Coach creates calmer climate
DYCE AGE: Departed Chamblin didn’t do himself any favours in Saskatchewan
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are four games into the Dyce Age.
The CFL team was frozen at zero wins when Bob Dyce took over as the interim head coach Aug. 31, succeeding the fired Corey Chamblin.
Two victories and two losses have ensued. Both wins have been at the expense of sub-.500 teams, so the calibre of the opposition has to be factored into any appraisal of Dyce.
So does the climate. Even though the Roughriders’ 2-11 record is the league’s worst, it does seem much of the tension has dissipated.
Chamblin was on edge as the losses mounted. The players noticed it and so did the media. For all concerned, the working environment was not conducive to success.
It was surprising, considering Chamblin was able to push the right buttons as a rookie head coach in 2012. The players clearly responded to him that season as a foundation was established for a team that would celebrate a home-field Grey Cup victory in 2013.
But something changed with Chamblin after he engineered perhaps the most memorable victory in franchise history. He became more controlling and increasingly impulsive. The head coach began moonlighting as the de-facto defensive co-ordinator, seizing the reins from the accomplished Richie Hall, and started benching players for having the audacity to fumble.
Ultimately, it was Chamblin who dropped the ball. He put more on his plate and was ultimately starved for a victory when he was swept up in a housecleaning that also included the ouster of the man who hired him — general manager and vice-president of football operations Brendan Taman.
Given the extent of the upheaval, the Roughriders desperately needed an injection of calm professionalism. Enter the unflappable, seemingly imperturbable Dyce.
His decisions are reasoned instead of rash. His explanations, in response to reporters’ questions, are elaborate instead of evasive.
To what extent has the change of temperature led to an improved onfield performance?
It is difficult to say with precision, but the eyes do not lie.
The defensive players are finally flying all over the field, as fans and media types had envisioned when Chamblin took control and created the expectation that the days of passivity were over.
Chamblin used to emphasize the importance of “playing fast” and reactively, but his defence rarely forced the issue.
Roughriders linebacker Macho Harris had a three-interception game in Sunday’s 33-21 win over the visiting Montreal Alouettes. At one point, Saskatchewan was on pace for a three-interception season.
And what a strange season it has been. Quarterback Darian Durant suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon in the opener and was lost for the duration. His replacement, Kevin Glenn, was lighting it up before suffering a torn right pectoral muscle in Week 5.
Such adverse circumstances did not work in Chamblin’s favour. But he didn’t do himself any favours, either. He lamented the injuries without building up the players who were next in line.
As the losing persisted, Chamblin simply could not bring himself to own any of the defeats (pick one), even when the coaching strategies were clearly questionable.
Don’t expect Dyce to prescribe a 65-yard field-goal attempt or turn the quarterbacking situation into a brush fire.
Expect Dyce to accept responsibility when things go wrong — even when a botched timeout call in the final minute of a Sept. 19 home game against the Ottawa Redblacks was not his fault.
Despite having just four games of head-coaching experience at any level of football, Dyce clearly understands how a leader operates. In defeat, he will hold himself accountable. In triumph, he will go to considerable lengths to defer the credit to the players and assistant coaches.
In only four games, Dyce has been able to leave his imprint on the team, without any assurances that he will serve in a head-coaching capacity beyond November.
Dyce has five more regular-season games in which to make a compelling case for the ‘interim’ tag to be excised from his job description.
If Dyce is experiencing any uneasiness as a result of the uncertainty, he is not saying. Judging by appearances, there is an absence of tension.
And that, as much as anything, is what the Roughriders needed after a horrid start to the season.