It’s my Parting Shot to wade into the discussion regarding who should or shouldn’t be replacing Chris Jones with the Roughriders…
The biggest thing for RiderNation to keep in mind…as I’m sure team president Craig Reynolds and the Saskatchewan board are doing, is the new cap on size of football operations staff…both in terms of actual numbers of people and money being paid to them. And, when it comes to money and contracts, are those deals guaranteed and how much of that money counts towards the football operations cap if people are let go?!
In other words, how badly has Chris Jones tied the hands of the Riders when it comes to hiring a very good and qualified person, or persons, to replace him…seeings how the football ops staff was set just before Jones bolted a couple of days ago for the N-F-L’s Cleveland Browns. Since Jones did many jobs…the big two of them being general manager and head coach…can the Green and White interest a Marc Trestman or a Kent Austin or some other experienced C-F-L executive-slash-coach like that in coming to Saskatchewan if they can’t hire their own people because of guaranteed contracts and salary cap restrictions!
As a result, unless those restrictions are not as strict as they are in other pro sports, the Roughriders almost have to stick with what they have and promote from within…meaning Jeremy O’Day as the likely G-M and Craig Dickenson…the special teams co-ordinator…as head coach!
And, from this chair, those are perfectly good and sound hires!
That’s my Parting Shot, I’m Les Lazaruk…