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MMQB: An intriguing hire in Montreal

I really liked the job Jacques Chapdelaine did as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes after he took over from Jim Popp late this past season. Montreal went 4-2 under Chapdelaine to finish the season but his future with the team was uncertain, especially following the firing of Popp as general manager.

All of that changed on Wednesday as the Als introduced Kavis Reed as general manager and re-introduced Chapdelaine as head coach.

The easy choice

While I think naming Chapdelaine the team’s permanent head coach was the right move, I do think there are some questions surrounding the hiring of Reed. We’ll get to those in a little bit, but let’s start with why Chapdelaine looks like the right hire.

First off, I loved the identity Montreal took on in the final six games of the season. With Popp manning the sidelines, the Alouettes looked out of sync far too much of the time. After the coaching change, though, they looked like a galvanized group playing inspired football.

Maybe the firing of Popp served as a wake up call or maybe it was time for Montreal to move on after 22 years. Whatever the reason, though, the Als looked like a different team under Chapdelaine. Of course, six games at the end of the season with very little on the line is a different story than a full 18-game campaign. That said, the way the team responded to Chapdelaine seemed very, very positive, which should help the Als hit the ground running in 2017.

Also encouraging was the play of Vernon Adams Jr. in the final three games of the season. In those three appearances, Montreal’s hopeful quarterback of the future showed pretty marked improvement culminating in a really nice season finale. Adams Jr. threw for three touchdowns and 257 yards in his Week 20 start against Hamilton and showed some real glimpses into why Popp gave up a first round pick to acquire him.

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Als_Management_2016_Reed_Chapdelain_2
Als_Management_2016_Reed_Chapdelain_2

Left to Right: President Patrick Boivin, GM Kavis Reed and HC Jacques Chapdelaine (MontrealAlouettes.com)

Chapdelaine has worked with some pretty good quarterbacks in his day as an offensive coordinator and I really like the prospect of him working with Adam Jr. this season. While he has an abundance of natural talent, Adams Jr. is still very raw and a refined offensive mind like Chapdelaine’s could be exactly what the doctor ordered.

I mentioned earlier how I had some questions about Montreal’s decision to install Reed as the new GM. That’s not to say his hiring is a bad thing, though. Instead, it’s only natural to have some questions when someone is hired having no prior experience at the position.

I actually think the hiring of Reed is an intriguing one and I’m curious to see what a coaching veteran of 15 years can bring to the position. Not every hiring in football, or any job for that matter, has to come with years and years of experience in a similar position. Montreal obviously feels Reed’s knowledge in player personnel is strong, so I’m quite interested to see him in his new role.

My questions are the obvious ones, of course. How keen is Reed in player evaluation? How well does he project players? How will he deal with other GMs in wheeling and dealing? Remember, though, just because you and I don’t know the answer to those questions doesn’t mean Reed won’t answer them positively. I just think they’re interesting queries to raise and I’ll be fascinated to see how they’re addressed.

Bittersweet

While the Alouettes were getting their house in order on Wednesday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats had a vacancy open they likely weren’t expecting a couple days later. Defensive Coordinator Orlondo Steinauer’s departure to take on the same role at Fresno State leaves a huge hole that will be extremely difficult for Hamilton to fill.

First off, congratulations to Steinauer, because he was going to be deserving of whatever the next step was going to be. He’s joining a solid program and is going to get some valuable NCAA experience as he looks to make his jump to head coach, something many thought he was on the verge of doing in the CFL.

What’s left, though, is a pretty gaping void. Steinauer was in charge of one of the league’s most consistent defensive units on a year-over-year basis, and a quick look at the statistics will show you that. While they weren’t necessarily the league’s best defensive unit every single year, they were always one of the better units in all four years under Steinauer.

Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca
Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca

Orlondo Steinauer’s time with the Ticats is over after four seasons (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)

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» Steinauer departs Ticats for job with Fresno State


When they weren’t finishing top three or four in terms of totals points allowed (which only happened once), Steinauer’s defences were getting the job done as a top three team in sacks or interceptions. As Marshall Ferguson wrote last week, Steinauer did a masterful job in crafting his game plans each week and gave head coach Kent Austin a ton of play-calling flexibility.

I’m not sure what the Ticats are going to do to replace Steinauer. Jeff Reinebold is in the fold right now and has plenty of defensive coordinator experience under his belt. However, because of their solid talent base, Hamilton is likely a pretty desirable place to go so I would imagine a few big names get connected to the job over the next few weeks, too.

Whoever ends up as the next Tiger-Cats’ defensive coordinator is going to have big shoes to fill, though. In four years with Hamilton, Steinauer presided over a talented and consistent defensive unit and was a huge part of back-to-back Grey Cup appearances. His presence on the sidelines will be missed and we wish him all the best in Northern California.

Early look

While the 2017 CFL Draft is still more than five months away, the focus on one of the next huge dates on the calendar has already started. Earlier this month, the CFL Scouting Bureau released it’s December list of rankings for the upcoming draft which give us a nice look as to how much has changed since the first list came out in September.

While players like Laval tight end Antony Auclair and UCLA defensive lineman Eli Ankou made some nice progress sitting second and third, respectively, it’s the gentleman ranked number one who interests me at this stage of the game.

Mississippi State offensive lineman Justin Senior retained his spot atop the rankings in December and will likely be there once again when the Scouting Bureau sends out its final rankings again in April. But much like last year’s top ranked prospect, we’re really not sure what Senior’s draft position is going to look like come May.

Justin_Senior_2016
Justin_Senior_2016

Justin Senior remains the top-ranked prospect for the 2017 CFL Draft (Mississippi State)

University of Manitoba defensive tackle David Onyemata was 2016’s top ranked prospect but ended up being a fourth round selection of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Onyemata was also selected by the New Orleans Saints in the NFL Draft and as such, his CFL standing dropped. Much the same could be on the horizon for Senior.

While not a sure bet to be taken in the NFL Draft come April, Senior has stated he is looking to try his hand south of the border, at least in the immediacy. While his CFL Draft positioning will drop, a team is still going to use a later round pick to make sure it acquires the rights to a talent like Senior. He was one of the SEC’s top offensive linemen and having his rights could be a huge coup if his sights get trained on the CFL.

Situations like this aren’t unique for guys like Senior or Onyemata. 2015 top prospect Christian Covington was a fifth round pick of the BC Lions after being taken a month prior by the Houston Texans. The same was true for Laurent Duvernay-Tardif in 2014; the McGill offensive lineman was first taken by the Kansas City Chiefs before the Calgary Stampeders used a third round pick on him a month later.

But it’s Bo Lokombo who stands out as the perfect example as to why using a pick on a top prospect is smart, even if the NFL is a possibility. 2013’s number one ranked player was selected by the Lions in the third round of that year’s draft as he was a probable NFL selection the following year.

Lokombo returned to Oregon to finish his NCAA career but went undrafted and unsigned in 2014 and joined BC for the remainder of that year’s campaign. A West Division All Star in 2015, Lokombo is still coming into his own as a pro, but you can be pretty sure the Lions are happy they used a third round pick on him, even without a guarantee of ever seeing him play.