Bridesmaid to bride for Marshall at last?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/01/2010 (6093 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ANOTHER day, same old drill for Greg Marshall.

The veteran head-coach-in-waiting will sit back now and wait for the telephone to ring — as he always does every time his name is linked to a CFL head-coaching vacancy.

And that’s been a lot over the past few years.

But with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers about to hitch their wagon to Joe Mack as their new vice-president of football operations — and with some board members having been in his corner since the days he was a runner-up to both Doug Berry and Mike Kelly — Marshall’s name may never be more prominent atop the club’s coaching candidates’ list as it is right now.

The prevailing theory now suggests that if the Bombers want to offset Mack’s current unfamiliarity with the CFL — he hasn’t worked in this league since 1987 — the organization needs to turn to a veteran three-down coach who knows his stuff like Marshall.

“Well, maybe I don’t fit that theory,” said Marshall with a chuckle Thursday from Burlington, Ont.

“I haven’t talked to anybody there yet, but I’m expecting to. No one has said that in any particular words, but I’ve been led to believe I’ll be contacted once they get to the coach’s stage in the process.

“Like I’ve been saying all along, I’ll let this process play itself out and when they get to the point of talking to a coach, I’d love to have a conversation with them.”

Marshall is the popular choice among many Bomber defensive veterans like Doug Brown and holdover assistant coaches Richard Harris and Bob Dyce who worked with him previously, but he may also still be a factor in the Toronto Argonauts’ search for a head coach to replace Bart Andrus.

Marshall, however, said he has yet to interview for the Argo job.

The Bombers will likely have to move quickly to find a replacement for Kelly, what with CFL teams usually nailing down their coaching staffs by the end of January. In fact, the Ticats could force the hand of both the Bombers or the Argos by asking Marshall, their defensive co-ordinator, to recommit to them ASAP. Ditto the Calgary Stampeders if George Cortez and Chris Jones are still candidates here, and Montreal Alouette offensive co-ordinator Scott Milanovich.

“I’m sure at some point in time it would probably get to that and they’ll need an answer,” said Marshall. “But the Ticats have been supportive through this process as far as myself goes and understand what’s going on. I’ve been in contact with (Ticat head coach) Marcel (Bellefeuille) and with Obie (GM Bob O’Billovich) and (president) Scott Mitchell. They’re all aware of what’s going on or what hasn’t been going on as far as myself. At some point I’m sure they’d like a resolution — as all parties would.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca