Burke Bombers’ new boss on defence
Former Al will get help from Harris
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/01/2011 (5355 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
DENIED on their first two attempts to find a new defensive co-ordinator, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have scored a major on their third try.
The club will announce Tuesday that it has signed former Montreal Alouettes assistant Tim Burke as its new defensive boss.
An added bonus for the Bombers is that defensive-line coach Richard Harris has apparently told head coach Paul LaPolice he will remain here rather than join old friend Greg Marshall and his new staff with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The two announcements are huge for an organization that is trying to build continuity and stability in its football operations department. The Bombers lost defensive co-ordinator Kavis Reed to the Edmonton Eskimos and were then straight-armed by Richie Hall and Corey Chamblin when they were approached about taking the position. Hall will now run the defence in Saskatchewan while Chamblin is the new defensive co-ordinator with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Burke is a veteran coach — 2011 will be his seventh season in the CFL and he has an extensive NCAA resume — who spent the last three years shaping a defence that helped the Als capture back-to-back Grey Cup championships in 2009-10.
The Als set team records defensively in ’09, allowing just 324 points and finishing first in 21 of 25 statistical categories. But last year the Als’ defence struggled at times and finished fifth overall giving up an average of 26.4 points per game — just slightly ahead of the Bombers. That said, the Als were brilliant defensively in the post-season, crushing the Toronto Argonauts 48-17 in the East Final and holding the Roughriders to just 18 points in a 21-18 victory in the Grey Cup.
Interviewed for the head-coaching gig here in 2009 before GM Joe Mack settled on LaPolice, Burke brings instant credibility to a Bomber defence with huge upside despite the team’s 4-14 record in 2010.
Harris, meanwhile, is widely viewed as the CFL’s best D-line coach, is highly-respected by his charges and makes Winnipeg his year-round home.
A former first-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, Harris has been instrumental in the development and success of players like Doug Brown, Phillip Hunt, Odell Willis, Gavin Walls and Tom Canada. He is currently the longest-serving Bomber coach, as 2011 will be his sixth in Winnipeg.
ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca
