Cortez's final decision

Trestman (and Hufnagel, who you didn’t mention) are the exceptions that prove the rule. As for Milanovich, his team finished 9-9; 9-9 seasons brought out the pitch forks for the last guy, now all of a sudden that is good enough?

Regardless of prior experience, guys new to the head coaching ranks usually have a difficult time in their first season, whether you agree with it or disagree with it. That said, most teams bring in a new head coach because the team stinks. You don’t see a lot of division finalists changing coaches (which the Ti-Cats did). So perhaps Cortez’s struggles weren’t because he was a first timer, but because he isn’t cut out to be a head coach.

I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, at least for this season. I believe we’ll know if Cortez’s problems stemmed from being new to the position or if he just isn’t the man for the job in about a year and a half. I say give him until Labour Day 2014; if the team is still the same pattern, then clearly he isn’t the head coach we all thought he was. One season just isn’t enough time to decide if a guy is going to be a good head coach or not.

He has taken the job as Head coach and a Head coach has a lot to do. He is also the offensive coordinater. He needs to make a choice resign as Head coach and be the offensive coordinater or be the HC and hire an offensive coordinater. The offens was awsome the defense was terrivle what did he do as a HC to fix the defense this season.
Once you take the HC job you need to reinguish the role of OC and spend equal time with the offense and defense. He did not do that.

He has taken the job as Head coach and a Head coach has a lot to do. He is also the offensive coordinater. He needs to make a choice resign as Head coach and be the offensive coordinater or be the HC and hire an offensive coordinater. The offens was awsome the defense was terrivle what did he do as a HC to fix the defense this season.
Once you take the HC job you need to reinguish the role of OC and spend equal time with the offense and defense. He did not do that.

Trestman inherited a very strong core of players and had the benefit of working with Jim Popp, one of the top GMs in the league. Moreover, Trestman was insulated in his first season by having a veteran as his DC (Tim Burke) AND by having a titular OC (Milanovich), who helped him design the playbook and who was already familiar with the offensive personnel, having been the QB coach the year before.

Cortez was given too much responsibility in his first year, and had a staff largely composed of younger, inexperienced coaches (e.g. Creehan). He had no OC, and his GM neglected both lines (offensive and defensive) as well as the secondary. Both sides of the ball underwent massive change, whereas in Montreal’s case, Trestman only had to make specific, surgical changes (Richardson as a FA signing, Cobourne as starting RB), not a drastic overhaul.

Trestman is a great football mind, but he also walked into a stronger, more stable situation in Montreal than Cortez did this season in Hamilton. That’s not to say that Cortez didn’t make his share of rookie mistakes, of course. But hey, Trestman was awful at managing the game inside the three-minute warning during his first year as HC, and it cost us at least two, possibly three games.

I disagree. There was already something of a decent foundation here that was built up by Marcel B. Unfortunately after 3 years of spinning the wheels at .500 we decided to make the move that would take us beyond that level. Cortez should have only had to tweak here or there. A couple of solid O and D-lineman and maybe a DB or two with a competent, experienced defensive coordinator. The results would have been drastically different. Not only did we not progress with Cortez but got considerably worse.

But the reason the team got worse wasn’t all on Cortez’s coaching. The changes you allude to, adding linemen and DBs, was not going to be done by Cortez. Instead of focusing on those areas you mention, the team went out and spent money on a new QB and a new WR. Bringing in Burris and Fantuz was met with nearly universal approval, two areas that didn’t need an upgrade were upgraded and left less dollars for the areas that did. What we got was a great offense and a terrible defense; a great passing game, but a mediocre running game.

We’ll see what happens this off-season, but if the Cats go out and spend a bunch of money on more offensive weapons, it tells me they didn’t learn for their mistakes. Hopefully, the team will eschew trying to sign a marquee free agent and instead focus on bringing in talent along the lines and finding more non-import talent. I hope this is a relatively quiet off-season for the Ti-Cats.

Cortez did have too much responsibilty and unles you have a seasoned Defensive coordinator the HC needs to be much more invilved in the defense but taking on the Job of OC and HC he could not give the proper time to the defense thath a HC should be giving. The Ti Cats need to hire a full time Offensive coordinater. Cortez is a great OC but he is now the HC so his focus needs to be divided equally among the Offense and defense not to mention the special Teams which luckily for Hamilton they were able to already have some very capable players on the special teams the Kicking game was one of the best in the league. Chris Williams well you know what he did. Even the kick off return team was overlooked as they were second in the CFL in KO returns. Sam Giguere while in the NFL did not see much PT but he did eveolve into a very good KO returner. Rookie brandon Rutley came in and improved the Kick off game as a return specialist when wlaker was injured and then turned to a talented Onrea jones who did a fantastic job. The defense was not so lucky to have that level of talent at key spots and it is the HC reponsibility to make sure that all three phases are going well and he could not do that being the full Time OC. In fact between burris fantuz and cobourne they could have run the offense without cortez.

I think we’re basically on the same page here. My focus is rather on Cortez as a coach, not on the perhaps-unnecessary personnel changes Obie made in the offseason. Regardless of what we think of the changes (the biggest being the Burris trade), they happened, and as such, Cortez had to deal with a lot of instability in his first year. My point about the Trestman comparison was that Trestman didn’t have to deal with the change that Cortez did, he was wearing fewer hats (only HC), he had a CFL-ready OC to lean on, his DC was a veteran coach with decades of experience (Tim Burke), and his offensive unit was almost entirely intact from the year before – only differences were Richardson signing and Cobourne becoming the starter ahead of Jarrett Payton. That’s not even touching on the fact that Burke’s D in 2008 was substantially better than Creehan’s D in 2012. Ca

Hopefully Hamilton will learn by there mistake this season and give Cortez the proper support with an experinced DC and even Cortez has guys that have been underneath him somewhere along the line that he can plug in as an OC that thinks like him and knows his system. He can then be a true HC and oversee everything. It was quite obvious in the Toronto game that the defnse was not aggresive and should have game planned to blitz the crap out of the Argos.
In the draft they need to go for an O or D line man with that first pick someone that is as close to a sure thing that there is whether they take the best player DT Stefan Charles Regina or Sewell Ol from Mac.
They need no more skill players on offense as they are very deep at receiver both Import and Non import wise Kelly and Jones are as good as they get should Williams bolt for the NFL after next season. Fantuz, Stalla, and Giguere are backek by Charpaneau-Campeau and the kid from Windsor. In there back yard they have Dicroce from Mac.
It may also be time to take a better look at the Canadian QB they have right in there back yard with Quinlan. He was connected with Montreal last year but not drafted and released he should be free agent. They also brough Wil Finch in last year and should continue to do so.
The OUA is becoming a very competative and deep league and the level of play and the commitment to football is so much greater than even just 5 years ago. All of the schools are now sponsored by a Major athletic company, Under armour, Russel, addidas, and Nike which pay for the entier athletic programs equipment that used to come out of their budget. Plus like the CFL the infrastructur stadium wise are among the best across the board for conferances now. With Geulph just completing theirs, Carleton a complete overall of Keith Harris and York inheriting the track and field venue on there campus.
The players and competition have gotten very good very fast in the OUA at all positions including QB.

He took on much more than he can chew. He is a great O/C, but coaching requires a different skillset.
If we take the last play for the tying field goal as an example, Cortez should have planned that they try to kill more off the clock.

Had they killed just 10 more seconds off the clock, the Argos would never had been in a position to kick that winning field goal, unless they were thinking of kicking a 65+ yard fielder…

:cowboy: :cowboy: :cowboy:

You hit it on the Head taking off more than he can chew. Pro football teams need a HC an OC and DC and a SP teams coach. The HC can not take on the full responsibilty as HC and OC leaving no time for the other 2/3 of the game.
After things got settled in in Winnipeg Burke began to be a HC and got involve with the Offensive game plan and it showed by the measure of success the Bombers had in scoring first qtr points. Simply by taking the time as the HC and dicussing the offensive gameplan to come out more agressively changed there 1st qtr scoring dramatically.

Same thing in Toronto with Milanovich although he entrusted his buddy to run the defense Milanovich as OC as well as HC did not see the special team problems that arose a head of time and cost them games early. Even with the trust in his buddy as the DC not being involved enough with the defense caused some major penalty problems with the defense all season. AS the HC it is his job to step in and put a stop to such things but he was so engraved as the OC he could not put in adequate time. Ultimately the Argos will need to hire a full time OC that can take care of many of the duties while Milanovich can get involved with the other 2/3 of the game.
Corey Chamblain was a true HC giving equal time to all three units and steppin in when one Unit was not pulling its wait and straitend it out.