Berry caught off guard

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/11/2008 (6495 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Let history note that on the day Doug Berry was pink slipped, he was still wearing Winnipeg Blue Bomber colours.

Relieved of his duties Wednesday morning after a brief meeting with Brendan Taman and receiving a termination letter from Lyle Bauer, Berry arrived at his afternoon farewell press conference sporting a Bomber hoody. And if that doesn’t tell you that the club’s decision to fire him after three years, three playoff appearances and a 27-26-1 record didn’t catch him by surprise, then nothing will.

"I’ve been on staffs before where staffs have been let go. This is actually the first time I personally felt the knife, so to speak," said Berry. "It’s something you don’t prepare yourself for. I don’t sit at home saying, ‘How am I going to respond to the day when I get fired?’ It’s certainly not anything anybody aspires to.

"… In my own little world I really did not fully expect this. I’m not angry because I know what this business and profession is. I am probably a little more shocked than I am angry, that’s for sure. I’ve been in this coaching profession for a long time and I’ve seen a lot better coaches than myself be in a situation like this. Hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to come back and prove my worth in some other situation in some other city."

Berry pointed out that after the team’s 0-4 start, it still managed to regroup and go 8-6 the rest of the season, including 6-2 down the stretch. He also cited that record when asked if he felt he had still "had the players’ ear."

"Based on the way we finished the season, I would say it was obvious that I did," said Berry. "If you look at the way we finished, if I had lost the locker-room or lost the team then we would never have finished as strong as we did.

"I thought the players responded really well this year when faced with all the adversity we dug ourselves into at the beginning of the year. Hopefully they can build on that as the Bombers go forward in 2009."

Berry, 60, signed a contract extension with the Bombers in June that will pay him for at least 2009. And he remains highly regarded in CFL coaching circles as a former offensive line and offensive co-ordinator during his days with the Montreal Alouettes.

In other words, if he chooses to remain in the CFL he likely won’t be unemployed long. The rest of his coaching staff remains under contract to the end of the calendar year and have been told they can look elsewhere or reapply to remain with the Bombers under the new head coach.

"I really believe we made some strides and had some successes here," said Berry. "It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t get what everybody had hoped for in the 2008 campaign. I feel like we made significant accomplishments in ’06 and ’07 and were not able to maintain that pace for 2008.

"This may sound strange, but I feel as good about coaching this football team this year — based on where we were and what we accomplished and all the adversity we came through. I feel this is rewarding a year for me as a coach even though I don’t have anything tangible in terms of playoffs and Grey Cup experience to base it on."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca