Could George Cortez be the answer in Hamilton?

One key question this offseason has been why the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are waiting so long to pick a coach. There's a conceivable answer to that question, and it's one that's starting to look more likely; perhaps Hamilton wants to at least interview (if not outright hire) George Cortez, the Buffalo Bills' quarterbacks coach. A source told me Saturday, "The number-one candidate is now George Cortez." Buffalo's season doesn't end until New Year's Day, so the Ticats can't formally talk to Cortez until then. If he is their top candidate (or even a serious candidate), that would be the most logical explanation for why Hamilton hasn't yet announced a coach.

Cortez (seen at right with the Bills) has been suggested before by Perry Lefko, but a source told Dave Naylor on Dec. 21 that he wasn't in the mix. Things may have changed since then, though, as Dave Dickenson withdrew his candidacy for the job Dec. 23 to stay in Calgary. With Dickenson out of the picture, the only other prominent candidate was Winnipeg defensive coordinator Tim Burke, so it was curious when he wasn't quickly announced as head coach.

Hamilton is already fighting the clock, as they'll likely have to line up new coordinators both on offence and defence (as well as perhaps other assistants), and the pool of capable, experienced guys is dwindling quickly. There's also a lot of work to be done on the scouting, free agent and draft preparation fronts, so the sooner they have their coach in place, the better. Burke still very well could be the man chosen, but if he is, the question is why they haven't announced it yet.

If the Tiger-Cats are in fact waiting for Cortez, there are some good reasons why they might want to at least consider him. Cortez got his CFL start in 1984 as a running backs coach with Montreal, and in stops in Ottawa, Calgary and Saskatchewan, he's held a wide variety of positions including offensive coordinator, special-teams coordinator, quarterbacks coach and defensive line coach. Teams he's been involved with have lifted the Grey Cup in 1992, 1998, 2001 and 2008. He also has experience in the NFL and NCAA ranks, and his greatest expertise (developing quarterbacks) might just be what Hamilton needs.

Not many mid-to-high-level NFL assistants would want to come north (and some of the ones who have, like Bart Andrus, have been some of the CFL's biggest failures), but Cortez might be a different story. For one thing, he has much more of a CFL background than an NFL background, so he certainly won't be brought down by lack of knowledge of the Canadian game, unlike Andrus. For another, his job in the NFL may not be all that permanent; the Bills are 6-9 this year and about to finish their second consecutive losing season under head coach Chan Gailey, which can sometimes lead to major staff turnover. Hamilton's also conveniently located for Cortez, as he might not even have to move to take the job. We'll see if this pans out, but the Tiger-Cats' inaction thus far certainly suggests Cortez may be their man.