Sounds like a good move but a gamble so we will see
pffft. it's a crappy move. the Alouettes will regret this decision, just as much as the Eskimos did when they hired Stephenson back in 1999.
Aluoettes Trestman confirmed Radio-Canada.ca Sports
Monday Dec. 17 2007
Marc Trestman
Larry Smith had promised a Christmas gift
for the Alouettes, and he kept his word...
Radio Canada Sports announced on Monday, that
Marc Trestman has been named as Head Coach of the Alouettess.
He replaces Jim Popp, who will continue as general manager.
Trestman has never coached in the CFL. It was believed
that that was an important criterion for the team.
Who is Marc Trestman?
Even though he doesn`t have any experience in Canadian football,
Trestman, 51 years old, has an impressive resumè in the NFL.
In more than 20 years in the NFL and in college
he has worked with coaches of the calibre
of Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden,
both of whom have won the Super Bowl.
On the field, he has coached Steve Young, Jake Plummer,
Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice. Without forgetting a young one
- yes, he was young - Vinny Testaverde.
Trestman was generally offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach.
He coached QB Rich Gannon and the Oakland Raiders
to a Super Bowl berth in 2002 and Rich was named the NFL MVP
He was with the Raiders in 2001 to 2003.
Trestman started in the NFL in 1985 with the Viking,
the first of two experiences to the Minnesota,
Next he went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987),
the Cleveland Browns (1988-1989), the San Francisco 49ERS(1995-1996), the Detroit Lions(1997) and the Arizona Cardinals(1998-2000).
His last experience in the NFL was as quarterback coach
and assistant coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2004.
The experience was not successful, the Dolphins had
a record of 4-12 and the 28th worst offence in the league.
Since then, he was offensive coordinator and QB coach
at the University of Carolina, in 2005 and in 2006.
Two decades in American football, no Canadian football...
His assistants will have to play a key role for him to learn
the subtleties of the CFL.
As I just mentioned in the Als forum, I'll take a guy from the States with no CFL experience who is smart and creative offensively over a CFL guy who isn't as smart and creative and just average. The top teams in the NFL like the Pats know how to light the lamp with passing and using receivers.
Earl, if it were that easy to learn how to light the lamp like the Pats do, don't you think other NFL teams would be adapting? It's not like we're getting Belichick to coach our team. The last time Trestman coached in the NFL, he was a dismal failure with the Dolphins. Since then, he's been a college coach, and we all know there is no guarantee with players or coaches coming out of U.S. colleges.
True enough discipline, no guarantee as you say, I agree with that statement. I don't know enough about the man to say anything more but he must have something to be hired as a head coach here, don't you think?
Logic dictates he must have something, but hires aren't always governed by logic. To me, it makes no sense to bypass a strong internal candidate (Jones) and several qualified CFL-savvy candidates (Marshall, Hall, Buratto) in favour of a guy with zero CFL experience who hasn't coached at the pro level since 2004. ESPECIALLY given the mass exodus in our coaching staff, which probably means we'll be stuck with an entire coaching staff with minimal CFL experience.
I'm all for new blood, but there has to be old blood in the system for the transfusion to work. Otherwise, you're pumping new blood into a corpse.
I'd have vastly preferred it if they had hired Marshall or Jones to be head coach and gotten Trestman to spend a year cutting his teeth with us as O.C.
Could Popp be making this decision knowing that if Trestman fails he will folow him out the door. Dumb move if you ask me. Remember the CFL expansion into the US. Most of the US teams had american coaches only one team excelled Baltimore who had a CFL experinced coach. They would have been better off to get a cfl experienced coach and had this guy as an assistant coach to learn. Ny feeling is Popp likes coaching and will still be coaching through Trestman. Meaning the Als are going to sink fast next year. I hope I am wrong because the Als fans I like.
I doubt Popp have much say in the selection
....You got to give Trestman a chance.... you can't judge a guy until you see what he's got...BUT its obvious this move by the Als is for the future.......when a coach comes in cold from the nfl...lets just say he has a 'steep' learning curve ahead of him....We'll see just how quick a learner he really is....but if i were a Montreal fan...i wouldn't expect any miracles... :roll:
Smith is so affraid to face the media with this one that he announced his Coach through a Press Release. Wow! Imagine that.
Larry Smith's five hiring criterias:
1-Successful experience as a CFL head coach:Trestman 0 experience as a HC at any level.
2- Good grasp of X & O's: Trestman 0 Canadian football experience.
3-Strong command of all 3 planes O,D,ST: Trestman zero experience or investment in defense or special teams
4-Good communicator: Trestman has had conflicts with Plummer, Rice and most assistants he's worked with.
5-Good understanding of Quebed market: Trestman spent 3 days in St-Jean d'Iberville.
0 for 5
Apparently Smith couldn't hold a press conference to introduce his new HC because he couldn't make enough Koolaid.
So whose hire is this anyway? Herb Z is saying Trestman was Popp's pick. But could a disempowered Popp really foist his own choice on Smith and Wetenhall? How did we go from a well-run organization with a winning tradition to a mess from top to bottom so quickly?
I think Jim's missfortunes have been greatly exagerated. Let's face it. This is not the first time the Als bring in a US coach with no CFL experience, they've done in more then most. Price, Taaft...
My concern is that Smith established a credible process, flew in a bunch of people and then Popp's man get's the job in total disregard to the process established by the boss....
This organisation is senile and dysfunctional