This is why teams like Toronto are always in tank

CFL Talk
1

Barker hired a High School ASSISTANT coach with no inteview, no background check, nada. Now he sounds like a nice guy and just getting going in life so if he’s not ready its bad for a team on life support (on field anyway) and the young apprentice stands to have his life go in a tailspin. Wreckless…

While DeMatteo's interview with Calgary coach John Hufnagel didn't lead to a job with the Stampeders, Barker later became Argonauts coach and called DeMatteo and asked him to coach receivers. DeMatteo was skiing on top of a mountain in Deer Valley, Utah, and was dumbfounded.

“He first asked me to interview and then said that he had researched my background and was going to go ahead and offer me the job,” DeMatteo recalled

[url=http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/apr/02/dematteo-going-to-coach-in-cfl/?sports]http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010 ... fl/?sports[/url]
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...what's next? drafting a dead guy?...

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http://www.sheep.physicsisbroken.com/Facepalm.jpg

5

lol @ tactical facepalm. :lol:

You know, at first I thought maybe Barker was familiar with this guy from when he interviewed with Huf.. but it sounds like the only time these guys met was at dinner. Guess DeMatteo made one hell of an impression. :lol:

6

the question needs to be asked. How rich is this guys father

7

Hiring a receivers coach site unseen. Nice.

If I were Barker, I would have just expanded the duties of their tight end coach.

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Does not suprise me, first of all toronto can only draw 10,000 to regular season blue jays game who belive it or not was averging 50,000 a game way back in 89-94, the leafs have not made the playoffs in 3 years, the raptors again missed the playoffs, and the argos are about as popular in toronto as our new ahl hockey team the abbosford heat, ( which only avergaes 3,000 a game in a 10,000 seat arena) , i whish the argos would get things right, it could not be very hard to try and grow the popularity since no other pro team in Toronto is winning, now i know the Leafs are always king in Toronto and that is great, the Canucks are the same here even if they do not make the playoffs, but theses big market cfl teams have to start and take advatange of there oppurtunity when they can. Montreal can do it, Vancouver can do it, i do not know why toronto can't, and Hiring some HighSchool coach is not going to do it.

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Back to back terrible seasons hardly means "always in the tank"...remember, because of how long it took for the ownership situation to be settled, it put Barker at a disadvantage when it came time to assemble a staff.

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But why resort to cold-calling?

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Darn, I wonder if that call that I didn't answer earlier this week was Barker calling me to offer me the job. . .

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Call him back, buy him lunch and I’m sure you’ll be an assistant coach in no time!

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I am only speculating Artie, but I think Barker was in a hurry to get started…I heard an interview with Steinaur & he said Barker told him he needed an answer in 24 hours.

MadJack as an assistant coach?? That sounds like it would work! Lunch too!!

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Article from the States:

The former UTC standout is leaving his Baylor position to oversee receivers for the Argonauts.

By Ward Gossett

[i]Instead of his usual travel to Huntsville this time of year, Baylor School offensive coordinator Cos DeMatteo is heading north to be receivers coach for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

In recent years he's been on the coaching staff of the Alabama Vipers arena team. His new job takes him away from the Chattanooga school.

"Baylor is an awesome place to be a part of," said the former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga quarterback and receiver. "I feel like I will always be a part of Baylor."

DeMatteo happened to be at the Senior Bowl, primarily visiting former teammate Richmond Flowers III, when he met some CFL coaches at dinner, including an acquaintance, Chris Jones. A former North Jackson assistant coach, Jones had coached opponents of DeMatteo's Franklin County team and later recruited him for Tennessee Tech.

As is usually the case with football coaches, the conversation drifted to X's and O's, and Jones later called DeMatteo to ask if he'd be interested in interviewing for a job as running backs coach for the CFL's Calgary Stampeders. In the course of the Senior Bowl dinner, DeMatteo had met Jim Barker, who at the time was a vice president with the Stampeders.

While DeMatteo's interview with Calgary coach John Hufnagel didn't lead to a job with the Stampeders, Barker later became Argonauts coach and called DeMatteo and asked him to coach receivers. DeMatteo was skiing on top of a mountain in Deer Valley, Utah, and was dumbfounded.

"He first asked me to interview and then said that he had researched my background and was going to go ahead and offer me the job," DeMatteo recalled.

He said he went into back-pedal mode.

"I had a new baby, we had bought a house and I really liked Baylor. It was overwhelming," DeMatteo related. "I prayed. I went back and forth. I know the CFL is a volatile league and there is no real job security in any coaching position. [/i]

Chattanooga Times Free Press

wgossett@timesfreepress.com
15

LMAO, niiiiice

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Oh, snap! :lol:

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Maybe it's fitting. After all if that team is any where near as bad as last year, he'll be working with high school caliber players.
Seriously it has something to do with the water in Toronto. Every team there has incompetent management. It starts with the Maple Leafs and goes right on through to the other sports teams.

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Barker got to know DeMatteo at the Senior Bowl and he brought him to Calgary for an interview. For all we know he could be a terrific coach for the Argos. The league definitely needs some new coaching blood rather than just recycling retired players.

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Got a HS receiver coach to go with his Copper Football League QB. I don’t know man… Huf didn’t think DiMatteo was ready for a pro coaching job after interviewing him. But Barker thinks he is based on inspecting his underwears or something like that. No wonder Huf pushed Barker aside the man has no method. Toronto might be the first team to go 0-18. especially with the threat that training camp may be as short as a week, this is looking like a complete disaster. I guess someone had to replace Mike Kelly’s entertainment value but damn !

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this does not bode well with me, I am not expecting excellence in any of the Toronto teams but decent value for my hard earned money (as a first time Argo's season ticket holder) is not only expected but required.

In the end all we can do is wait and see...