cromartie wrote:Blitz wrote:cromartie wrote: Thought for the day, did players not know who ran the locker room because Wally was overly domineering? Or was Wally overly domineering because MB couldn't control the locker room?
Both!!!!
Humor me. Pretend it's an either/or question for the sake of discussion and pick
one or the other.
I know I look like someone who is bangining the drum for LaPo. And, truth be told, I don't know if he can coach against the best either. But what I do know is that he never lost his locker room. If you think back to the way the Bombers performed in the game against BC the week before he was fired, that was not a team that had quit on its coach. Factor in the front office, ownership and coaching staff issues being foisted upon him, and it seems like he's someone who could handle things. Provided he hires two coordinators and doesn't try and micromanage the offense himself.
But MLF mentions bringing Wally back down to mentor Garcia and Lulay, and I'm amenable to that as well. Or Steinhauer could be ready. All plausible options.
Ok.....I`ll make a choice.
I believe that Wally would never have given up control to a Head Coach to make his own decisions. I believe one of the reasons that he hired Benevedes was so he would have a free reign in continuing to make those deciions.
However, from approximately the half way point of last season, the stronger factor was that Benevedes was losing the locker room and Wally felt the need to step in at a much stronger level than even he would have liked to. I think he did that for two reasons 1) to attempt to get the Leos moving in a more positive direction and playing better 2) to attempt to rescue Benevedes.
I don`t have anyone in mind for our new HC. I have some reservations about Paul LaPolice, who seems to be receiving a much higher status than his resume speaks. Yes, he`s a likeable guy from his TSN spots. Yes, he has never lost the locker room. The big question is whether he is the type of HC who can lead us to a Grey Cup or two.
In terms of Jeff Garcia, I would be more positive about him becoming our offensive coordinator than our future HC. While there have been exceptions of an ex-player with a thin coaching resume stepping into a HC position I think its way too chancy. Leadership and managment skills most often need to be developed with a background of experiences containing both success and adversity. Those lessons of experiences can pay huge dividends.
Orlando Stenhauer is an interesting potential candidate.
I don't completely agree that the CFL has been loaded with coaches who are so ahead of the curve than our B.C. Lions. No question that Hufnagel is a very smart football coach. Dickenson was developed slowly and wisely under Hufnagel. Chris Jones did a terrific job in Edmonton and has always been a coach who has impressed me. Kent Austin has his Grey Cup win in Saskatchewan, took Hamilton to the Grey Cup last year and overcame a 1-6 start to bring the Tabbies back again. But I don't see Richie Hall in that category at this point nor Chamblis and Milanovich missed the playoffs with Ricky Ray at quarterback. Rich Campbell has not proven himself to be in that category yet either, nor has Condon or O'Shea.
Our Lions were the best team in the CFL for a number of seasons for a number of reasons that included 1) the leadership of Bobby Ackles 2) the tight ship of Wally Buono as HC 3) developing and recruiting excellent talent 4) the development of quarterbacks including a system of lots of first team practice reps and 5) the high expectations Buono had of his assistant coaches while he was HC.
There was a time when Buno set the highest working standards for his assistant coaches. They usaully started at 4 a.m. but often they were in the office well before that start time. Other CFL coaching staffs were never forced to work as hard as Buonbo's assistants. Leadership,player recruitment and talent, combined with team discipline, high standards, and a dedicated coaching staff created success.
What happened? Ackles sadly passed away and he left a void that has not been filled. Wally stayed with strategies that had worked in the past but were not ahead of the curve anymore and some coaches who were not performing at an appropriate level eg: Dorazio and McMann. Ritchie and Stubler brought in new ideas as did Hufnagel as a consultant in 2007 but mostly we stayed with a lof of old stuff, strategy wise. The talent of other CFL teams improved. Wally's team practices from 2006-2011 were not the crisp, sharp variety that he had been well known for in the past...perhaps he was geting tired. And finally Wally did not have the advantage of having his assistants outworking other coaching staffs.
Now there were was an increase in coaches in the CFL who were smart but also watched as much video and used computer analysis or more than we did and we stayed with some old dog assistants as well. But don't discount some older Leo coaches as not being innovative. Ritchie was a tremendously innovatvie defensive coordinator and so was Stubler when he was allowed to. And when Chap was givin a more free reign to adapt the old Calgary offence in 2011, after our poor start, his offence was the most innovative in the CFL in 2011 and 2012.
At the start of this year, I read often on Lionbackers how we were going to be so far ahead this season with two new young Leo offensive coordinators in Washington and Khari Jones (who was an ex-quarterback who would be more innovative than Chap). They were considered smart and young and the better way to the future than Stubler and Chap. Didn't turn out that way and I didn't expect it to. They were also handicapped by a Head Coach who did not have the requisite leadership skills, Washington was handicapped by having to install conservative leadership strategies that Buono and Benevedes favored and Jones was handicapped by having to run the old Calgary offence with Dorazio as his line coach to boot. However, Jones stuggled due to his own limitations as well because he could have utilzied the old Calgary offence much better than he did.
We need to hire Leo coaches not based upon 'personality' but based upon leadership and management ability. Khari Jones and Mark Washington have positive personalities but that did not turn out to be enough at the end of the season for Washington or all season for Jones.
In terms of Wally returning as an interim Head Coach, he would significantly improve team discipline and expectation. But the problem is that we would still be stuck with old defensive and offensive systems and a couple of assistant coaches in Dorazio and McMann whose performances reflect that they should not be in their present roles.
I believe we really need a new Head Coach who has the necessary experience as well as leadership and managment skills as well as 'personality', who can bring in new systems and hire his own assistants. He is going to need the autonomy to implement the strategies that he wants to run and throw away the old Buono style passive zone defence (only Ritchie was able to not run it and he drove Buono crazy with his aggressive style) and also throw away the old spread offence from Buono's Calgary days as well. Chap had moved away from it as much as he could the last 3 seasons but Jones was back in the thick of the spread - even using the six receiver spread for the first half of the season before disbanding it.
Who that Head Coach will be is hard to know. Dickenson would have been a good choice but he won`t be coming. LaPolice is a solid choice but not an overly inspiring one. Garcia lacks the requisite background. Orlando is worth a look. But there is no candidate like a Chris Jones out there right now...a coach who has proved himself with more than one franchise and is innovative. LaPolice is not innovative. Buono coming back will not be innovative. We need an innovative coach who can change a tired scheme on both offence and defence.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
