O’Shea has built up far too much good will in his 10 yr stint w/ WInnipeg. He’s immune to firing. He’ll leave on his own terms - but NOT THIS YEAR.
Edmonton seems hell bent on sticking with Jones. Don’t know why that is but thats the way it is. Plus, no real coaches in the bullpen waiting for Jones to be put under. PLOP La Police? Are u kidding me? Plop is so terrified of players he’s unable to provide any semblance of leadership.
Ricky Ray? No experience! But neither did Bud Grant when he ascended to Bomber head coach in 1957. AC Calvillo? Maybe his time has come but AC also seems reluctant to go the head coaching route.
Edmonton also suffering from weak attendance and diminished fan interest. Not a great pizza combo.
Bobby Dyce? Different story. Perhaps MIckey Donovan (TO) or Buck Pierce are ready for new shoes. Not much else in CFL assistants - mostly a collection of travelling mopes.
It will be Dyce first in my opinion. Jones is also the GM, so firing him during the season could be a real problem for a franchise that is trying to look as presentable as possible to private suitors. Once the team is sold, that is when Jones will be most vulnerable. I think that you will have an interim Coach in Ottawa. What about the OC for the Lions as a possibility for a next year position?
Very good (and concise) analysis. Jones really has locked himself up from responsibility. If the Elks manage to attract a private buyer, then all bets are off and Jones will depart with a nice cash parting gift, never to be a head coach again - at least in pro football. He’s a very good assistant.
Bobby’s departure will occur sometime this season. I’ve assembled a primary candidates list - some of who won’t be available til season’s end for various reasons;
Buck Pierce
Noel Thorpe
RIcky Ray
Marc Mueller (really outside shot)
The Longhair from Calgary
Mickey Donovan
As for an interim head coach, Bombers should be able to spare their extraneous defensive assistant Richie Hall to complete Ottawa’s season. Or even the loquacious Jeff Reinbold coming out of the ether for a final kick at the cat.
Ottawa is 1-1, having suffered their only loss on the road to the defending Grey Cup champions, who are systematically making every team in the league look second-class. They’re absolutely still in the thick of the playoff picture. Why exactly are we talking about firing Bob Dyce?
A better question would be what happens to Scott Milanovich if Hamilton falls to 0-4.
I think Shivers gets fired first if Edmonton’s D continues to mess the bed, much the same as McAdoo getting soft-fired last year. Then Jones walks the plank at end of year.
O’Shea will survive the season even if the BB miss the playoffs. Although, a few days ago, I mentioned that finger-pointing would start if they go 0-4. Well, it has already started, prior to their 4th game with Stamps. Olievera has been sounding off, in effect, blaming the coaches for his paltry contribution to the O. If O’shea is the coach that everyone thinks he is, he will squelch this in camera. If not, that team will implode.Dyce will probably pilot a playoff team, so no worries there. But Jones won’t be able to ride the “almost won” train if there is an ownership change that wants to turn the page on this floundering franchise.
[quote=“sackatz, post:5, topic:92622”]
…ing off, in effect, blaming the coaches for his paltry contribution to the O. If O’shea is the coach that everyone thinks he is, he will squelch this in camera. If not, that team will implode.Dyce will probably pilot a playoff team, so no worries there. But Jones won’t be able to ride the “almost won” train (AKA the 0-for train) if there is an ownership change that wants to turn the page on this floundering franchise. And that statement was true about Jones being a good assistant. It is beyond me why he gets hired, repeatedly, to control everything. Sure, his ego drives him to demand complete control, but why do teams cave to those demands, when, clearly, he is out of his element?
I tend to agree. I don’t think he’s teflon, but the team would have to truly sink into infamy – like go 0-10 or something – for his canning to become a possibility.
IMO Milo is more at risk of being fired as part of a larger housecleaning that includes Hervey and his assistant GMs, on account of not being the next GM’s handpicked guy, but that won’t happen until the offseason, if it happens at all.
Oliveira might want to consider this: He reported to camp already hurt and the coaches may want to reduce the wear and tear on him until all the new parts of the O line start showing some signs of gelling. We’ve already seen Lawler and Schoen go down for extended time, and I’d hate to see someone like Oliveira join them.
Very astute. Nobody wants to hear this but I’ll say it anyways. Olivera is also the Bombers best trade chip - BY FAR.
Imagine the haul in draft picks, o-line hogs, etc. Olivera might yield. Sure, we’d have to shift thinking to an American RB, like most of the other CFL teams do.
Getting Olivera injured cuz he’s trying to run thru deadish hogs is unacceptable. Would prefer not to trade him but he’s an injury risk every time he yanks the biscuit.
Bomber scouting better be better than this dog year. Both Lawler and Schoen will be a year older next year. Lawler on the high side of 30, Schoen approaching 30. Lawler was already wary of getting blasted in the open field, not so much Schoen - yet. No guarantee they’ll even come close to their amazing performance levels of the past.
You are absolutely right! Players want to play. On occasion, they don’t even realize that they are in no shape to play. That’s why the concussion protocol went into effect. Oliveira should be thankful that his coaches care. O’Shea is smart enough to recognize the competitive nature of guys like Olie, and that, just because he wants the ball, doesn’t mean the opposition will let him run. If they are filling the gaps by putting 7 guys in the box, then the O can’t run…must change strategy. Receivers, too, will often tell the QB that they are open cuz they want the ball, but there is only one ball. Nevertheless, IMHO Oliveira was out of line. Any player who publicly shows up his coach(s) for ANY reason needs to be disciplined because, if he remains unchecked, it affects team morale. And, right now, at 0-4, when self-doubt is creeping in, they don’t need more distractions.
Sorry. I have a different opinion. I have seen growth in the Elks in both talent acquisition and on field performance. They are better than they were at this time a year ago. They have lost three games by a total of 9 points and the other game they had the lead in the 4th quarter. While they have made critical mistakes and cannot seem to get over the hump yet, they have not been out coached or out prepared in my opinion this year. The coaching staff cannot play for the players. I will admit that I thought they should have fired Jones last year for some very bad personnel decisions but that has largely been corrected. Also, there are a lot of logistical things that GMs do that are behind the scenes. Who are they going to get in the season that will make things better? Very rarely does a mid-season hiring change the trajectory of a team for that season.
Regardless of the distaste CJ Jones creates for Elks fans (and most CFL fans, too) the current Elks are clearly better than the disabled Bomber team. Far more voracious defense than Wpg., although both are suspect. Slightly better o-line - although both o-lines are in CFL’s bottom 3. Far more stable QB-ing w/ McLeod & Fastman Ford. Might be first W on the board for either Elks or Bombers when they meet up.
Edmonton really doesn’t have anyone (of value) left on its board of directors. Just the typical jock-sniffers and rah-rah peeps. Jones was able to connive 2 coaching positions and GM spot, so that even if the Elks board came to their senses, firing Jones would essentially blow up the franchise, sending it into utter chaos.
I think it’s Coach Chris Jones who will be the 1st be fired this year. Why? Because I’m certain that GM Chris Jones is totally fed up with this guy’s incompetence. I’m amazed that he’s put up with Loser Chris Jones this long. Most coaches would’ve been dismissed well before his level of failure had been reached.
Do you think it’s possible that Coach Chris Jones has something on GM Chris Jones that’s super embarrassing?
