Familiar names should top Bombers list

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This article was published 16/11/2015 (3612 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When it comes to the hiring of their next offensive co-ordinator, the process shouldn’t be like going through a nondescript box of chocolates — the Winnipeg Blue Bombers definitely need to know what they are going to get.

By saying he wasn’t going to look south for a potential candidate, head coach Mike O’Shea essentially acknowledged that when it comes to the new-hire process, the Bombers are all out of mulligans.

With all due respect to offensive assistant coaches such as Markus Howell (wide receivers) and Buck Pierce (running backs) — who may have the offensive equivalent of the special recipe of 11 herbs and spices combined with the Cadbury Caramilk bar secret of how to eviscerate defences up their sleeves — this team can no longer afford to wait and see.

When a regime has fired all three co-ordinators during the course of a two-year run, making a mistake with yet another hire spells incompetency.

Even a candidate such as B.C. Lions receivers coach Khari Jones (a beloved and former CFL most outstanding player during his time in Winnipeg, and a veteran of seven years in the CFL coaching ranks) is still too much of a gamble for Winnipeg to take. Though he has two years of co-ordinator experience (Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2011 and B.C. in 2014) you can’t ignore the fact he has not held the position for consecutive years with the same franchise.

An offensive co-ordinator such as a Tommy Condell (Hamilton) is an interesting candidate to try and woo away from his existing position. The Ticats offence scored a league-leading 530 points this season (the Blue Bombers scored 353), but even Condell is not a sure thing as most of his success has come in tandem with head coach Kent Austin, one of the most innovative minds in the league. If you remove Austin from the equation, do you still get the same offensive production?

If you were an insurance actuary calculating the risk assessment in hiring the next Bombers offensive co-ordinator the two candidates that would have to be near the top of the list are Jacques Chapdelaine and Paul LaPolice.

While Chapdelaine is currently under contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (who may or may not be retaining his services after they decide who will be the general manager and head coach in 2016), co-ordinators are usually available to be poached if they are offered an elevated title or status, such as “assistant head coach.”

While Chapdelaine’s offence in Saskatchewan (430 points) only managed to outscore Montreal (388) and Winnipeg this season, it’s fair to say he got the fewest starts out of his No. 1 quarterback (one), plus he has nine years of offensive co-ordinator experience under his belt.

Having played against his schemes for five years of my career, I was impressed by the kind of production he got out of even mediocre talent groupings. He always brought a new wrinkle to the game so, no matter how much film you had watched prior, there was always something you weren’t prepared for.

While LaPolice, now a TSN broadcaster, has had “failed” stints in Winnipeg as an offensive co-ordinator (2002-03) and head coach (2010-12), in his two years as co-ordinator the team won 12 and 11 games, respectively, during which his offences set 14 team records.

Having both played against and watched his schemes over the years, what always stood out was his play-calling performance in Saskatchewan’s 2009 Grey Cup loss to Montreal. His offence was so methodical and a step ahead on that fabled day, it inspired the only column I have written about the mastery and performance of a coach calling plays on the losing side of a football game.

The thrill of unearthing new and unstudied talent may have the potential of a greater end reward — if it indeed pans out — but the Blue Bombers current regime is no longer in a position to take any chances with what could very well be one of its final hires.

 

Doug Brown, once a hard-hitting defensive lineman and frequently a hard-hitting columnist, appears weeklyin the Free Press.

Twitter: @DougBrown97