CFL Coaching & GM Changes for 2024

[Toppy Vann]

Some of the known job-changing post-2023 Grey Cup includes:

Saskatchewan Roughriders looking for a Head Coach and staff presumedly.

Ottawa OC as Khari Jones was their sacrificial lamb.

Hamilton Ticats and what Orlando Steinhauer might do.

Another strange one is GM of the Bombers who didn't get an extension and his contract runs out after the Grey Cup - Kyle Walters along with his A/GMs Ted Goveia and Danny McManus who are also without contracts next year.

Kyle Walters wants to be back as GM of Winnipeg Blue Bombers, expects clarity ‘very quickly’
By John Hodge -November 15, 2023

“I would like to think we win the Grey Cup on Sunday and this gets cleared up. It has to get cleared up one way or another very, very quickly,” said Walters. “We’re in the middle of November, it’ll be creeping to the end of November. There has to be someone in charge of making decisions on extending guys and what everything looks like organizationally. It does need to get done very quickly after the season.

https://3downnation.com/2023/11/15/kyle ... y-quickly/

[Toppy Vann]

Here's an example that includes the wrong thinking in hiring a new HC.

Where I think things get done wrong is extrapolating success as a DC (Noel Thorpe) or OC (Buck Pierce) into what you need a new HC to be successful.
Buck would be a great candidate given his coaching experience, success and leadership understanding. But if you just look at the OC success you're not going to make a good decision. I'm a huge believer in Buck Pierce the coach and Buck the person based on how he thinks, etc.

You want to hear their vision and view of what the role is all about and specifically your own team's situation.
Jeremy O'Day was extended right or wrong but if his thinking is too short term versus what this person will bring in building the future you can get to the wrong place.

Scott Milanovich is the typical safe choice for a GM as he's been a CFL HC before and often that wins the day over the unknown. BUT he stayed with the Elks for a cup of coffee versus Dinwiddie with the Argos so for me that's a bit of a flag. Is he like his buddy Chris Jones who'll be gone in a heart beat if the NFL calls.


https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/ ... candidates

[Hambone]

I wouldn't be concerned about Milanovich being like Jones. Jones left literally weeks after signing an extension with no concerns of there not being a season. Milanovich left a year after being hired and with nobody knowing if there might be a season in 2021....or if the CFL would even survive the pandemic.

[don corleone]

Big time of year for rumours.

Speculation of changes coming in Hamilton leads me to wonder if Kyle Walters might be next man up for the top post which would trigger other changes throughout the league.

Pure speculation on my part. For the record I don't see Maksymk or Phillips leaving BC at this time.

[Toppy Vann]

What I find incomprehensible is that Damon Allen with his long career and his few year back NFL coaching internship who lives in Canada has never got a coaching job. I posted that on Linkedin a year or so back and got a private message from DA agreeing with my question.

Now Henry Burris another CFL former great who did that same internship (Bill Walsh? or whatever) and he's looking for coaching and you hear crickets about him.

It's not like there aren't black coaches in the CFL so what gives?

Burris also was living in Canada all these years unlike the gypsies who want to head south the moment they can grab a US coaching job.

[Hambone]

I've pondered the same re: Allen and wondered if it's been his approach to getting into coaching? Has he been beating the bushes hard for an entry level position ever since retiring? Has he been waiting for somebody to call him? Has he shown willingness to start on the ground floor and work his way up or has he been shooting to start a rung or two higher?

Even when it comes to that NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Internship why did he wait so long? He didn't join that until July 2021 just before turning 58 and 14 years after hanging up the cleats. Burris on the other hand connected with that the year prior to Allen and at age 45 only 4 years removed from playing. It comes across to me that Burris simply has wanted it more or at least came to realize much earlier in his post-playing days that he wanted to pursue coaching that perhaps Allen did.

[Toppy Vann]

I've pondered the same re: Allen and wondered if it's been his approach to getting into coaching? Has he been beating the bushes hard for an entry level position ever since retiring? Has he been waiting for somebody to call him? Has he shown willingness to start on the ground floor and work his way up or has he been shooting to start a rung or two higher?

Even when it comes to that NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Internship why did he wait so long? He didn't join that until July 2021 just before turning 58 and 14 years after hanging up the cleats. Burris on the other hand connected with that the year prior to Allen and at age 45 only 4 years removed from playing. It comes across to me that Burris simply has wanted it more or at least came to realize much earlier in his post-playing days that he wanted to pursue coaching that perhaps Allen did.

It's pretty clear that Ryan Dinwiddie made a conscious decision to coach and Burris hedged his bet by doing media work on TV.


If I were in football, I'd be calling them as part of due diligence to hear their views.

To make the CFL more attractive these guys who stay in Canada should be top of mind versus some of these guys who just know the HC.

Jim Barker hired Mike O'Shea (ST) and Orlando Steinhauer (DBs) in 2010 and Jason Maas two years later.

But neither O'Shea nor Steinauer had an eye on coaching after their playing careers ended. Both were in jobs outside of football when they got the call from Barker.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/ ... -1.5367004

This article highlights what Barker did with the Argos staff including hiring Scott Milanovich as HC and telling this guy to look at O'Shea as he'd be a HC someday.
https://epaper.calgaryherald.com/articl ... 8015520023

This is the same Jim Barker who brought in two backups for Ricky Ray in Toronto - Fajardo and Collaros.

And the truth is, there aren’t enough Jim Barkers working in the quarterback-poor CFL.
Barker was watching the University of Cincinnati play years ago when he spotted a freshman quarterback named Zach Collaros.
He liked what he saw and instantly put him on the Argos negotiation list. He then did more research and found out that Collaros was 65-1 as a high school quarterback in the football-crazy state of Ohio.

https://torontosun.com/sports/simmons-s ... y-cup-game

[don corleone]

Still waiting for the first shoe to drop but seems obvious something is up in Winnipeg. McManus and Goveia also at the end of their term. At this late point they may as well wait to hear if there are any offers from other teams. Best to jump ship now rather than to wait on next years record imo and I think Wade Miller is the defacto GM that is signing off on everything there anyway. With 36 free agents of which some could already be re-signed there is considerable work to do. Re-watching the GC I thought the one guy that might have helped the Bombers was Darvin Adams who did not play this year. How hard would that have been to arrange? Trotting out three receivers playing less than 100% for the big game was wishful thinking at best and yet it almost worked. Mike O'Shea in a nutshell for me.

Expecting news from Hamilton as well and depending on who gets to keep their job could see Devone Claybrooks fitting in as a DC in the event Mark Washington is out. No idea if Claybrooks is even interested but continue to believe he did a good job in the short time he was given with the Lions and deserves another opportunity. Ed Hervey will remember.

For the record I do not think Bo Levi is done and wonder if Duke Williams might have caught the pass that hit Omar Bayless in the chest and dropped in the East semi final. The week before he bounced the ball off Akili Smiths helmet and made me think the same thing. Could see Derel Walker back as well if Hervey keeps his job.

Darn off seasons seem so long.

[don corleone]

One thing about Paul LaPolice is that he understands football and might be a good addition to any team interested. Does not seem to be in favour at the moment.

[Toppy Vann]

One thing about Paul LaPolice is that he understands football and might be a good addition to any team interested. Does not seem to be in favour at the moment.

LaPolice is brilliant at the X's and O's but not as a HC. His failure to adapt in WPG might hurt his marketability as much as the Ottawa situation.
If your sole top tier QB goes down, it's tough to keep your job.

LaPo might be more happy as an OC than a HC as he sure didn't adapt to that role effectively it seems.

On the other side, Jason Maas failed in Edmonton in the end but even though it didn't work out in SASK this year with 37 yr old Trevor Harris lost for the year, he started to change his demeanour on the sidelines. Danny Maciocia gave him a second chance and it looks like he's learned from his past. HC of a winning Grey Cup team.

Waiting to hear an update on the Riders coaching job.

If you wanted to interview either Buck Pierce or Noel Thorpe both very successful where they are now I wonder how GMs approach this.

How long do you wait after a loss like WPG?

Hamilton is still quiet on that front. TSN said both Steinhauer and the Ticats agreed to put any discussions off until after Grey Cup and apparently Steinhauer was not much around the city so it seems. I doubt they'll fire him though.

[Hambone]

Lapo has proven to be a far better HC on the TSN panel than on the sidelines. His 22-50-0 career record for a .306 winning percentage speaks volumes. Then consider nearly half those wins came back in 2011 when the Bombers went 10-8 and made it the the Grey Cup. Take that season out of the equation and his record is 12-42-0.

[don corleone]

Could be if Buck Pierce moves on Lapo slides back into the OC position with Winnipeg. Would be fortunate for the Bombers if it did work out that way imo.

I like Buck but would be leery of the situation in Sask. As is, he is the heir apparent in Winnipeg if he decides to stay which might not be a bad choice either.

[Coast Mountain Lion]

Lapo has proven to be a far better HC on the TSN panel than on the sidelines. His 22-50-0 career record for a .306 winning percentage speaks volumes. Then consider nearly half those wins came back in 2011 when the Bombers went 10-8 and made it the the Grey Cup. Take that season out of the equation and his record is 12-42-0.

He's had two chances as head coach and neither went well (albeit he didn't have much to work with either time, but a good coach can overcome that given time).

Not all successful assistants can make it as head coaches. See Jeff Reinbold, Richie Hall, Rich Stubler, Mike Benevides, Devon Claybrooks. The last two, of course, were largely shackled by WB, though note that neither has made it back for a second try.

[don corleone]

More idle speculation on my part is that there was a bit of "take this job and shove it" and you can't pay me enough to come back for Craig Dickenson. Everyone knew the situation and the Riders were good about the "not returning". Could be that if there is snow on the mountain he might be the happiest man on the planet taking it one day at a time. I thought he gave an honest effort and expect to see him again. Or not.

[cromartie]

LaPo is just a more telegenic version of Adam Rita.

Having said that, the Winnipeg brain trust in place at the time tried their hardest to shove him out the door in favor of Gary Crowton so...