Now that Charlie has been retained...

Three things I will be watching for:

  1. Who will the offensive and defensive coordinators be?

That is, if Charlie has people in mind, how much has Obie impacted upon those rumminations. In other words, has Obie and Charlie had the "who I suggest you should consider" convo or the "Here is the field you can select from" dictation. LOL

I think the former due to professional courtesy. It should be clear that we can expect CFL-ready people THIS TIME.

  1. Whose system will be installed on offense?

Will it be the Taaffe magnum opus of 1000+ plays from last year or will the new OC have his own playback and unique appproach...

AND THE BIGGIE FOR ME:

  1. Does Charlie surrender the offensive playcalling to the new OC?

Taaffe used to let Tracy Ham call his own plays in Montreal (Calvillo had his called by Charlie). In Hamilton, Taaffe was adamant that he called the plays, even scripting the first 15 or so plays each game by habit.

If he gets a Chapdelaine or similarly high profile OC, will he agree to let that OC call the plays?

For me, if they use a new OC's playbook -- and that OC has solid CFL mileage on his odometer -- then it would make sense to have that man call the plays.

If Taaffe's playbook is used again, well...we might get similar results as 2007. Nonetheless. the man with the better knowledge of the system should make the calls.

I personally hope for an experienced, innovative OC with a clue who will fill the playcalling role. Will that cramp Charlie's style? LOL I hope it does enough that Taaffe can direct his attention to more stringent game management -- better decisions at crucial times, cracking down on the spot re penalties by taking players aside for a word or two -- in short, making sure the coordinators are on top of the situation AND running a more professional sideline in 2008.

I know Charlie didn't forget how to coach. Three-and-fifteen records can temporarily lead one to forget that fact. Change in his approach has to happen, however.

Oski Wee Wee,

Might be interesting to see how Obie relates or not to Chapdelaine after being with him in BC. Ill be surprised if he signs him.

any footage of the announcement? Was there a press conference as the Spec said there would be?

2) Whose system will be installed on offense?
3) Does Charlie surrender the offensive playcalling to the new OC?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
It would also be interesting to see team play on the coaching staff with the new OC designing the play book with input from Taaffe. The HC has a lot of knowledge and could make some small corrections or suggestions to the new OC's plays or come up with a few great plays of his own, knowing the players, to insert into the play book at the OC's discretion.
If two great minds could get their heads together (and get along)and get on the same page there could be some unique things come out of it.
After that the OC should call the plays with input from the QB and spotters etc.
As long as egos don't get in the way.

The most disconcerting aspect of last year's assistants was that Charlie brought them over personally. If he has less influence over the choices this time around, one wonders how well he will get along with them; they need to work well in tandem, not despite each other.

Happy Days Charlie Stays..

Good point. Seems to me that when they tied the can to Barresi, team management brought in Paopao to be OC, that was not Marshall’s call, and we all know how well that worked out.

I can’t say I’m pleased or disappointed. Based on his year, by any measure he deserves to be toast. However, I can see why they don’t want to start all over again with a new HC for 2008. I think they’re hoping Taafe can work his way through his 1st-year-back growing pains and get his career and the team moving in a positive direction. Given Taafe’s re-appointment, I wouldn’t be surprised to see either one or even both of his assts. back either. I think that would be a disaster.

An Argo-Cat fan

Obie is no dummy and he has already acknowledged that Taaffe didn’t get stupid overnight.
That being said, one would think that the main gist of the discussion since Obie was hired and Taaffe was confirmed is the hiring of coordinators and assistants that will blend into a good coaching TEAM who will work together to a common goal which is, initially,the playoffs and, ultimately, the Grey Cup.
One would also suspect that early this year Taaffe was out on a limb and probably was expected to bring people with him to the coaching staff. The timing was probably not good for the HC to get quality assistants which would have added to his frustration and he probably had to make all of the coaching decisions over the season.
What a workload and no wonder he looked frazzled at times!
Hopefully Obie, with his connections and influence, will get the right people for the job.

If Taaffe's playbook is used again, well...we might get similar results as 2007. Nonetheless. the man with the better knowledge of the system should make the calls.
Absolutely, and particularly since Taaffe is lucky to have a job. In fairness to Charlie Taaffe however, he did have a lot on his plate last year. Obie will make his life easier.

I would hardly say “Lucky”. He has a job because Obie felt he was not part of the problem, something that Scott Mitchell said from Day 1.

And to say the playbook is the reason for the results is laughable… how about the number of players trying to run said playbook?

Re-read what you quoted from me. LMAO :wink: “Might get” does not equal “get” or “will get.” :wink:

There is no one “reason” for the offensive shortcomings, particularly re the passing game.

Indeed, I would agree with you that the number of players used (some 17 receivers since the start of camp being released alone) only adds to the problem of running a detailed playbook that emphasizes timing as much as Taaffe’s system does.

There is a continuity hurdle that needs to be overcome. Printers needs to assimilate whatever system is installed leading into camp and working through that with what we should expect will be an upgrade in the receiving corps.

We need receivers. A better group as a whole is a necessity. We need to have at least two receivers emerge along with Armstead at the fore of the passing attack in 2008, IMO. Personally, I don’t foresee Brock Ralph at his current level being one of those guys. He must be pushed to a higher level by the end of camp or the team needs to find an import who can do a better job via recruiting or the FA pool.

I see more upside in having Bauman with more offseason work and another training camp under his belt, frankly. We need a possession receiver with some speed who can get into the dirty areas of the secondary and become a reliable target for Casey and Richie. The fact that Bauman is a non-import can weigh positively in that. Making him a slotback could be one avenue the next OC will want to explore.

Ralph does not fit that bill, IMHO. I’ve seen him bolt towards the sideline too many times when turning the ball upfield was necessary to put him in a slotback role, frankly. He’s a burner outside whose production has to become more consistent.

Breakdowns in pass protection assignments plagued the team last year at key times. Again, if you run a ball control passing approach, it is imperative that the pass protection holds up if there are to be more shots taken downfield.

We also had a lot of linemen shuffling from game to game. Apart from coping with injuries, you simply can’t do that on a regular basis.

Oski Wee Wee,

(Crash) I would hardly say "Lucky". He has a job because Obie felt he was not part of the problem, something that Scott Mitchell said from Day 1.
This being the case, why did it take Obie so long to make his decision on Taaffe and why did Obie say he was checking out other candidates?

Be clear on this point. In the latest presser where Taaffe’s retention was announced, Obie explicitly said that no other head coaching candidates had been interviewed.

Obie said that he had to meet with Taaffe to assess their mutual comfort level and whether he was he right guy to coach in this situation. He met Taaffe approximately four times by what they mentioned at the press conference.

Obie did acknowledge that he would have interviewed other people in short order had Taaffe and he not seen eye to eye.

Oski Wee Wee,

Because if he didnt take his time we would have people saying that Mitchell made the decision and not Obie… something this organization has been accused of in the past by many uninformed “fans”, someone sitting in their ivory tower making decisions.

Obie did acknowledge that he would have interviewed other people in short order had Taaffe and he not seen eye to eye.
This would indicate to me that he had other candidates in mind.

Which would make perfect sense to me…thankfully for Charlie it didn’t get to other people being interviewed.

Oski Wee Wee,

Of course, Bob O'Billovich would have other people in mind; if he didn't, he would be a failure as a General Manager. Every successful Manager has a fallback position in case the person at hand fails to make the cut. To have alternatives is smart management. The fact that they weren't needed is testament to the qualities, experience, and wisdom of Charlie Taaffe, and to O'Billovich's brilliance in recognizing those qualities.

I suspect if Charlie does not work out, Obie will not waste any time in replacing him...even in mid season. I can't see Obie watching a season deteriorate like this past year without making coaching changes.He could move up the OC temporarily...bring in Dave Ritchie temporarily...whatever it takes until he gets the calibre of coach he wants.
As far as the playbook is concerned...I'll bet that took up a fair amount of time when Obie and Charlie had their discussions. You can't BS Obie. If he thought Charlie's scheme was too crazy we would have another Head Coach.