Popp missing from Alouettes’ exit meetings
When Alouettes players conducted their exit meetings Sunday at Olympic Stadium, they went upstairs to the office of assistant general manager Joey Abrams — and not Jim Popp.
And this has led to speculation Popp, the only GM this franchise has known since returning to the Canadian Football League in 1996, could be on his way out.
“It sounds ominous,” said a CFL executive. “That’s the day you start talking to guys whose contracts you’ll want to extend. It’s an important time. If the team’s in the head coach’s hands during the season, the baton is handed to the general manager immediately after the final game.
“But,” the executive quickly added, “it would be dangerous to assume he’s out.”
Popp has one year remaining on his contract as GM — a deal that could pay him in the vicinity of $500,000. That’s money owner Robert Wetenhall potentially would have to eat, and the team’s proprietor constantly has been forced to reach into his pocket the last two decades.
At the same time, the Als finished the season with a 4-2 record under interim head coach Jacques Chapdelaine. He replaced Popp, who was handling both jobs, in mid-September after Montreal lost nine of 12 games.
Chapdelaine’s success might be the best thing that happened to Popp. If the Als decide a new GM’s required, that man undoubtedly will want to hire his own coach. But how can the organization do anything but retain the bilingual Chapdelaine, a native of Sherbrooke, given the team’s modicum of success?
However, if the organization’s unsure what its next move will be, it might attempt to buy time in the interval. Team president Mark Weightman and Popp are scheduled to meet the media Monday morning at Olympic Stadium, and it’s entirely possible nothing will be concluded at the time. Weightman could announce Popp, like everyone else in management, is being evaluated.
Popp was originally scheduled to meet the media Sunday at noon, along with Chapdelaine. The Als didn’t announce the modification to their schedule until 10:30 Sunday morning.
Attempts to contact Popp, Wetenhall and Paul Harris, chairman of the team’s board of directors, were unsuccessful. However, a source told the Montreal Gazette Popp has reached out to a few people — mostly players — via text messages wishing them well.
“Him not being there (Sunday) doesn’t make sense. It sounds fishy to me,” the source said.
If the Als decide to change managers, they’ll have to move reasonably quickly or run the risk of falling behind in their off-season dealings. Should that scenario occur, several candidates immediately will be mentioned — including Université de Montréal head coach Danny Maciocia, Ottawa assistant GM Brock Sunderland, Hamilton GM Eric Tillman and even Toronto GM Jim Barker, who could be in some jeopardy after the Argonauts failed to make the playoffs.
Maciocia is a former head coach and GM at Edmonton. He’s bilingual and a native of St-Leonard. Tillman, meanwhile, has won three Grey Cups.
Chapdelaine said he saw nothing sinister behind the change in schedules. “My understanding is they wanted Jim Popp and Mark Weightman to come together. Let me and the players have our day.”
Chapdelaine has another year remaining on his contract — one he originally signed as the receivers coach and special adviser to offensive co-ordinator Anthony Calvillo. Chapdelaine, who returns home to Abbotsford, B.C., in the middle of November, said there’s no rush to determine his fate. He even intimated he’d be willing to return to the Als under a new head coach.
“When I accepted this opportunity, I didn’t have expectations beyond this season. These decisions are made in due time with due consideration,” he said. “I’m more than willing to to wait for that right time to happen.
“I think people around the league can see that maybe I have an opportunity to help a team and bring something to the table as a head coach,” Chapdelaine added. “Whether it be here or somewhere else, you just want to prove to people you can do the job.”
Although the Als were 7-11 — one more victory than last season — and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year, they finished strong, winning three straight. Chapdelaine’s promotion didn’t eradicate all of the team’s warts, however. Montreal continues struggling on offence. Saturday, at Hamilton, the team failed to generate a first down until well into the second quarter.
But Chapdelaine changed the team’s identity and mindset with two bold moves — the release of receivers Duron Carter and Kenny Stafford, along with the decision to replace quarterback Rakeem Cato with Vernon Adams.
Popp signed free agents Carter and Stafford last winter, further evidence he was beginning to lose some of his power in the hierarchy. For that matter, it’s always been believed Popp would have preferred special teams co-ordinator Kavis Reed replace him this season, not Chapdelaine.
The Als concluded their schedule with a 32-25 victory over the Tiger-Cats, outscoring Hamilton 18-8 in the fourth quarter and rebounding from a Brandon Rutley fumble in the final period that led to a touchdown.
“After a costly turnover, we came back and scored. We won the fourth quarter, which I don’t think is something we would have been able to do earlier in the season,” Chapdelaine said. “We were in a position where we had to win — because we’re actually a winning team.
“I’m glad we finished the season on a positive note.”