Nomad normality
Offensive coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine on the unstable life of a CFL assistant coach
The setting was all very formal, with B.C. Place Stadium as a backdrop. But there was sincerity in the voice of one of three lieutenants who responded upon being introduced by new B.C. Lions coach Mike Benevides.
“Benny,” said defensive coordinator Rich Stubler, addressing his new boss. “I’m here for as long as you want.”
The speaker was a coach making his 17th stop in nearly 40 years in the CFL and other forms of football instruction. So, there might have been an instinctive reaction to capture the sentiment in the form of a signature on a long-term contract.
Instead, what was formalized when Stubler and two other position coordinators were introduced Thursday was just a temporary halt to the ongoing instability associated with the job description of an assistant coach who everyone would like to see changed.
Looking at other offers, such as one which recently prompted Barron Miles to leave the Lions for the Saskatchewan Roughriders without so much as a formal interview, wouldn’t become necessary if the CFL and its teams were willing to offer benefits to coaches whose families have the moving company on speed dial.
“You never get used to [the uncertainty],” said Jacques Chapdelaine, who will likely enter this season as the league’s most tenured offensive coordinator. “You accept it, but being used to it and accepting it are two different things. If I didn’t accept it I’d be doing something else.”
Chapdelaine was offered a multiyear deal to return home to his roots in Sherbrooke, Que., last month but chose a one-year offer from the Lions over a head coaching job at Bishop’s University, out of respect for his family, which was uprooted when he took a two-year deal in 2007 with the Edmonton Eskimos.
Uncertainty at the CIS school, which lost its athletic director after the coaching opening, also made the decision easier, admitted Chapdelaine, who couldn’t rule out a repeat scenario occurring again next year.
Stubler, who left Edmonton last month amid suggestions of a philosophical difference with Eskimos coach Kavis Reed, said he has become more comfortable with the year-to-year nomadic existence, at least until he responded to the welcome of his newest boss.
That might change some more if the league could help assistants join the CFL Players Association pension fund, Stubler said, a concept which has been tossed around for nearly three decades but annually goes unheeded due to a perceived conflict of interest.
“We’re not asking for a lot,” Stubler said. “But we need something.”
That was Benevides’ line up until a month ago when he was named to succeed Wally Buono, which means he hasn’t forgotten the uncertainty his two top aides just ended despite crossing into upper management. “Somewhere down the line the flag has got to be carried about benefits,” said Benevides, whose twoyear head coaching gig marks only the second time in his Lions stay he has had a contract of that duration.
For now though, the rookie head coach gets to be surrounded by what likely will be the most experienced set of coordinators in the league once all teams finalize staffs by the end of the month.
The first fundamental shift from the manner in which Buono formed his staff came when Benevides named Chuck Mcmann special teams coordinator Thursday. Mcmann previously worked with running backs but Benevides recognized the importance of kick and cover units from his days in the job upon joining the Lions.
The move likely will alter the job description of second-year assistant Kelly Bates, who has interviewed for a coaching position with the Lions that would also give him added responsibilities with Canadian scouting. At least until next season, when it will change for everyone again.