Riders make minor tweaks to coaching, office crew
It’s all but status quo in regards to the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ football operations and coaching staff in 2019.
The only change to the staff that was announced on Friday by the CFL team was the addition of Paul Jones as the assistant general manager. Jones replaces John Murphy, who spent three seasons as the Riders’ assistant vice-president of football operations and player personnel.
The Riders and Murphy parted ways in December after he refused a 10-per-cent pay cut under the new measures designed to control football-operations expenditures.
Jones (who is no relation to Riders’ head coach and general manager Chris Jones) joins the Green and White after spending 21 seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos as the executive player personnel director, where he earned a reputation as a super scout.
Chris and Paul spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons with the Eskimos, winning the Grey Cup championship in 2015.
The entire coaching staff from 2018 returns after the Riders finished the season with a 12-6 record and played host to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West Division semifinal. Winnipeg defeated the Riders 23-18 in the playoff game.
The 2019 Riders coaching staff is as follows: Chris Jones (head coach and defensive co-ordinator); Stephen Mcadoo (assistant head coach and offensive co-ordinator); Craig Dickenson (special teams co-ordinator); Steve Walsh (quarterbacks); Kent Maugeri, (running backs); Travis Moore (receivers); Stephen Sorrells (offensive line); Jason Shivers (defensive backs); Cam Robinson (linebackers); Merritt Bowden (defensive line); and Mike Scheper (special teams assistant).
The signing to the Riders’ front-office staff of Jeremy O’day (assistant vice-president of football operations and administration), Mike Davis (director, player personnel), Jordan Greenly (co-ordinator, football operations) and Paul Jones was announced earlier in the week. O’day, Davis and Paul Jones all signed contracts through the 2020 season.