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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

It's good to be blah

Blue Bombers' quiet, steady head coach LaPolice a welcome change

By: Ed Tait

Posted: 02/6/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

If Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans want flash -- a funny or controversial quote or a whole lot of bold promises and proclamations -- they'll need to look elsewhere.

Truthfully, there wasn't a whole lot about Paul LaPolice's introduction as the as the 28th head coach in the team's 80-year history that instantly jumped off the page or had the assembled masses ready to knock down walls for the man.

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Not that that's a bad thing, given this team has gone through four head coaches and enjoyed just one winning season over the last six years...

"We want this to be a 'we' organization not an 'I' organization," began LaPolice. "'I' is not a very strong word; 'we' is a very strong word.

"We are going to do what's right for this organization. It's not going to be about Paul LaPolice or any of the players individually, it's going to be about the Winnipeg Blue Bombers."

Speaking straight from the unofficial coach's manual, the 40-year-old New Hampshire product stressed a team-first approach. He talked about being well prepared, professional and organized, about being detail-oriented and working hard. In many ways he sounded like the perfect winger if your plans called for heading out and painting the town beige.

But all of this is partly by design, too. In naming LaPolice as boss, new VP and GM of football operations Joe Mack selected a man who will not only be the youngest head coach in the CFL, but one not likely to grab off-the-field headlines for all the wrong reasons.

This is a man whose best and most creative work is recognized across the CFL as being in the Xs and Os of a game plan, not in a sexy sound bite. And if you're thinking that sounds a lot like Greg Marshall, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive co-ordinator and the runner-up -- again -- good call.

But the fact LaPolice comes from the offensive side of the ball shouldn't be overlooked.

"The more feedback I was getting about our offence over the last couple of years, it just seemed like it was obvious it was something that had to be addressed," said Mack.

"I knew nothing about Paul when I first got into this process. I started with, 'OK, who's doing well in the league? What are the best teams doing?' And when I started to ask around, ask people what teams were giving them problems, the Roughriders' offence and their formations kept coming up. And when I asked for names, I kept getting, 'You may want to talk to this young guy Paul LaPolice.' His name just kept popping up.

"And when he was here before, Khari Jones and Milt Stegall were very, very successful. I spoke to Milt and he couldn't say enough good things about Paul."

The son of working-class folk, LaPolice followed his older brother Matt -- a kicker at Boston University -- to the game. But while he was intrigued by business and is still a voracious reader of leadership and business books, he was drawn to coaching and teaching after playing at Plymouth State College.

Sitting alone after the initial swarm of interviews on Friday, LaPolice admitted he's much more comfortable devising a game plan and being in the meeting room with the troops rather than addressing the media.

And that, in a nutshell, is what the man is all about.

"I'm ready because I came into this league at 29 and I've lasted," LaPolice said. "I'm ready because I became an offensive co-ordinator at 31 and we had success. I've adapted to situations and I'm confident in my abilities. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to have help. We'll get a good staff and we'll come to play.

"One of the things (Mack) asked me in the interview was about my goals. I said I'd like to live somewhere for a long period of time. I want to try and build something here and be consistent as an organization and be consistent as a team."

Again, that's not exactly win-one-for-the-Gipper type stuff. But it is honest.

And with that LaPolice motioned to get up, then paused, looked at his inquisitor and asked:

"We're done? Good. I've got to get going because we've got a lot of work to do."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 6, 2010 D1

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