New OC top priority for GM Mack

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This article was published 12/01/2012 (5074 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Read what you will into it, but Joe Mack is taking an active role in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers search for a new offensive co-ordinator.

The club’s general manager held a “state of the off-season” type conference call with reporters Wednesday, to hand out the team’s position on the variety of challenges facing the Grey Cup runner-up heading into the 2012 season.

Priority No. 1 is bringing in the right guy to lead the offence.

He wasn’t talking about the quarterback position, either.

Winnipeg has been looking for a new OC since letting Jamie Barresi go following the Grey Cup loss at he end of November, and Mack said rounding out the staff is just as — if not more important — than worrying about the coming free agency circus next month.

He sees a complete coaching staff as crucial. So much so, he’s become directly involved.

“We’ve expanded the scope beyond people strictly with CFL experience,” Mack said regarding the hunt for a new co-ordinator. “I have spoken to some people. I’ve gotten, much to my surprise, people that I’ve known reach out to me. There are some very interesting people that have an interest in coming to Winnipeg and discussing the OC job.

“To be honest, the caliber of some of the people who have stepped up, I find that somewhat impressive.”

Would that be NFL or high-profile U.S. college impressive?

You bet, the GM said.

Mack wouldn’t divulge any names or offer much in terms of what the resumés of the candidates are. Some have asked him not to put current employment in danger by going public with their names, he noted.

When Barresi was let go, it was assumed the club would bring in an up-and-comer in the CFL coaching ranks or promote someone from within to fill the role. In the latter category, offensive line coach Pat DelMonaco and former receivers coach Chris Wiesehan (who already left the club for a position at the University of Hawaii) were the front-runners.

DelMonaco still might be in the mix, but the fact the Bombers are kicking the tires on established coaches outside the league suggests they are considering ripping the play-calling duties out of the hands of head coach Paul LaPolice. His refusal to budge on this topic has made for an interesting little drama within the Bombers, as the offence has wallowed as one of the more disappointing units in the CFL over the last two seasons.

Last summer, Winnipeg was fifth in total yards (6,148) and points scored (432).

LaPolice hasn’t been open to the idea of giving up the offensive responsibilities since becoming head coach in 2010. Wednesday, Mack said the conversation on the subject is “ever-evolving.”

Translation: the GM knows he won’t be able to bring in a qualified man to just hold the bag for LaPolice next season, and if the Bombers do bring in an experience offensive coach it will be someone who wants to carry his own clipboard.

“I don’t think that’s going to be an issue,” Mack said. “If somebody comes in, particularly the two or three people that we’re talking to, the caliber and their experience level, they’re not going to come up unless they have the ability to call plays.

“That’s just the way it is.”

One subject Mack didn’t want to discuss Wednesday: Contract extensions for himself and LaPolice. Both men are in the third and final years of their original deals with the club; both are expected to receive new pacts this off-season.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca

Bomber GM confident Blue can re-sign Pierce, LaBatte

Other points of interest Bombers GM Joe Mack touched on Wednesday include:

— With just over a month before the CFL’s free-agent deadline (Feb. 15), Mack said negotiations with the Bombers 11 remaining free agents are progressing and doesn’t foresee any of the key names — like quarterback Buck Pierce or offensive lineman Brendon LaBatte — making it to the deadline.

Pierce, 30, is coming off an incentive-laden deal that topped out at around the $200,000 mark for last season. Veteran starters in the CFL are paid a base salary significantly north of that, suggesting Pierce will be looking for a healthy raise.

“You never know for sure, but I’d be very surprised if we had any problem signing Buck,” Mack said.

As for QB Joey Elliott and QB Alex Brink, Mack wasn’t as positive. He said it’s unlikely Winnipeg will be able to sign all three free agent pivots, but would be “extremely surprised” if the club didn’t get two of the three under contract.

— Mack on the LaBatte situation: “We’re going to make him a very good offer for an offensive guard in the CFL, that’s all we can do. At this point, we haven’t got into the nitty-gritty numbers yet, but I expect him to be one of the better-paid offensive guards in the league.”

— The GM didn’t have much time for disgruntled defensive back Jovon Johnson’s comments to the Free Press last Saturday. Johnson, the 2011 Most Outstanding Defensive Player, said he is upset at the Bombers for not extending his contract beyond the 2012 season.

“Jovon still has a contract for this coming year and is one of the highest-paid defensive backs in the CFL,” Mack said, adding the club is focusing on its potential free agents first before worrying about extensions.