Mike Benevides (left) knew that he had to make a choice with his defensive coordinator and went with promise in Mark Washington. It was a repeat scenario when the club hired Khari Jones Monday (PNG/Jason Payne)
So two days before Christmas, the Lions have put a nice, tidy bow on the upper levels of their coaching staff and we are all left to assess whether the additions of Khari Jones and Mark Washington are better than what they had for their final game of the 2013 CFL season.
Like, it’s been almost several hours since the Lions decided to break the news about their offensive coordinator hiring around the crack of dawn. Surely that’s enough time to provide instant analysis.
Reality is, however, something entirely different, as the fact remains it’s going to be better part of a year before it can be determined whether throwing aside the experience represented with Jacques Chapdelaine and Rich Stubler made any sense.
If nothing else, the Lions have finally found an antidote for the usual blather which is spread about the so-called additional pressure of teams playing host to the Grey Cup next season. There should be zero expectations about that next season. None.
Jones’ body of work as an offensive coordinator is inconclusive at best, being at the controls of an eighth-ranked running game in 2011 with Hamilton which nonetheless made it to the division finals that year.
It’s still better than the career record as defensive coordinator of Washington of course, which only leads to the conclusion that the goal of Mike Benevides through the last month was to find coaches who would teach as much as they could call plays.
That was the knock internally on Stubler, who had a terrific system and attracted players who could work within his framework, but wasn’t particularly big on instruction.
As for Chapdelaine, the nicest thing that probably could be said has already been suggested, when it was stated by the Lions it was simply time to part ways. It was clear a chemistry issue had developed, and Benevides had to find a solution, as much for the good of his remaining coaches as his players, though it figured the new approach would come from Paul LaPolice before TSN reportedly came waving a five-year contract in his face.
So that’s all the instant analysis you’re going to get for the penultimate Monday in December. The Lions are now younger at the top. In time, they may even be better. Enjoy the holidays everyone. Enjoy watching the Seahawks. Change takes time to assess.
