Alouettes will stick with Jim Popp as GM/HC, plus keep all three coordinators

For the first time in the history of the most recent incarnation of the franchise (since 1996), the Montreal Alouettes missed the playoffs this year. Their streak's even longer if you consider that these Alouettes were relocated from Baltimore, and that they made the Grey Cup in both years there, losing in 1994 and winning in 1995. In many corners of the CFL, a disappointing 6-12 season and the end of a streak like that would be cause for a full housecleaning. The Alouettes have instead elected to continue on with the majority of the coaching staff that ended the year, keeping general manager Jim Popp in the head coaching role as well and retaining coordinators Noel Thorpe, Anthony Calvillo and Kavis Reed. It's an unusual approach (even when a head coach is kept on after a season like this, a coordinator's often sacrificed), but one that might pay off very well.

It's notable that Montreal already made major moves midseason, firing head coach Tom Higgins Aug. 21 (a day after a road win, no less) to let Popp return to the dual role and axing offensive coordinator Turk Schoenert Sept. 5 to promote Calvillo (and co-offensive coordinator Ryan Dinwiddie, whose future hasn't yet been announced). Those moves didn't necessarily fix everything (the Alouettes were 3-5 when they got rid of Higgins and 4-6 when they fired Schonert, and went 2-6 the rest of the way), but the poor stretch performance (and much of this season's performance, in general) wasn't largely about the coaching staff. A big part of it was the quarterback turnover, as Montreal used five different starters and seven different QBs in total this season, in large part thanks to injury. That's not entirely an excuse, as many teams around the league battled QB injuries this year, and most did better than the Alouettes did. Still, this coaching staff appears pretty strong.

Having Popp continue in the dual role makes some sense, as one of Montreal's big problems this year appeared to be a disconnect between him and Higgins. In particular, Higgins made some bizarre game-day roster decisions, such as benching veteran defensive end John Bowman (who wound up leading the CFL with 19 sacks despite playing in just 16 of the Alouettes' 18 games). There also appeared to be differences between the two on staff (such as last year's firing of offensive coordinator Rick Worman, a Higgins hire, in the middle of training camp) and philosophies. Popp doesn't have the greatest record on the sideline from a pure wins and losses perspective (he was 16-20 as a head coach before taking over this year, and went 3-7 in that role this season), but four of his five head coaching seasons have come from taking over teams midyear. It seems reasonable to see what he can do with a full offseason to prepare, and it certainly should eliminate the recent communication issues between the roster-construction and coaching sides of the Alouettes.

It also helps that Popp will be able to retain a strong staff of coordinators. Thorpe, a former CFL special teams coach and CIS defensive coordinator, has done a great job with the Montreal defence since joining the Alouettes in 2012, and he's widely thought to be the team's next head coach if Popp decides to focus on just the GM's role again at some point. Reed is a former CFL head coach who also has strong backgrounds on defence and special teams, and while Calvillo's a coaching newbie, he's a legendary CFL quarterback (and pro football's all-time leading passer) and has seemed to make the transition to instructing others well so far. Yes, that staff didn't produce incredible results this year, but some of that was out of their control. Many organizations would have made big changes anyway to show that "something's being done." Montreal opted to stick with the status quo, and that could be very beneficial for them.

It's no secret that coaching and front-office stability can pay off in the CFL, and that dual HC/GM roles can work under the right circumstances. Continuity means you don't have to keep remaking the roster to fit new schemes, and having the same coach and general manager ensures the right players for the scheme will be acquired. The league's most successful team over most of the last decade has been the Calgary Stampeders, who have had John Hufnagel as coach and general manager since 2008. With Montreal missing the playoffs this year, the current longest active postseason streak is B.C.'s 19 seasons, and Wally Buono has been the GM there since 2003 (and was the head coach as well from 2003-2011). By contrast, some of the league's biggest struggles have come in Winnipeg, and it's been a coaching carousel there for decades. Popp has been running the personnel side of the Alouettes since the Baltimore days, and his teams have won four Grey Cups. This season didn't work out the way he or anyone else in Montreal hoped, but that doesn't mean that he and his staff should be axed. The Alouettes' move to give him and his coordinators another shot despite this year's struggles is relatively rare, but it may well work out for them.