New GM not a Mack-iavellian guy

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This article was published 23/01/2010 (6055 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Perhaps, on some level, Joe Mack might find it humorous that in a modest city on the Canadian Prairies, he’s a bit of a mystery.

After all, it’s not often you go to a press conference to unveil the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ next vice-president and GM of football operations that reporters are openly wondering, “Geez, what does the guy even look like?”

It was understandable. Any available photos of Mack prior to Friday were more than 10 years old. And while there were influential members of the Bombers’ selection committee, such as Joe Poplawski and Paul Robson, who were intimately familiar with Mack from their days together back in the mid-’80s, his name has rarely been uttered in this city until just a few days ago, when he surfaced as a leading candidate for the critical — and in this town, very high profile — position.

Then, boom, all of a sudden Mack has been handed the task of rebuilding a franchise in desperate need of, well, something.

So you look for immediate answers. You look for the qualities that the Bombers board members stressed were the very reason Mack was given the keys to an organization wanting for stability and, of late, credibility.

You look, as though this mystery man will offer up some words of wisdom or eternal knowledge that will somehow make his arrival become clear. Something that will make you say, “Oh, now THAT’S why they hired Joe Mack.”

That’s what these formal introductions are often made of, where the new guys will make bold pronouncements, coddle themselves in past accomplishments and serve up promises that only players and coaches can deliver on the field.

Not Mack.

“Anything that I can say right now, to be honest, is just verbiage,” he said. “It’s how we start to conduct ourselves going forward. So if we’re professional, if we’re receptive, if they start to see we’re making positive strides, I think the fans will start to get on board very quickly.”

Nothing grand. No proclamations. No juicy sound bites. It was as low-key as you’ll find at these sort of meet-and-greets.

But Mack is right. He could have shown up with a couple of stone tablets. He could have name-dropped from his 10-plus years in the NFL, which included helping to build the Carolina Panthers from scratch and winning a Super Bowl ring with the Washington Redskins in 1992.

Whether Mack will be the answer only time and a quarterback will tell. But, frankly, it was reassuring that Mack is a man who is comfortable letting his actions do the talking, not the other way around.

Maybe that’s why someone like Poplawski, a Hall of Famer who made a career out of modest brilliance, is one of Mack’s most staunch supporters. Poplawski is the definition of words like humble, professionalism and integrity. That’s not how Poplawski speaks, it’s how he acts. So if the old slotback stands there and tells you Mack — whether he ultimately succeeds or fails — will be the hardest working, stand up guy around, you pay attention.

At the same time, Poplawski understands the decision to hire Mack over more familiar candidates such as Brendan Taman and Jim Barker wasn’t made easily.

And it was made knowing the crucial role Mack will have to play in polishing a tarnished brand.

“The past year was such a debacle,” Poplawski conceded. “It made this (decision) even that much more acute to Joe Public and to the Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans.

“Was it daunting? No. This particular individual has the skill set, has the professionalism, has the knowledge, has the experience that we feel extremely confident in handing those keys (to the team) over to him.”

But again, no declarations of instant success. No bad-mouthing of the previous regime. Only this level-headed conclusion from Poplawski: “The proof will be in the pudding.”

Agreed. Because it mattered not a whit what Mack said the day he arrived in Bomberville. What matters is what happens next, when Mack rolls up his sleeves and begins to focus on finding a head coach, an offensive co-ordinator (assuming Greg Marshall will be the next Bombers field general) and a quarterback.

In fact, Mack revealed — with deference to the Bombers’ current stable of pivots, including veteran Michael Bishop — that he’s already got a couple QBs in mind. “There’s one in particular I might want to see in the next three or for weeks,” he hinted.

No names, though. No verbage, either.

It’s a start.

Joe Pop’s endorsement.

Joe Mack’s first day on the job.

And now, Joe Public awaits.

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca

Randy Turner
Reporter

Randy Turner spent much of his journalistic career on the road. A lot of roads. Dirt roads, snow-packed roads, U.S. interstates and foreign highways. In other words, he got a lot of kilometres on the odometer, if you know what we mean.

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