New Blue coach by week’s end

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This article was published 02/02/2010 (6087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE Winnipeg Blue Bombers now know who, where and when they will be playing in 2010.

But while the new schedule was released Monday, the club still isn’t quite ready to unveil who will be leading them onto the field when the Canadian Football League season opens in July.

Fear not, Bomber Nation, it now appears that decision should come by the end of this week.

“We’re making really good progress and we’re down to the final candidates,” said new GM Joe Mack Monday night. “I continue to do the due diligence and everything that comes up on the candidates continues to be positive.

“I’ve interviewed everybody I consider to be a strong candidate and right now I’m thinking by Thursday, no later than Friday, we’ll have a decision.”

Mack will not publicly list the candidates he’s interviewed but it’s believed he has chatted with Calgary Stampeders defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones and Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice at the Senior Bowl last week, and with Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive co-ordinator Greg Marshall in Toronto on the weekend.

Whispers across the CFL say LaPolice impressed in his interview and while there was a rumour Monday he was also eyed by new Cornell head coach Kent Austin as his offensive co-ordinator, it has since been denied by the Roughriders who are said to have a new deal in place for their offensive boss should he not get the Bomber gig.

Now while Marshall may ultimately be Mack’s choice, his thoroughness in the quick search also counters the theory he wouldn’t actually be involved in the decision and that the board had already pegged the Ticat defensive boss as Mike Kelly’s replacement.

“I’ve been assured I’ll have the final decision on all football-operations issues,” said Mack. “(The board) has been good not to try to influence me. Obviously, some people had their opinions and I tried to respect them but I wanted to make sure I go through a thorough process.

“I have no vested interest in any person. I came into this clean and that’s been very liberating for me. Some people say, ‘Joe’s been away for awhile’ but it also means I’m more free to make a decision with more clarity and not be biased toward one person or another.”

That said, the Bombers are still squeezed by time here, not just because the free agent market opens in under two weeks, but because most assistant coaches’ contracts are renewed — or not — at January’s end. One of the meatiest questions Mack will ask in interviews is what kind of staff each candidate can assemble with the clock ticking.

“There’s no question that’s an issue, absolutely,” said Mack. “It’s a nuanced dance — you have to take into consideration who is available, who the candidate has relationships with and then it’s my duty to try and peel back the layers to make sure they’re considering strong candidates who are also good football coaches as opposed to just friends.

“The timeline means there may be coaches we’re just not able to get. I’m trying to move it along as quickly as possible. But I still feel very, very good about the candidates we’re considering and their response has been positive about committing to Winnipeg and trying to help us get our first Cup in a long, long time.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Complete CFL schedule B12

2010 WINNIPEG

BLUE BOMBERS SCHEDULE

PRE-SEASON

WEEK DATE GAME TIME

PS-A Sunday, June 13 WINNIPEG VS. MONTREAL 1 p.m.

PS-B Sunday, June 20 Winnipeg @ Hamilton Noon

REGULAR SEASON

WEEK DATE GAME TIME

1 Friday, July 2 WINNIPEG VS. HAMILTON 7 p.m.

2 Friday, July 9 WINNIPEG VS. TORONTO 7 p.m.

3 Friday, July 16 Winnipeg @ Hamilton 6 p.m.

4 Saturday, July 24 WINNIPEG VS. EDMONTON 5:30 p.m.

5 Saturday, July 31 Winnipeg @ Calgary 8:30 p.m.

6 Saturday, August 7 Winnipeg @ Hamilton 6 p.m.

7 Friday, August 13 WINNIPEG VS. HAMILTON 7:30 p.m.

8 Thursday, August 19 Winnipeg @ Montreal 6:30 p.m.

9 BYE WEEK

10 Sunday, Sept. 5 Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan 3 p.m.

11 Sunday, Sept. 12 WINNIPEG VS. SASK. Noon

12 Sunday, Sept. 19 Winnipeg @ Toronto Noon

13 Friday, Sept. 24 WINNIPEG VS. MONTREAL 7 p.m.

14 Saturday, Oct. 2 WINNIPEG @ B.C. 9 p.m.

15 Monday, Oct. 11 WINNIPEG VS. B.C. 3:30 p.m.

16 Sunday, Oct. 17 Winnipeg @ Montreal Noon

17 Saturday, Oct. 23 WINNIPEG VS. TORONTO 3 p.m.

18 Saturday, Oct. 30 Winnipeg @ Edmonton 6 p.m.

19 Friday, Nov. 5 WINNIPEG VS. CALGARY 7 p.m.

PLAYOFFS

WEEK DATE GAME TIME

P1 Sunday, Nov. 14 East Semifinal TBA

P2 Sunday, Nov. 21 East Final TBA

P3 Sunday, Nov. 28 98th Grey Cup in Edmonton 5:30 p.m.

“ö All times listed are Central, home games in caps