CIS Corner: Gary Etcheverry takes over the Ottawa Gee-Gees, which should be interesting

It hasn't been a good offseason thus far for the Ottawa Gee-Gees, who earlier saw head coach Jean-Philippe Asselin leave for the offensive coordinator's position at cross-town rival Carleton (which won't even be playing CIS football until the fall of 2013). They've now found the man to replace him, though, at least for the short term. The school has tabbed long-time CFL coach Gary Etcheverry, who last worked in Canadian football as the Saskatchewan Roughriders' defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2010, as their coach for this coming season, and if things work out, it's quite conceivable he could be running the show there for the foreseeable future. There's plenty to like about the hire of Etcheverry, including his willingness to think unconventionally, his CFL ties, his strong and varied resume and his impressive recent record of success. However, there are questions that go along with this move too, including Etcheverry's limited experience as a head coach, the odd circumstances surrounding his departure from Saskatchewan, his handling of criticism and his reported plans to bring in a double-wing offence. Regardless of if Etcheverry succeeds or fails with Ottawa this year, his tenure should certainly be notable.

In and of itself, that's a good thing for the Gee-Gees. This is a program that could certainly use some positive attention, as their 5-3 record last season (and upset by Windsor at home in the first round of the OUA playoffs) was far from a spectacular verdict on the prospects of the post-Brad Sinopoli era, and Asselin's late off-season defection for a lower-ranking position at a bitter rival that won't even be on the gridiron this fall is a highly embarrassing story. (It's also worth noting that Asselin is far from the only high-profile defection Ottawa's had recently.) If Ottawa was always intent on only hiring a one-year coach at this point in time, it's tough to see them making a much bigger splash than they did with Etcheverry. (There were rumours that they were looking at former Hamilton Tiger-Cats coach Marcel Bellefeuille, but he doesn't seem the type to jump at a short-term deal for limited money.) Moreover, the move was made reasonably quickly, just slightly over a month after Asselin's departure. Landing a well-known coach like Etcheverry is some of the first positive news the Gee-Gees' football program has had to share in a while.

Etcheverry has a lot to offer, too. As mentioned above, his last position was as the Roughriders' defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2010 (he worked with them as a defensive assistant in 2008, and was set to work as an assistant again in 2011 before leaving on the eve of training camp), and the team went to back-to-back Grey Cups in those years, with his defence playing a significant role in their success. The team was middle of the pack in points allowed during the regular season in 2009 and second-worst in 2010, so it's not like his defence was the only reason they did well, but it came through with some key contributions. It's also worth noting that the Riders' defence allowed only six fewer points the year after Etcheverry left, was much worse from several other perspectives and was part of the team going a league-worst 5-13 in 2011. What's perhaps most interesting (and from this corner, positive) about Etcheverry is his willingness to think outside the box; throughout his stops across the CFL (and NFL Europe, and college), he brought unconventional perspectives and defensive formations to the table, including starting with anywhere from two to nine men on the line of scrimmage. That sometimes worked at the CFL level and sometimes didn't, but it could pay huge benefits at the CIS level, where there's much less film study and preparation and players are much less prepared to handle unexpected situations.

There are question marks about Etcheverry, including the double-wing offence reports (a curious move for a guy whose background is mostly defensive), but even that might work out well. Sure, on first glance, a run-oriented offence might seem ill-suited for the three downs of Canadian football, but plenty of successful CIS teams have put lots of emphasis on the ground game; the top four teams in rushing yards per game last season (Western, Saint Mary's, Calgary and McMaster) finished as Yates Cup runners-up, Loney Bowl champions, Hardy Cup champions and Vanier Cup champions respectively. Moreover, similarly to unconventional defence, there's a greater chance for unconventional offensive schemes to really thrive at the CIS level, and you can pass effectively out of a double-wing with a few modifications (particularly if you have tight ends who can catch). The double wing may be mostly a rumour at the moment, but if Etcheverry does implement it, it's worth seeing how it goes before blasting it; the idea alone shouldn't be seen as a strike against him.

The bigger questions with Etcheverry revolve around other issues, such as his limited experience and less-than-superb record as a head coach (he went 4-8 with the Toronto Argonauts in 2002, went 2-37 in four seasons at Macalester College in the early 1990s and went 3-6-1 with NFL Europe's Stuttgart Scorpions in 1996). He also didn't take criticism well while with the Riders, and was effectively demoted in favour of Richie Hall before leaving. It won't be easy for him to find success with the Gee-Gees, either, as they'll be competing against a very well-financed cross-town rival in Carleton, plus a plethora of other strong OUA programs, and a one-year coaching contract isn't the easiest thing to sell recruits on. Still, none of that precludes Etcheverry's stint in Ottawa from working out well, and there's a good chance this gamble could pay off for the Gee-Gees. Even if it doesn't, though, it will still be well worth watching.