Blue coach search going Mobile

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This article was published 26/01/2010 (6052 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Joe Mack isn’t going to sugarcoat things: The Winnipeg Blue Bombers need a head coach in place and they need him in place ASAP.

But while the Bombers board may have already been in his ear about Greg Marshall and the entire CFL neighbourhood is saying the ascension of the Hamilton Tiger-Cat defensive co-ordinator to Winnipeg head coach is already a done deal, the team’s new GM is vowing he’ll still go through the process of doing his own homework and reference checks.

And that may include a face-to-face interview with Marshall and other candidates this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Bomber interim CEO Jim Bell is also down south and will likely play a role in this process.

“I had done some research after the Bombers called me, looking at viable candidates,” Mack said Monday from Mobile. “I have pretty much narrowed (the list) down, but that’s not to say that if somebody I really respected came up to me and said, ‘You really have to consider this name’ that I wouldn’t listen. But I feel pretty good about the people that we’ve identified and now we’ll go through the process and see how it turns out.”

Mack said he hopes to have picked a candidate by the end of next week. Finding a replacement for Mike Kelly quickly is paramount, not just because this franchise is 15-21 over the last two years, but because free agency begins Feb. 15 and the club has some rather obvious needs.

Mack did confirm that Ross Hodgkinson, the club’s director of football operations, would return this season to work alongside him. Hodgkinson also serves as their salary-management-system expert and has done some scouting and contract negotiations.

Runner-up

The Bombers received permission to speak to Marshall from the Ticats about a month ago and the long-time CFL assistant — a runner-up to both Doug Berry and Kelly the last two times a head coach was hired here — told The Hamilton Spectator on Monday that he has been in touch with someone from the organization.

“I’ve had contact and we’re just working out the logistics,” Marshall said. “I’m waiting to hear from them.”

Mack, for his part, refused to comment specifically on Marshall out of respect for any other possible candidates. Other names that have been tossed around are Calgary Stampeders coordinators Chris Jones and George Cortez, Montreal Alouettes defensive and offensive coordinators Tim Burke and Scott Milanovich and Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice.

“I’m going to really try to abstain from mentioning any names in particular,” he said. “I’m really hoping that because I have a fairly good handle on who the candidates are that ideally by the end of the following week we’ll have our man.

“It’s been intense, but it’s moving along fairly well.”

Mack said his ideal coaching candidate will be big on integrity and honesty, have strong leadership skills and be able to work with staff. He’ll also be seeking someone with mental toughness that he can work shoulder to shoulder with on fixing a football team now 19 years without a Grey Cup.

“That’s a huge component of it,” Mack said. “It’s like any profession, the interpersonal skills — particularly between the head coach and general manager — are really important.

“What we’re trying to do is eliminate as many of the unknowns as possible. It’s like a lot of things — you could be a good colonel, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll make a great general.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca