Bombers board liking Barker

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This article was published 20/01/2010 (6059 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jim Barker sat out the preliminaries but has quickly asserted himself as a front-runner in the race for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers general manager’s chair.

The chase is getting heated and appears to be down to three contenders, with Barker, who up until a few days ago was vacationing in New Zealand and had not spoken directly to the Bombers, now a serious contender.

A faction on the Bombers board of directors is pushing for former club personnel man Joe Mack to be hired and fill the vice-president of football operations position, while another group is backing Barker, currently GM of the Calgary Stampeders.

At the back of the pack but still in the running is Bombers director of football operations Ross Hodgkinson. Hodgkinson is the Bombers’ interim GM and has proven capable in his short time running the football side of the organization. He’s a longtime hand in the organization and one insider described him Tuesday as a "Craig Heisinger type. Capable of doing the job, but maybe not high-profile enough for the board at this juncture."

Heisinger is the Manitoba Moose equipment manager-turned-GM who has been recognized by the American Hockey League as its top executive.

Former Bombers GM Brendan Taman is still on the fringe of the picture, but it’s believed he has been offered a similar job with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and that he’ll accept that position in the next 24 to 48 hours rather than wait on the Winnipeg gig.

Current Bombers director of player personnel John Murphy, who spoke to a headhunter contracted by the club, appears to have fallen off the short list.

Murphy, reached in Orlando, Fla., where he is scouting this week’s Shrine Game, said he has not been interviewed for the job and hasn’t received any updates since he left Friday for Florida.

"Does that change anything? No," Murphy said. "I had my Bomber gear on at practices. I’m working. I even talked to teams today about a possible move we might be considering in the short term. I sent my update to the people I’m supposed to communicate to. I’m working as hard today as the first day I got the job and since we had the change and Ross and I were given a mandate by the board to get some things done."

That said, the hiring of another football executive, who would then be Murphy’s boss, likely means his future with the organization is iffy. Murphy is said to have a clause in his contract that states no other person could be hired above him in the current chain of command.

The board will meet again Thursday afternoon and the selection committee, which includes Paul Robson, Joe Poplawski, Gene Dunn and Bill Watchorn, is expected to make its recommendation.

The board has taken a methodical approach in this hiring, but the final decision has created what might be termed a rift among members. Some are pushing for Mack, who worked for the club in the 1980s and has a relationship with some board members.

There is another element that wants to begin a new chapter with new names and they’ve swung their support to Barker.

Barker is late to the party, having just been interviewed on Monday, but reports were circulating on Tuesday that the longtime CFL coach and personnel man was impressive in his interview.

Barker reportedly told the board he would put together a coaching staff in short order with names like Montreal Alouettes offensive co-ordinator Scott Milanovich and Calgary Stampeders defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones at the top of his list.

Barker, senior vice-president of football operations with the Stamps, has been a key player in the club’s front office for the past five years and helped lead them to a Grey Cup in 2008.

But with head coach John Hufnagel making all final decisions in terms of personnel in Calgary, Barker would like to make a move to a team where he is the key shot-caller.

Barker’s ability to land a top young coach like Milanovich or Jones, along with his current knowledge of the CFL, adds lustre to his application.

Milanovich is an interesting coaching candidate and has had his name mentioned repeatedly in connection with the vacant head coaching job with the Toronto Argonauts.

He currently serves under Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman. Trestman is considered a major offensive football mind and, in fact, calls the plays in Montreal. Milanovich plays a key role in preparing the offensive game plan each week, but Trestman is responsible for calling the plays carried out by Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo.

Mack served as player personnel director with the Bombers for three years from 1984 to ’87.

The North Carolina resident has worked extensively in the NFL, holding senior management positions with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Washington Redskins.

Mack has not been in professional football for several years.

Taman ran the Bombers’ football operations for the better part of a decade, taking the team to a pair of Grey Cups and acquiring players such as Khari Jones, Charles Roberts and Doug Brown.

It’s believed Taman, were he to be offered the Bombers’ GM job, would immediately make a move to bring in Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive co-ordinator Greg Marshall as head coach. That manoeuvre is popular with a number of board members, and coupled with the known quantity that Taman is in Winnipeg makes him a safe hire in a time when stability is considered paramount within the organization.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca