Coaching dominoes begin to fall

Every year, as we creep closer to Division Finals weekend, the CFL puts a muzzle on all major announcements — hirings, firings, player signings and more — from the Thursday before and continuing through Grey Cup week until Monday after the championship game.

The rule is simple: don’t let anything distract from the final two teams.

Knowing this, I was waiting for the noise to finally ramp up after a couple of quiet days this week. Finally, the news I was waiting for broke Wednesday afternoon and it did not disappoint.

The Ottawa Redblacks made major headlines by hiring Ryan Dinwiddie as their new general manager and head coach.

Dinwiddie leaves the Toronto Argonauts with one year remaining on his contract. This wasn’t an issue, as the promotion to GM aligns with the league policy on career advancement.

This is major news for the CFL, and the fallout could be significant.

Dinwiddie has been the driver of that organization’s success since taking over in 2020, earning the Argos two Grey Cups (2022, 2024) in four seasons. In 2023, he was awarded CFL Coach of the Year.

With Dinwiddie now out, who might be the next face of the Argos?

Many believe it could be Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea, an Argos legend and former linebacker who won three Grey Cups with the organization as a player (1996, 1997, 2004) and another as a co-ordinator (2012) before leaving for Winnipeg. The timing couldn’t be more perfect for the Argos — and perhaps also for O’Shea, who is from North Bay – as his contract is up at the end of the calendar year.

If O’Shea were to leave, that would create a massive hole in Winnipeg. He was the architect of five consecutive trips to the Grey Cup before an early playoff exit this year as a crossover team to the East Division.

With Dinwiddie on the move and potentially O’Shea, what would that mean for their team’s respective recruitment plans? What assistant coaches or players might follow?

These questions are only going to heat up over Grey Cup week, no matter what the league wants the focus to be. When it comes to gossip, there’s no better league than the CFL.

Now, let’s get into what else caught my attention this past week in the latest CFL Rundown.

1) I’ll admit I thought first about O’Shea when the Dinwiddie news broke, but the more I thought about it the less I thought it was a good fit. Given the small-world nature of the CFL, the Argos are certainly going to inquire and should know his interest soon. I don’t see O’Shea in Toronto being a good fit for several reasons, the biggest being O’Shea doesn’t seem to do well with change. There are too many variables for him to manage with a new organization, even if he is familiar with the team. O’Shea finally got the Bombers to the top of the three-down mountain after some lean years. Winnipeg’s ascension, however, coincided with the arrival of quarterback Zach Collaros — a trade O’Shea didn’t approve before it was made. I’m not sure O’Shea would be able to do the same for the Argos, mainly because they don’t share his strong desire for continuity, constantly overhauling the roster each year. I couldn’t think of anything more anti-O’Shea, and I don’t see the Argos ownership caring about a culture change.

2) You also wonder what the expectations would be as far as job title. While every other coach has a second role – either as a GM or co-ordinator – O’Shea is strictly the head coach, giving him the best gig in the CFL. As for roster control, he has a lot of that, too, seemingly the same as general manager Kyle Walters. I don’t see him getting that anywhere else but Winnipeg, so I’m predicting another extension with the Bombers, which is where he belongs.

3) I wonder what the conversation was between Dinwiddie and the Argos before he took over the job in Ottawa. I would never had let him go if I were Toronto; I would have done everything I could to keep him. No one has been able to restock the shelves every year and be as successful as Toronto has been under Dinwiddie, which is why I still think he’s the best coach in the CFL, despite coming off a down year. Dinwiddie is also a quarterback whisperer and could do wonders for Dru Brown in the nation’s capital. This was a major get for the Redblacks, who may have just fixed their problems overnight.

4) In all my years covering this league, I don’t know if I’ve seen someone stumble into a promotion more than Redblacks general manager Shawn Burke. Despite having only one (barely) winning record (9-8-1 in 2024) in four seasons, Burke was handed a promotion to VP of Football Operations and a two-year extension. That extension gives him three years left on his contract, which aligns with Dinwiddie’s three-year deal. I’m not sur exactly what a VP of Football Ops does, but it sounds like a glorified title for co-GM.

5) The Bombers season is officially over following their Eastern semifinal loss to the Montreal Alouettes. Winnipeg looked done by halftime, trailing 25-6, only to rally for three touchdowns to take a 27-25 lead with nine minutes still remaining in the third quarter. The Alouettes figured things out to earn a nine-point victory but looked vulnerable for a few minutes. They remain favourites on the road against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East final in what should be another good clash.

6) It was a bizarre season for the Bombers, who snapped their incredible streak of consecutive Grey Cup appearances at five, missing out on a sixth in their own backyard. There has been lots of talk about this being the end of an era. That’s a fair statement, though it depends on how you define the era. The dynasty is over and some would argue it ended with a third consecutive defeat in the Grey Cup in 2024. Players disagreed with the notion, arguing their veteran core still had more to give. It was hard to buy that after what we saw this year.

7) The biggest issue for the Bombers was the offence, which struggled mightily under first-year offensive co-ordinator Jason Hogan. Frustration started to brew inside the locker room, with players making it clear something had to change for next season. Quarterback Zach Collaros and running back Brady Oliveira took subtle shots at Hogan in their media availabilities. Hogan seems like a good guy and likely a smart offensive mind, but it became clear he was in way over his head.

8) The B.C. Lions squeaked out a 33-30 victory over the visiting Calgary Stampeders to punch their ticket to the West final against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Perhaps the most surprising part was how pedestrian quarterback Nathan Rourke performed compared to his usual high standard, tossing for just 223 yards and no touchdowns. He did have a rushing score and got some help from special teams with a Robert Carter 95-yard kickoff return TD. Rourke will have to be sharper to beat the Riders and he’ll have to do so under worse conditions, on the road in a packed house and outside the comforts of a domed BC Place. Give me the Alouettes and the Riders in the Grey Cup.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca