Pierce names his 2025 coaching staff

[SammyGreene]

Given the Bombers still haven't announced a new OC I wonder if Buck will eventually promote Bourgoin to the position here and that helped bring him to BC. If O'Shea was promoting from within only Bourgoin and o-line coach Marty Costello seemed liked the obvious candidates.

I'm glad Buck moved down to the sidelines this past season to call plays as it groomed him for what's in store for 2025.

Wouldn't all be surprised to see Jason Tucker join the team he starred for to work with Jordan Maksymic in Edmonton. Other Lions coaches now officially out of work include Trysten Dyce and Tanya Henderson. Kelly Bates' social media accounts profile lists him being a mortgage professional so maybe he is transitioning out of football.

[Hambone]

That is a strange role for Ryan P, DBs and passing game. Plus the demotion? Very strange, but budgets are limited.

Seems strange but not unprecedented. Last year the Riders had JC Sherritt as Running Game Coordinator/Linebackers Coach and Josh Bell as Passing Game Coordinator/DB Coach. Others though like Ottawa and Toronto had what might be considered a more traditional Passing Game Coordinator/Receivers Coach.

Maybe we're seeing a new trend? When one thinks about it a DB Coach needs solid understanding of the passing game he's trying to defend while a Linebacker Coach should understand an opponent's running game. Conversely they should understand and be able to identify possible defensive weaknesses from their experience coaching that side of the ball.

[Toppy Vann]

When he first became DC for the Lions years ago, Benny said they would be a diversified, attack D. Nope. Lots of zone, lack of pressure and soft coverage. Mind you it was Wally's World at that time, and Mikey went with what Wally wanted.

This time? I have a hard time believing Benny will present an attack D. But that type of D is just my preference. Will the Lions be at or near the top of CFL defences? I have my doubts.

That is a strange role for Ryan P, DBs and passing game. Plus the demotion? Very strange, but budgets are limited.

Buck has been in the CFL for 2 decades. Lots of time to network and make judgments. Hopefully he made some good selections.

In Buck I trust.

However, I too share these concerns however, I think he's not the same coach he was back then.

He's had that first DC stint, plus HC and two other DC stints that he's had a chance to learn from.

My sense was with Dave Ritchie here MB wasn't learning from him OR he'd have been much closer to him on the sidelines. I could be wrong here.

I thought Dave using two injured DEF players to stand by him and give signals (one a decoy) would have been a technique Benevides would have employed as it was a good technique over the large board teams use AND it kept players hurt heads in the game - something that is tough to achieve if they're just watching.

RYAN PHILLIPS - SECONDARY AND PASSING GAME COORDINATOR

I'd surmise that RP knowing Buck's character as a team mate has embraced the role positively OR he'd not have got such a promising job offer - if any at all other than he was under contract for 2025.

These two challenges together provide an assistant a lot of opportunity on both sides of the ball - something that might really inspire the job holder.
It could be great preparation for HC even if a person is motivated to learn.

Depending on how the HC who is the OC here decides on the role my sense of the role of passing game coordinator could include:
> design of passing schemes, route combinations and working with the QB Coach and QBs on related reads
> coordinating with the WR coach who has a narrower focus depending on assignments.
> Game planniing with the HC/OC

I'd be surprised if Buck isn't bringing in the OFF he ran earlier. OR some of those plays with what was here before so it's not like RP would be designing a passing attack from scratch.

The Secondary duties are more standard.

Together it suggests this is a role where each week you're working to prepare both OFF and DEF players for each opponent.

[Toppy Vann]

[Toppy Vann]

I am a bit confused as I just read the Lions might have both Bourgain and Phillips as Passing Game Coordinators.

It tempers some of my enthusiasm for this role BUT it still gives RP both sides of the ball to focus on and get involved in as no doubt Bourgain is a trusted ally of the HC.

BC Lions general manager Ryan Rigmaiden and head coach Buck Pierce announced eight additional members of the club’s coaching staff for the upcoming 2025 season:

Mike Benevides- defensive coordinator

Cory McDiarmid- special teams coordinator

Kevin Bourgoin- wide receivers coach, passing game coordinator

Paul Charbonneau- offensive line coach

Ryan Phillips- secondary coach, passing game coordinator

Randy Melvin- defensive line coach

Glen Young- linebackers coach

Derek Oswalt– assistant coach

[WestCoastJoe]

That is a strange role for Ryan P, DBs and passing game. Plus the demotion? Very strange, but budgets are limited.

Seems strange but not unprecedented. Last year the Riders had JC Sherritt as Running Game Coordinator/Linebackers Coach and Josh Bell as Passing Game Coordinator/DB Coach. Others though like Ottawa and Toronto had what might be considered a more traditional Passing Game Coordinator/Receivers Coach.

Yup. I still find it strange.

Bourgoin is the obvious one to work out the receivers at practice. Chapdelaine would do that in his time here. I suspect Bourgoin will also be involved in play design. But as passing game coordinator it looks like Ryan P will be involved there too.

Back in the day, Dorazio was OC for the running game, and Chapdelaine was OC for the passing game.

They will work it out, but Buck is the man in charge, and he has made his first key moves, with these picks. I like how Buck apprenticed, at a relaxed pace, with the Bombers. RB coach and on up the ladder to a very successful stint as OC.

[WestCoastJoe]

When he first became DC for the Lions years ago, Benny said they would be a diversified, attack D. Nope. Lots of zone, lack of pressure and soft coverage. Mind you it was Wally's World at that time, and Mikey went with what Wally wanted.

In Buck I trust.

However, I too share these concerns however, I think he's not the same coach he was back then.

I agree, Toppy. "In Buck I trust." He took his time getting to be HC, and it seems it was time well spent with the Bombers. He had great success as OC in Winnipeg.

[B.C.FAN]

Teams often have offensive and defensive passing game coordinators. For Phillips, that likely means he shares defensive game planning with Benevides, being responsible for scouting opposing receivers and QBs, tracking their tendencies. and scheming coverages accordingly. That seems like a logical role for him, given his previous playing and coaching experience. Benevides primarily coached linebackers in his previous tenure as DC.

Here’s one explanation of a defensive passing game coordinator’s duties:

https://coachandcoordinator.com/2024/02 ... ordinator/

[Hambone]

When he first became DC for the Lions years ago, Benny said they would be a diversified, attack D. Nope. Lots of zone, lack of pressure and soft coverage. Mind you it was Wally's World at that time, and Mikey went with what Wally wanted.

This time? I have a hard time believing Benny will present an attack D. But that type of D is just my preference. Will the Lions be at or near the top of CFL defences? I have my doubts.

That is a strange role for Ryan P, DBs and passing game. Plus the demotion? Very strange, but budgets are limited.

Buck has been in the CFL for 2 decades. Lots of time to network and make judgments. Hopefully he made some good selections.

In Buck I trust.

However, I too share these concerns however, I think he's not the same coach he was back then.

He's had that first DC stint, plus HC and two other DC stints that he's had a chance to learn from.

My sense was with Dave Ritchie here MB wasn't learning from him OR he'd have been much closer to him on the sidelines. I could be wrong here.

I thought Dave using two injured DEF players to stand by him and give signals (one a decoy) would have been a technique Benevides would have employed as it was a good technique over the large board teams use AND it kept players hurt heads in the game - something that is tough to achieve if they're just watching.

RYAN PHILLIPS - SECONDARY AND PASSING GAME COORDINATOR

I'd surmise that RP knowing Buck's character as a team mate has embraced the role positively OR he'd not have got such a promising job offer - if any at all other than he was under contract for 2025.

These two challenges together provide an assistant a lot of opportunity on both sides of the ball - something that might really inspire the job holder.
It could be great preparation for HC even if a person is motivated to learn.

Depending on how the HC who is the OC here decides on the role my sense of the role of passing game coordinator could include:
> design of passing schemes, route combinations and working with the QB Coach and QBs on related reads
> coordinating with the WR coach who has a narrower focus depending on assignments.
> Game planniing with the HC/OC

I'd be surprised if Buck isn't bringing in the OFF he ran earlier. OR some of those plays with what was here before so it's not like RP would be designing a passing attack from scratch.

The Secondary duties are more standard.

Together it suggests this is a role where each week you're working to prepare both OFF and DEF players for each opponent.

I'm sure Bene did learn a lot from Ritchie back in those days when coaching staffs were much thinner. Wally had only 6 assistants back then compared to typically 10 today. Lots of multi-tasking back then. Might not have been evident during games when Bene's main concern was special teams but he must have spent a lot of time working with Ritchie during practice. Would Wally have promoted Bene to DC in 2008 had he not spent a lot of time assisting Ritchie on defense? Well maybe.

I don't think Mike was shy about learning from others. One of his first hires as BC HC was Rich Stubler to be DC. He also approached Wally to bring Stubler in for the 2010 season to be his DLC.

Regardless I think it's naive to think Benevides' approach to defense is unchanged from his first go here from 2008-11. All coaches tend to evolve over the years thanks to working under different HCs and with different other defensive coaches. And of course simply watching what opposing teams are doing and succeeding with is going to be a factor.

[Lion Guy]

Like the makeup of this staff.

I do too. We needed change.

[don corleone]

I am happy RP was retained but was slightly concerned that we could have a similar locker room dynamic to when Rourke displaced VA. Much different situation mind you, Benny has more than paid his dues. But will there be RP loyalists that believe he was dealt a bad hand by the club?

DH

Certainly could be wrong but can't see Phillips being any more resentful than Benevides considering MB interviewed for the HC position.

My take is that Phillips has been with the organization for 20 good years and is happy with that aspect of it more than chasing a dream of being a HC in another city which is not currently an option. That said, check the ego and do a good job and you never know what the future will bring. MB is in a similar boat and I think will be happy for the opportunity to perform well.

It all appears well organized and quite professional to me so far.

[Hambone]

I am happy RP was retained but was slightly concerned that we could have a similar locker room dynamic to when Rourke displaced VA. Much different situation mind you, Benny has more than paid his dues. But will there be RP loyalists that believe he was dealt a bad hand by the club?

DH

Certainly could be wrong but can't see Phillips being any more resentful than Benevides considering MB interviewed for the HC position.

My take is that Phillips has been with the organization for 20 good years and is happy with that aspect of it more than chasing a dream of being a HC in another city which is not currently an option. That said, check the ego and do a good job and you never know what the future will bring. MB is in a similar boat and I think will be happy for the opportunity to perform well.

It all appears well organized and quite professional to me so far.

Like yourself I'm not concerned. Bene was on BC's staff as either STC, DC or HC for RP's first 9 years as a player and they worked together on Campbell's staff for the past 2 years. They know each other inside out. If RP can't co-exist with Mike he would've turned the job down and walked. Bottom line these guys want to win just as badly as the players. They will work their collective tails off to the common goal of helping the team succeed.

[Toppy Vann]

I am happy RP was retained but was slightly concerned that we could have a similar locker room dynamic to when Rourke displaced VA. Much different situation mind you, Benny has more than paid his dues. But will there be RP loyalists that believe he was dealt a bad hand by the club?

DH

Certainly could be wrong but can't see Phillips being any more resentful than Benevides considering MB interviewed for the HC position.

My take is that Phillips has been with the organization for 20 good years and is happy with that aspect of it more than chasing a dream of being a HC in another city which is not currently an option. That said, check the ego and do a good job and you never know what the future will bring. MB is in a similar boat and I think will be happy for the opportunity to perform well.

It all appears well organized and quite professional to me so far.

Like yourself I'm not concerned. Bene was on BC's staff as either STC, DC or HC for RP's first 9 years as a player and they worked together on Campbell's staff for the past 2 years. They know each other inside out. If RP can't co-exist with Mike he would've turned the job down and walked. Bottom line these guys want to win just as badly as the players. They will work their collective tails off to the common goal of helping the team succeed.

I'm confident that Buck didn't find himself in a situation where RP under contract for 2025 decided to act real nice in his discussions with Buck just to on the staff to get paid for a year.

MB being interviewed for HC (if true) is in a totally different category with his role change.

Sometimes internal candidates get interviewed for a variety of reasons sometimes when it's clear they're going outside as BC had to do to get a new HC with a different perspective in the fan base.

[don corleone]

I see Kevin Bourgoin is also listed as Passing Game Coordinator / Wide Receivers Coach

[Blitz]

Overall, I like the direction of our B.C. Lions for next season.

Firstly, I was very happy with the decision to hire Buck Pierce as our Head Coach and hoped he would also become our offensive coordinator and that has happened.

Pierce will emphasize the running game more than we have for much of our recent past and he will use more misdirection play action bootlegs than we have seen in the past too. We will see more man double team blocking and man blocking for the run game (and a more complex run game than just the mind numbing inside read with its zone blocking scheme) and will not be in an exclusive spread offence, as elements of the West Coast will actually be introduced to football on the west coast of Canada.

I liked Kelly Bates, but our offensive line needed a coaching change. Overall, offensively, Pierce, Charbonneau, and Bourgoin will coach our offence in new directions than in the past and that was needed. Whether we are successful or not offensively, both Pierce and Lapo, who mentored him believe strongly that one dimensional offences are limiting.

Defensively, its an interesting situation for a number of reasons. I had to admit I did not expect Benevedes to become our defensive coordinator in the future, although I felt that Benevedes rarely leaving Campbell's side during games meant he still wanted to climb the ladder again.

Benevedes was under Wally's ultra control during his time as our Leos DC (and HC). Benevedes ran a conservative scheme. In 2011, the last year we won the Cup, Benevedes appealed to Wally to be able to run a five man defensive line rotation. (Wally was still so old school that he only wanted to use four defensive linemen in a game). Wally eventually relented to the request in the second half of that season and with a ton of talent on that defensive line (Aaron Hunt, Khreem Smith, Khalif Mitchell, Keron Williams, and Eric Taylor, we shut down the run and got quick and relentless pressure on opposing quarterbacks without blitzing very often.

Benevedes played soft zone but with talented defensive backs as Dante Marsh, Davis Sanchez, Jerome Dennis, Ryan Phillips, and Korey Banks and their anticipatory skills and talents, we were a tough defense to play. Rich Stubler would take over that defense in 2012 and set many records, make it, along with our 64 Head Hunter defense, our best Leos defense of all time.

What I liked about Benevedes was that , in 2010, he wanted to hire Stubler as a defensive assistant (really as a consultant and mentor) and then again as a DC in 2012. In other words, Benevedes was willing to learn and to grow.

However, when Benevedes had the opportunity to create his own path as a defensive coordinator (and assistant HC) in Edmonton and as DC in Ottawa, his defenses were characterized as boring vanilla and underperforming, rather than anything innovative. In spite of having the opportunity to learn a ton from two of the best CFL defensive coordinators of all time in Dave Richie and Rich Stubler, when on his own, Benevedes defenses reflected the conservatism, simplicity, and fear he learned at the feet of Buono.

My hope is that Ryan Phillips and Benevedes, who bring different experiences can meld in such a way that their coaching becomes synergistic. Each on their own, do little to excite me, but perhaps together, they can bring out each other's strengths and also negate their weaknesses as well as hopefully eliminate all the posing and bumping and sideline posturing of the past - in other words, look and act more professional.

The best part of this coaching staff is that many have worked in different pro football organizations and those different experiences will bring ideas and perspectives that be postives for our Leos in 2025 and beyond.