more successful, Wally was able to make Dan Dorazio and Stef Kruk co-OCs, and nobody squawked. Now, with less success, and more scrutiny, it seems we watch more closely.

[B.C.FAN]

Wally did a Twitter Q & A with fans on Friday, taking over the team's official Twitter feed for an hour or so, part of which was recorded on video. There was nothing too revealing but he singled out Khari Jones and Mark Washington by name as the type of coaches he likes, having been successful players themselves.

Here are some of the football-related questions:

Derek ‏@dtwdoessports
repeat injurys with Lulay & Jennings stepping up last season what r ur thoughts on starting QB next season?

Wally:
For Camp you have to have an order of QBs. At this point there's no reason we wouldn't start the way we finished.

CFL News ‏@CFL_News
.@BCLions - @GM_Brillo, what do you plan on doing differently this time around as Head Coach to take #BCLions to next level?

Wally:
Different team, but principles that served me well for years are valuable still: create environment where expectations are clear

David ‏@davidmclennan91
@BCLions @GM_Brillo What do you think of the big offseason moves so far?

Wally:
The league moves have been exciting so far. This time of year, securing a good coaching staff is critical.

Trudy Parke ‏@Trudy_Parke
@BCLions @GM_Brillo #AskALion Do you see major changes in players in order to create more wins next yr? BTW, welcome back, Coach!

Wally:
We have a good corps of veteran players. In order to improve we have to build on that group through scouting or free agency.

Mark Hopkins ‏@mhops
@mhops's account is protected.

Wally:
Always want guys like Khari Jones, Mark Washington, that move from player to coach. If you can capitalize on that it's a great asset

Derek Williams ‏@DerekWilliams82
most teams in the league r going to the air game but BC is still running do you think BC needs to work on the pass play?

Wally:
You always want a balance of the 2. We want to build on the improvements we made in the passing game though.

Ellin Caesarmann ‏@1Cooop
@BCLions How long does he expect it to take to round out his coaching staff? (I'd love to see a return of Jarius Jackson)

Wally:
We want to do it as soon as possible. Getting a staff with all the movement going on takes time. Jarious accepted a role with Sask

Chris Keehn ‏@ChrisKeehn96
@BCLions @GM_Brillo What specific traits, are you looking for from our next OC? What type of offense can we expect in 2016?

Wally:
Our OC needs to be a team player with the coaches but has final say. Our offence has to put pressure, not react

Matt Wagner
‏@MW_GoJoeBruin
@BCLions @GM_Brillo Favorite part about the job? (either coaching or GM)

Wally:
On coaching: the relationship with the players, and the challenge of competing.

[WestCoastJoe]

Thanks, BCF.

Sounds like Wally is laying the groundwork for acceptance of Khari as OC. Or running up a trial ballon to see fan reaction.

If not Khari, then who else?

[pennw]

Thanks, BCF.

Sounds like Wally is laying the groundwork for acceptance of Khari as OC. Or running up a trial ballon to see fan reaction.

If not Khari, then who else?

I know this won't be popular here , but I think Chapdelaine is a far better OC then Khari . If JC becomes available, he probably will be the best option and BC would have a potent offense with Jennings pulling the trigger . Just keep Dorazio out and try keeping Malone on board . Malone seemed to be a package deal with Cortez , but since Cortez retired maybe he'll stay here on his own , hoping Wally sees it that way .
JC may be unpopular with many on this board , but I suspect the casual fans at BC Place have no idea of who he is , and if our offense works that is all they care about . Last Sask game I went to with a group and none of them even had any idea of who Jonathon Jennings was even though they were fairly regular casual fans . They knew who he was by the end of the game because I let them know who he was and he played lights out that night . If they don't know the name of our starting QB i doubt they know any of our assistant coaches names .

[B.C.FAN]

I know this won't be popular here , but I think Chapdelaine is a far better OC then Khari . If JC becomes available, he probably will be the best option and BC would have a potent offense with Jennings pulling the trigger . Just keep Dorazio out and try keeping Malone on board . Malone seemed to be a package deal with Cortez , but since Cortez retired maybe he'll stay here on his own , hoping Wally sees it that way .
JC may be unpopular with many on this board , but I suspect the casual fans at BC Place have no idea of who he is , and if our offense works that is all they care about . Last Sask game I went to with a group and none of them even had any idea of who Jonathon Jennings was even though they were fairly regular casual fans . They knew who he was by the end of the game because I let them know who he was and he played lights out that night . If they don't know the name of our starting QB i doubt they know any of our assistant coaches names .

For what it's worth, I agree. JC is probably the most experienced OC available, although QB injuries have a nasty habit of following him wherever he goes. Still, despite losing their starting QB and auditioning several rookies at the end of the year and trading away the startig running back, JC's offence in Saskatchewan this year ranked second behind only Ottawa's.

As far as fan reaction goes, most fans wouldn't be able to name any of the Lions' assistant coaches, let alone list their positive or negative attributes, just as I couldn't name the Canucks assistant coaches (or any NHL or NBA coaches, for that matter). And I don't even know if the Whitecaps have assistant coaches.

This year many longtime season ticketholders who sit near me had to ask me who the quarterback was and why Lulay wasn't starting. These are people who go to most games and have had the same seats for 15 or 20 years. Most fans just don't follow the team too closely.

[WestCoastJoe]

Thanks, BCF.

Sounds like Wally is laying the groundwork for acceptance of Khari as OC. Or running up a trial ballon to see fan reaction.

If not Khari, then who else?

I know this won't be popular here , but I think Chapdelaine is a far better OC then Khari . If JC becomes available, he probably will be the best option and BC would have a potent offense with Jennings pulling the trigger . Just keep Dorazio out and try keeping Malone on board . Malone seemed to be a package deal with Cortez , but since Cortez retired maybe he'll stay here on his own , hoping Wally sees it that way .
JC may be unpopular with many on this board , but I suspect the casual fans at BC Place have no idea of who he is , and if our offense works that is all they care about . Last Sask game I went to with a group and none of them even had any idea of who Jonathon Jennings was even though they were fairly regular casual fans . They knew who he was by the end of the game because I let them know who he was and he played lights out that night . If they don't know the name of our starting QB i doubt they know any of our assistant coaches names .

I agree. And I have spoken in support of JC. As I have indicated, IMO he can dial up any kind of offence you want. He has had much success here. Dunno if Wally can see his way to revisiting that setup, however.

OC does get attention, Fans focus on offence. JC has been OC here twice now. It would be a brave decision by Wally to bring him back.

Some bloggers here would be unhappy about it. I would have no problem with it. I don't think he has been released yet in Regina. I wonder what Jones feels about facing a JC offence, when they are on opposite sides of the ball.

I expect Jones to bring McAdoo over from Edmonton as OC, so JC may be available.

[maxlion]

Thanks, BCF.

Sounds like Wally is laying the groundwork for acceptance of Khari as OC. Or running up a trial ballon to see fan reaction.

If not Khari, then who else?

I know this won't be popular here , but I think Chapdelaine is a far better OC then Khari . If JC becomes available, he probably will be the best option and BC would have a potent offense with Jennings pulling the trigger . Just keep Dorazio out and try keeping Malone on board . Malone seemed to be a package deal with Cortez , but since Cortez retired maybe he'll stay here on his own , hoping Wally sees it that way .
JC may be unpopular with many on this board , but I suspect the casual fans at BC Place have no idea of who he is , and if our offense works that is all they care about . Last Sask game I went to with a group and none of them even had any idea of who Jonathon Jennings was even though they were fairly regular casual fans . They knew who he was by the end of the game because I let them know who he was and he played lights out that night . If they don't know the name of our starting QB i doubt they know any of our assistant coaches names .

Between Chap v3 and Khari v2, I'd go with Chap v3 as well. There's no question that he is a very competent OC, even if he has certain tendencies that begin to grind on the serious fan's nerves after awhile.

Would he want to come back for a third go round? Would Wally want him back or is there too much water under the bridge?

I hope Wally will look at Jeff Garcia or other options who may be under the radar. But I could live with Chap v3.