Former Alouette Chiu could return as assistant coach
Former Alouettes centre Bryan Chiu spent 13 seasons anchoring the team’s offensive line. And if the cards fall right, don’t be surprised if he returns to Montreal in 2018 as an assistant coach.
“I like the Canadian Football League. I’m not opposed to going anywhere, really,” said Chiu, who was born in Vancouver but resides in Beaconsfield with his wife and three children. “There are opportunities. As long as you’re willing to work hard, people will find you.
“It’s just time for a change. It might be time to come home.”
While Chiu, 43, will continue getting paid by the Ottawa Redblacks until the end of December, that organization announced last Wednesday that Chiu, who coached the offensive line, was one of four assistants whose contracts wouldn’t be renewed.
He was joined on that list by receivers coach Travis Moore, Ike Charlton (defensive backs) and Derek Oswalt (linebackers). The Redblacks, who won the Grey Cup in 2016, finished 8-9-1 for a second consecutive season before losing the East Division semifinal to Saskatchewan.
The offensive line and receiving corps were decimated by injuries. But the Redblacks allowed only 33 sacks, third-lowest in the CFL, and also had a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Greg Ellingson and Brad Sinopoli.
A story by the Ottawa Sun’s Tim Baines during Grey Cup week hinted at friction within the Redblacks’ coaching staff. Chiu and Moore worked under offensive co-ordinator Jamie Elizondo.
“It’s been frustrating the last year. That’s the most I can say,” Chiu said. “But I love my players to death. Those are my guys.”
The Als, of course, are seeking a head coach. The leading candidate, according to sources, remains DeVone Claybrooks. The Calgary Stampeders defensive co-ordinator will be interviewed in Montreal this weekend by general manager Kavis Reed. If Claybrooks and the Als can’t agree to terms or reach some kind of impasse, sources indicate the job will be offered to B.C. Lions defensive co-ordinator Mark Washington.
Nonetheless, as the Montreal Gazette reported, a slew of others will be interviewed, including Toronto defensive co-ordinator Corey Chamblin, Argonauts receivers coach Tommy Condell, Edmonton defensive co-ordinator and assistant head coach Mike Benevides and former Green Bay Packers offensive co-ordinator Tom Clements. Chamblin and Benevides have been CFL head coaches with Saskatchewan and B.C., respectively, while Clements played quarterback in the league.
Should Claybrooks get the Als’ job, don’t be surprised if he hires Chiu and Moore as two of his assistants. Reed likes Claybrooks because he believes he can relate to players. That holds true of Chiu and Moore, as well.
And it shouldn’t be forgotten that Moore coached Ernest Jackson in 2016, when he was the division’s most outstanding player nominee. Jackson signed with Montreal as a free agent in 2017, but proved to be a disappointment.
When Reed requested permission from the Redblacks to interview coaches, it was immediately assumed he had Elizondo in his crosshairs. But Elizondo told the Montreal Gazette on Thursday night he hasn’t been contacted by Reed.
“I don’t know that you’re ever ready to be a head coach or not. You learn from every step of the way,” Elizondo said. “When that opportunity is presented, you’re faced with it. But right now, it hasn’t been presented.
“Right now, it’s not my concern, because I haven’t been contacted by them.”
Instead, Reed requested permission from Ottawa to speak with Chiu and Moore.
Chiu was a seven-time CFL all-star, won three Grey Cups and was named the league’s most outstanding offensive lineman in 2002. After retiring, he joined the Concordia Stingers as the assistant offensive co-ordinator and offensive line coach. He spent one season coaching the Argos’ offensive line and had been with Ottawa for three seasons.
“The hardest part has been missing the opportunity to see my kids grow, more than anything,” he said.
“It’s having a wife who has to balance being a single mom with three kids for six months. We get back to work at the end of February, so really, it’s a 10-month job. It’s not fair. It’s not what she signed up for.
“As a former player, she sacrificed a lot during that time. Now I’m asking her to do the same thing with three kids. It’s about time I fulfil my end of it, being the dad and being present to help her.”
Moore has coached in the CFL since 2009 with Hamilton, B.C., Edmonton and Ottawa. He joined the Redblacks prior to the 2014 season. He launched his playing career with the Stampeders in 1994, winning two championships. The former slotback was a CFL allstar for three straight seasons.
Coincidentally, the departures of the four Ottawa assistants has opened possibilities for some of Montreal’s assistants under former head coach Jacques Chapdelaine. They’ve been told they’re free to explore other opportunities.
Paul Charbonneau, who coached the offensive line, is expected to apply to the Redblacks.
Anthony Calvillo, the former Als quarterback who three times has been forced to become the team’s offensive co-ordinator, said he’s waiting to see who the head coach will be before deciding his future.