Coach Marc Trestman has the Argos right where he wants them on the road to Sunday’s Grey Cup showdown in Ottawa,
Argos coach used bye week to hammer out game plan for everything but football
Leave it to Marc Trestman to plan for the next big thing just a little bit early.
The Toronto Argonauts head coach is notoriously meticulous and so knowing the Grey Cup can wreak havoc with the regimented existence of a football team, he and his staff briefed the players last week on what to expect if and when they won last Sunday’s East final.
They did, prevailing 25-21 in thrilling fashion against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and so they’ll compete in next Sunday’s championship game against the Calgary Stampeders in Ottawa.
But the game is just an exclamation point on a weeklong extravaganza of parties, events and media sessions, many of which require the participation of coaches and players. Add the logistical challenge of getting friends and family to Ottawa, finding them accommodation and tickets to the game and players suddenly have a whole lot on their plate. “We had a meeting on the Grey Cup during the bye week so our players could be as prepared as they could be for Monday and Tuesday in terms of getting tickets and hotels for friends and family done,” Trestman said. “They knew exactly what they had to do.”
That message was reiterated during a brief team session on Monday as Trestman and his staff laid out the plan for Ottawa. It resembles a regular week — three days of practice starting Wednesday, followed by a walk-through, then the game — but the timing of things is off.
Typically, Trestman can control the where, when and how of practice and meeting times, but during Grey Cup that schedule is controlled by the league.
“We’re going to start earlier and that’s going to have a ripple effect on rest, and we’re going to be done early so how do you want to comport yourself in the afternoon?” Trestman said.
“We want them to have a plan because once they leave the building there is going to be distractions.”
Ah yes, the dreaded “D” word. Distraction is the bane of all football coaches at the best of times but even more so with so much at stake this week. In addition to heightened media attention — Argonaut practices have been sparsely attended this season — the city of Ottawa will be buzzing with Grey Cup activity as thousands of CFL fans from across the country descend on the nation’s capital.
“If you go out to dinner the night before a game in Toronto it’s going to be different if you go out to dinner during the week in Ottawa,” Trestman said. “People are going to know who you are, they’re going to want to connect with you and there are going to be distractions. You’re going to have to maturely handle those things.”
Things will be different for Trestman, too. The 61-year-old has been to two Grey Cups with the Montreal Alouettes in 2009 and 2010 — he won both — and so he knows the deal. His attendance will be required at a press conference with Calgary’s Dave Dickenson on Wednesday morning, then at the CFL awards gala on Thursday night. He’s up for coach of the year.
“In some ways it’s inappropriate because it’s taking me away from the team during the installation of the game plan and the things that I normally do,” he said. “But I just embrace everything. I don’t make it any more than it is, but I’m grateful to be a part of all of this. I’m not just a coach, I’m a big fan of the CFL and I want to see it have great success.”
Trestman’s wife and two grown daughters will join him in Ottawa this week as well, and they’ve travelled from their homes in the U.S. periodically throughout the season to visit him in Toronto. And even the ultra-focused Trestman is smart enough not to refer to his wife as a distraction.
“It’s a reward that we get to do it together,” Trestman said. “This is the time of the year that you dream of, to share these moments with your family. That’s universal with players and coaches.”