Coaching change during the season does work

[WRDS]

It worked in 2000 when Buratto took over from Mohns. Lions were 5-9 and went on to win the Grey Cup.First time a team in CFL history won the Grey Cup with a record under .500. I see alot of people dismissing the idea of coaching change right now because they never work. With the Grey Cup on the Lions home turf this season, what do they have to lose? Nothing at this point. It's looking less and less likely the Lions will be playing on their home turf.Stegall mentioned pre-game on TSN last night there should a coaching change with Wally. Milt mentioned how Wally has lost touch with the players of today.

[Rammer]

It worked in 2000 when Buratto took over from Mohns. Lions were 5-9 and went on to win the Grey Cup.First time a team in CFL history won the Grey Cup with a record under .500. I see alot of people dismissing the idea of coaching change right now because they never work. With the Grey Cup on the Lions home turf this season, what do they have to lose? Nothing at this point. It's looking less and less likely the Lions will be playing on their home turf.Stegall mentioned pre-game on TSN last night there should a coaching change with Wally. Milt mentioned how Wally has lost touch with the players of today.

All that I ask is to see your suggestion for HC change or OC change or DC change, then we can proceed to consider the validity of these potential changes.

[WRDS]

It worked in 2000 when Buratto took over from Mohns. Lions were 5-9 and went on to win the Grey Cup.First time a team in CFL history won the Grey Cup with a record under .500. I see alot of people dismissing the idea of coaching change right now because they never work. With the Grey Cup on the Lions home turf this season, what do they have to lose? Nothing at this point. It's looking less and less likely the Lions will be playing on their home turf.Stegall mentioned pre-game on TSN last night there should a coaching change with Wally. Milt mentioned how Wally has lost touch with the players of today.

All that I ask is to see your suggestion for HC change or OC change or DC change, then we can proceed to consider the validity of these potential changes.

Dave Ritchie for HC. I recall him being honored last year by the Lions as part of the 1994 Grey Cup team and someone from TSN talked to him and he seemed to hint he would like to coach again. I've always liked Ritchie. Players coach. If not, would he have interest in returning to be DC again? Lions had dominant defenses under him here.As for OC. Is Cortez still QB Coach will the Bills?

[Toppy Vann]

Mid year coaching changes very rarely work.



http://football.sport-heute.ch/home.php ... ave_ritchi


Ritchie is coaching. He is in Europe. Head coach of Renegades Zurich.


From the New York Times... apparently there is a talent shortage in Europe.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/world ... wanted=all
Landquart Journal
The Game Is American, but the View, Alpine
By JOHN TAGLIABUE
Published: April 14, 2011

For Dave Ritchie, the game he was watching was less than tremendous. A 51-year veteran of football coaching, about half of that time in the Canadian Football League, Mr. Ritchie, 72, moved to Zurich two months ago to become the club’s head coach. Wearing Bermuda shorts, his snow-white hair tumbling from beneath a baseball cap, Mr. Ritchie stamped his foot in exasperation as the Zurich center hiked the ball over the head of the placekicker, robbing Zurich of the extra point after its only touchdown.

“The last three touchdowns, I told my guys exactly how it would happen,” he said. “They can’t react.” Patience was needed, he said, adding that after so many satisfying years in football, “I’m trying to give something back.”

Zurich has a decent quarterback, he said, an American named Perry Patterson who was a star at Syracuse University and tried out unsuccessfully for the Buffalo Bills. But the Swiss are not likely to send anyone to the N.F.L. soon.


04. Juli 2011, 10:56
Regular Ranglisten 2011

Nun ist die Regularsaison abgeschlossen. Die Play-off rufen für die Einen - das Saisonaus für die Anderen. Eine Saison die gut begann aber dennoch nicht halten konnte, was sie am Anfang versprach. Mit den Broncos ist schaut ein mehr als deutlicher Regularsieger aus der laufenden Meisterschaft heraus.

...lexx Bluedevils 10 14
3. Basel Gladiators 10 12
4. Bern Grizzlies 10 8
5. Zurich Renegades 10 6
6. Basel Meanmachine 10 0


http://www.europlayers.com/News.aspx?NewsId=274

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... gle.com.hk


Now, Europe awaits the former head coach of the B.C. Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who will turn 73 this year as a rookie head coach with the Zurich Renegades, the most prestigious American football club in Switzerland, as if you didn’t know.

“I just want to coach again, although I haven’t stopped coaching,” explained Ritchie, who will take over his new post on Feb. 4. “I would like to have been a head coach in the CFL again, but it wasn’t happening. This came up and sounded like a lot of fun. But if there was ever a CFL head coaching job that opened up, and they wanted somebody who’s won a few games, I certainly would listen.”

[Hambone]

Funny how it's perceived that at 61 Wally has lost touch with the players of today but that wouldn't apply to Ritchie at 73.

[Hambone]

It worked in 2000 when Buratto took over from Mohns. Lions were 5-9 and went on to win the Grey Cup.First time a team in CFL history won the Grey Cup with a record under .500. I see alot of people dismissing the idea of coaching change right now because they never work. With the Grey Cup on the Lions home turf this season, what do they have to lose? Nothing at this point. It's looking less and less likely the Lions will be playing on their home turf.Stegall mentioned pre-game on TSN last night there should a coaching change with Wally. Milt mentioned how Wally has lost touch with the players of today.

I think the problem with mid-season coaching changes isn't that they don't necessarily lead to success as much as that success generally has a short shelf life. Often when a mid-season coaching change takes place that coach is usually gone within two years. In 1987 GM Joe Galat fired Don Matthews after the Leos lost 3 in a row after starting out 8-3. Larry Donovan. BC immediately won 4 in a row but lost the WDF. Donovan would lead the Lions into the 1988 GC but would himself be let go in mid-season 1989. 1990 was a bizarre season with Lary Kuharich starting the season. 4 coaching changes later O'Billovich was HC. He'd make it to the end of the 1992 season before being relieved. Mohns had been a mid-season coaching change himself in 1998. Exactly 2 years later he was gone. The Lions had the unexpected Grey Cup win in 2000 but the regular season was hardly a success for Buratto. BC was 3-4 when they made the change then would go 5-6-0-1 before putting together the arguably improbable playoff run. Buratto himself would be a mid-season victim as Rita replaced him 2 years later. On the plus side of the ledger BC won the 2000 GC under Buratto but we a sub .500 club going 16-21 under his leadership. For the Lions Obie managed to complete his second full season but for the other 3 all came in as mid-season changes and left as mid-season changes two years later only getting one full season in between. Mohns gets the benefit of the doubt because he left on his own to join the XFL.

The biggest problem with mid-season changes is the organization is forced to draw that HC out of a very limited pool of candidates. No team in their right mind would grant an assistant under contract permission to interview for a position with another organization in mid-season even if that is a step up. Options are usually limited to promoting an assistant from within, a GM taking over the job or scouring the unemployment lines for people who couldn't find themselves a job in the last offseason. If the team shows any improvement, usually playing close to .500 will do it, the organization is pretty much obligated to retain that mid-season replacement for another year. When you make an offseason change the pool of available candidates is immensely larger as coaching contracts expire and if you want to pursue an assistant still under contract teams usually will not stand in the way if the coach has an opportunity for advancement.

For Buono as he's already the GM/HC the Lions don't have the option of having the GM take over. That leaves promoting an assistant as the next most likely option. And we all know how that will go over in this website.

[tigerrr22]

It worked in 2000 when Buratto took over from Mohns. Lions were 5-9 and went on to win the Grey Cup.First time a team in CFL history won the Grey Cup with a record under .500. I see alot of people dismissing the idea of coaching change right now because they never work. With the Grey Cup on the Lions home turf this season, what do they have to lose? Nothing at this point. It's looking less and less likely the Lions will be playing on their home turf.Stegall mentioned pre-game on TSN last night there should a coaching change with Wally. Milt mentioned how Wally has lost touch with the players of today.

I think the problem with mid-season coaching changes isn't that they don't necessarily lead to success as much as that success generally has a short shelf life. Often when a mid-season coaching change takes place that coach is usually gone within two years. In 1987 GM Joe Galat fired Don Matthews after the Leos lost 3 in a row after starting out 8-3. Larry Donovan. BC immediately won 4 in a row but lost the WDF. Donovan would lead the Lions into the 1988 GC but would himself be let go in mid-season 1989. 1990 was a bizarre season with Lary Kuharich starting the season. 4 coaching changes later O'Billovich was HC. He'd make it to the end of the 1992 season before being relieved. Mohns had been a mid-season coaching change himself in 1998. Exactly 2 years later he was gone. The Lions had the unexpected Grey Cup win in 2000 but the regular season was hardly a success for Buratto. BC was 3-4 when they made the change then would go 5-6-0-1 before putting together the arguably improbable playoff run. Buratto himself would be a mid-season victim as Rita replaced him 2 years later. On the plus side of the ledger BC won the 2000 GC under Buratto but we a sub .500 club going 16-21 under his leadership. For the Lions Obie managed to complete his second full season but for the other 3 all came in as mid-season changes and left as mid-season changes two years later only getting one full season in between. Mohns gets the benefit of the doubt because he left on his own to join the XFL.

The biggest problem with mid-season changes is the organization is forced to draw that HC out of a very limited pool of candidates. No team in their right mind would grant an assistant under contract permission to interview for a position with another organization in mid-season even if that is a step up. Options are usually limited to promoting an assistant from within, a GM taking over the job or scouring the unemployment lines for people who couldn't find themselves a job in the last offseason. If the team shows any improvement, usually playing close to .500 will do it, the organization is pretty much obligated to retain that mid-season replacement for another year. When you make an offseason change the pool of available candidates is immensely larger as coaching contracts expire and if you want to pursue an assistant still under contract teams usually will not stand in the way if the coach has an opportunity for advancement.

For Buono as he's already the GM/HC the Lions don't have the option of having the GM take over. That leaves promoting an assistant as the next most likely option. And we all know how that will go over in this website.

Good points. Chap or Benevides are not displaying adequate head coaching credentials today. They're at the end of the rope too. An entire new regime should be brought in after this season is over. (Buono staying on, as purely the GM, might be wise too.) I'd like to see David Dickenson become BC's head coach some day. He's working his way through the ranks, in Calgary, and he's a fan favourite of Lion's fans for the good seasons he had here as the QB. A couple of new co-ordinators could be found from around the league in the off season too. Edmonton? Winnipeg? Hamilton? Montreal? Teams with coaches that are succeeding in today's CFL game.

The young group of players the Lions have can gel and live how ugly it is to lose today. Travis Lulay can learn and grow into a winner too. (He's close to being that right now.) The Lion's defence needs some new "secondary" blood that can follow a DC from his current team to BC. Usually the other plus is every new coach has a core group of "his" players that will follow the coach to a new coaching location. A whole sale HC, OC and DC change, after this season, would put the Lion's in a better position moving forward into 2012. Also the teams' owner, MR. Braley, could sell the team after the Grey Cup year to focus only on Toronto. This is really where Wally's job security presently sits.

Maybe Wally needs to "tough out" the remainder of this regular season, as it's presently set up, and then be elevated to only GM duties in 2012. More time for Wally to better recruit new players to replace the good ones that move on. (Especially in the NI category.) Coaching is physically exhausting and I think younger men are better equipped for such a stressful job. DD is at the top of my list to HC in BC some day soon.

Dominic in Vancouver

[Toppy Vann]

Funny how it's perceived that at 61 Wally has lost touch with the players of today but that wouldn't apply to Ritchie at 73.

It has nothing to do with age but performance. I agree hiring a HC at that age is not what most GMs want to do but NO one has ever said a bad word about Marv Levy and his age.

Wally's act is starting to wear out with this team as it has worn out with some fans. How he scape goats players and how his team is prepared. His unwillingness to see things until the year end then say oh next year we will do this and that - all the while the fans are screaming during the year about these issues. Oh during the year Wally is out saying these things are not issues.

I think Milt Stegall the part timer at TSN is right. The game is passing Wally by as he cannot relate to his team. He is too loyal to two coaches and that is harming him.

When Ritchie coached the D in BC the players like Korey Banks this year refer to those teams back then as their best defensive teams - better than now in 2006 and 2007. Banks said that on Team 1040 pre season.

---

I am NOT advocating a coaching change as it looks to be the next HC will be MB and mid year changes are usually worse than what you had other than some short term improvement in effort from the players.

[cromartie]

I would agree that mid season coaching changes fail more often than they succeed. Even the throwing overboard of assistants doesn't typically tend to help matters very much.

Dave Ritchie the coordinator was and is a brilliant mind who not only understood how to build a system, but understood how to adjust. In that sense he was and is a terrific strategist. I'd take that guy in a heart beat.

Dave Ritchie the Head Coach, on the other hand, is a guy who did a good job of creating an us against them type of mentality, but his teams were frequently undisciplined, played a bit sloppy and ultimately had a short shelf life. People tuned him out too, as his tenure in Winnipeg suggests.

Ideally, when DD is ready, it would be him. But with apologies to Chuck McMann, you're at the point where you need to broom this entire staff and start over again.

[Toppy Vann]

I would agree that mid season coaching changes fail more often than they succeed. Even the throwing overboard of assistants doesn't typically tend to help matters very much.

Dave Ritchie the coordinator was and is a brilliant mind who not only understood how to build a system, but understood how to adjust. In that sense he was and is a terrific strategist. I'd take that guy in a heart beat.

Dave Ritchie the Head Coach, on the other hand, is a guy who did a good job of creating an us against them type of mentality, but his teams were frequently undisciplined, played a bit sloppy and ultimately had a short shelf life. People tuned him out too, as his tenure in Winnipeg suggests.

Ideally, when DD is ready, it would be him. But with apologies to Chuck McMann, you're at the point where you need to broom this entire staff and start over again.

Yes. If you read the comments about the 1994 that beat Wally and Doug Flutie in the snow in Calgary in the WD Final that year then the Stallions in the Grey Cup, that team was at each others throats during the season but came together at the end to play great and win the GC in BC Place.

DD is struggling right now with their offense not clicking although it seems that errant passes and drops are not great. Some of his run calls remind vs the Esks reminded me of JC running right into the line which was stacked vs using some creativity.

[tigerrr22]

DD would probably be a great HC for a young QB like Travis Lulay. (Total credibility as a former Grey Cup winning QB and a younger guy that can connect better with a hard working and determined QB like Travis Lulay is.) I bet DD would also have a good idea as to what characteristics a new OC should have. DD could oversee the offence and the OC could be a selection based on a criteria that the players on "O" feel they need as a group. (Questionnaire for each player that returns in 2012 early in the off season.) I'd avoid giving either co-ordinator the HC job this season. Keep the contracts as is. No pro-rated extra pay for promotion. This is Wally's last year as HC and the Grey Cup is right here. Leave him to chase his dream as the final chapter of his Head Coaching the Lions unfolds.

2012 sees the new stadium as home for the Lions from day one. New blood and a new attitude are much needed below Wally's GM role. I would also incorporate the roaring Lion's head with inner BC "70's logo" as the new primary logo. (Even go all the way with the seventies uniforms too but the 70's logo, outlined with black edging, would look sharp on the present white helmets too. Easier on the eyes from afar. Forward facing on both sides of the helmet and just meaner looking too.)

Dominic In Vancouver

[cromartie]

Yes. If you read the comments about the 1994 that beat Wally and Doug Flutie in the snow in Calgary in the WD Final that year then the Stallions in the Grey Cup, that team was at each others throats during the season but came together at the end to play great and win the GC in BC Place.

DD is struggling right now with their offense not clicking although it seems that errant passes and drops are not great. Some of his run calls remind vs the Esks reminded me of JC running right into the line which was stacked vs using some creativity.

Same thing with Buratto and the 2000 team, though I think that was a bit of a carryover from Mohns. A terrific OC who is over matched as a Head Coach. Different skill sets for the different jobs. Nothing wrong with admitting that.