Lions turn to ‘rising star’ Claybrooks to lead team
VANCOUVER — DeVone Claybrooks has finally found the right place to become a head coach.
There have been other job opportunities in both the CFL and NFL, the 41-year-old said, but something was always off.
That changed with an offer from the B.C. Lions. He was announced as the team’s new head coach Tuesday.
“It’s about fit and right place and right circumstances. Because you don’t want your first job to be your last,” the former Calgary Stampeders defensive co-ordinator told reporters.
The difference in B.C. is the team’s general manager, Ed Hervey, Claybrooks said.
“It’s about trust. And with the other opportunities, I didn’t feel 100 per cent that I could buy in and that it would be the way it should be or the way it had been presented to me,” he said. “At least I can say with this guy here is what I see is what I get.”
Claybrooks spent seven years on the Stamps’ coaching staff, including four as the defensive line coach, and won a Grey Cup with the team last month.
Calgary’s defence allowed the fewest points in the league over his three seasons as defensive co-ordinator.
He also interviewed with Toronto for their open head coach position, which the Argonauts filled by hiring Corey Chamblin on Monday.
Competition for the “rising star” was stiff, Hervey said.
“DeVone was the number one candidate. Make no mistakes about it. This was clear across the board,” he said. “I want sure if we were going to be able to get him.”
The interview process was about two weeks long, but Hervey said he has been getting to know Claybrooks for several years and has long wanted to work with him.
“We have this similar belief on how football teams should be built and we’re excited about that and we’re looking forward to the challenges that are ahead,” he said.
With several key players eligible for free agency this year, the team Claybrooks and Hervey build could look much different come training camp.
Neither gave many clues Tuesday about who might be on their roster, but both said they’re looking for hard-working players who want to win.
“I can’t predict what we’re going to be but I can predict one thing — we’re going to be extremely hard-working and we’re going to be very physical on the field and we’re going to be disciplined,” Hervey said.
Claybrooks replaces Wally Buono, who retired at the end of the season following 46 years in the CFL.
“I’m not trying to fill Wally’s shoes. I’m wearing my own,” the new coach said.
“So I’m going to forge my own legacy and my own standard of what we’re doing around here. We’re just going to build off that platform that he left us. And that’s what we’re trying to do.”