Riders Show Ineptitude is not Limited to On the Field Action

You could blame Gary Lawless. You could blame the poor crisis communication plan of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. You could blame the long weekend. But the circus that was the TSN story of the Riders getting rid of Head Coach Cory Chamblin was one of the biggest clown acts of the 2015 season to date.

The story came out Saturday after the Riders got stomped 30-5 by the Edmonton Eskimos in a game notable for rookie quarterback Brent Smith not getting taken off the field in an ambulance. Gary Lawless, a TSN reporter based in Winnipeg, the city that God forgot, said Rider GM Brendan Taman was meeting with the Rider executive to discuss getting rid of Chamblin and having a new coach in place after the bye week, which is coming up after this weekend.

Lawless quoted a high level Rider source, which sounded like either Taman or a board member. Then the silence from the Rider camp was deafening. Add to the story that the meeting between Taman and president Jeff Reynolds was now on Saturday rather than Sunday, and you expected a flash notice that Taman was out and Paul La Police was in with Mike Benevedes coming in to take over the defense.

Saturday night came and went with no response from the Riders. Then Sunday came and went and nothing was said and people started to comment that if the story was full of crap, the Riders should have gotten in front of it to keep public confidence in Chamblin, especially in the locker room. It was also not fair to Chamblin, because who wants to hear in the media they are out of a job?

Then on Monday the Riders came out, or rather Brendan Taman came out, to address the situation and state that Cory Chamblin is the Rider coach going ahead and there was probably nothing in the TSN story. Taman did a pretty good job of stating the final responsibility for the team rested with him and he had enough confidence in Chamblin and the staff to find their way out of a 0-6 season.

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It was surreal watching this online, but judging from how events unfolded, it seems obvious what happened. Someone in the Rider executive jumped the gun and went to Lawless, who as a TSN reporter, would carry more credibility. Maybe it was an effort to force some kind of action, maybe it wishful thinking.

As a reporter, my money is on Lawless’ story being accurate, in that he reported what he was told by the unnamed Rider executive member.

The problem is the Rider executive member was/is not in the loop and probably had some wish fulfillment in speaking to Lawless.

Logically, having this happen the weekend before the Riders play Toronto and the two week break that follows makes little sense. Once word of this came out, Chamblin would be a dead man walking, and he would have walked away rather than continue knowing he was gone after the next game. Then who would have stepped up for the Riders on being a coach with little time to plan?

I would have waited until after the Toronto game, check out the availability of coaching candidates this week, and if the stars align, then fire people after the Toronto game, including Taman, and make Jeremy O’Day the interim GM until after the season. The cost of paying out Chamblin’s and Taman’s contracts, which run through to 2017 will be  considerable, probably in the neighbourhood of $2 million, but if the Riders wanted La Police, he would want a two year contract before signing and some idea who the GM was going to be. La Police would be about 500 K a year, so the Riders would end up paying $2 million a year, $1 million for a GM and coach no longer there. This means the Riders need to sell a hell of a lot of merchandise.

The other thing is that the candidate pool for coaches and GMs is rather limited. If you want someone on another staff, you have to wait until the season is over, and there are good candidates who are committed to the current season.  The same with GMs, especially if you are looking at someone like John Murphy of the Stampeders who handles their coaching and would not be available until the Stamps finish their season.

The timing was too awkward to make a change this past weekend, and maybe even after the Toronto game. The Riders maybe are waiting for the team to sort itself out, and maybe are waiting until the end of the season when they are not on the hook anymore for this season.

Whatever the reason, the way the Riders responded to the story, slowly, was not the right approach, but it has forced the Riders hand. Like it or not, the Riders have Taman and Chamblin for the rest of the season.

Can they salvage anything or just do a series of auditions in a rebuilding mode? That is an interesting question as the Riders prove once again to be a compelling soap opera.

So after going 2-2 last week, here is how I see the CFL unfolding this week.

Edmonton is at BC on Thursday and with Edmonton rolling out of their home base with a 30-5 win over the Riders; it can be argued their defense is probably the best in the CFL right now. BC is coming off a puzzling game in Winnipeg where Travis Lulay threw interceptions to sink the Lions which was puzzling after a masterful opening drive. Lulay is 18-2 I heard in BC Place, but for some reason, I don’t think that will go to 19-2. Let’s say Edmonton 27 at 17 BC.

Montreal goes to Ottawa and this is the revenge of the Als after Ottawa knocked out their first two quarterbacks back in a season opener. Raheem Cato who could have been a Rider is the now leading the Als who made things interesting in Calgary before I would argue inexperience kept them short. Ottawa is coming off a win in a bye week and should be excited to see the Als. Be care for what you wish for. While Montreal is a cinch at home, winning on the road presents a challenge. But Montreal’s defense is much better than people realize and Montreal needs this win to climb back into the playoff picture. Montreal 23 at 21 Ottawa.

Saskatchewan at Toronto – this would have been Cory Chamblin’s last game as a Rider head coach if Gary Lawless had not broken his story.  As it stands, Toronto is on a short week after an intense game in Hamilton, they have a couple of injuries notably to Chad Owens, but while the Riders may not be as bad as their record indicates, and I liked how Brent Smith moved around in the pocket, Toronto’s receiving corps is just too good for the Riders makeshift defense. Riders 25 at 29 Toronto.

Then we wrap things up with Winnipeg at Hamilton. The Blubonic plaque is riding a high after beating BC at home to move into third place in the west. Drew Willy unleashed a running game featuring his legs, but I just see a pendulum hanging over Willy saying it is a matter of time. When Winnipeg picks its most valuable player, it should put its trainer first and foremost for keeping Willy in the game. Meanwhile, Hamilton is a force at home, not having lost in Tim Horton’s Field. With that defense, I don’t see them losing against Winnipeg. Winnipeg 21 at 29 Hamilton.