Shivers named defensive coordinator of Roughriders
Defensive-backs coach gets promotion as new head coach makes his first hire
Once again, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have looked internally to fill a coaching vacancy.
The Riders announced Friday that Jason Shivers (pronounced Shy-verz) has been promoted from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator.
The hiring follows Jeremy O’Day being moved up from assistant vice-president of football operations and administration to vicepresident of football operations and general manager.
O’Day’s first hiring was to promote Craig Dickenson from special teams coordinator to head coach.
Dickenson, who will continue as the special-teams coordinator, then turned to Shivers as his first official hiring.
“It shows the type of staff that was built and how (Chris Jones) assembled everybody,” Shivers said Friday from his off-season home in Toronto. “Jeremy has tons of experience and all of us coming together shows the belief that we can move up and fill those roles.”
Jones, the Riders’ vice-president of football operations, general manager, head coach and defensive coordinator, resigned on Jan. 15 to become the senior defensive assistant with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.
“I was happy for (Jones),” Shivers said. “That’s like everybody’s goal if you’re playing or coaching — to get to the highest level and show your stuff. It was like him being drafted.”
Shivers has been a Jones disciple since breaking into the coaching ranks with the Toronto Argonauts as a defensive assistant in 2013.
Jones, who was Toronto’s defensive coordinator, assistant head coach and assistant general manager, challenged Shivers by having him work with the linebackers and defensive linemen.
“Chris told me that he didn’t want me working with the defensive backs because that’s where you know what to do,” said Shivers, who was a defensive back with the Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“He put me with the linebackers and defensive lineman and I learned a ton. The next couple of years, when we were together in Edmonton, I became more involved with the defensive front. That way I could let them know that I could speak their language and I’m not just a defensive back guy.”
Shivers spent two seasons with the Eskimos before following Jones and most of the coaching staff to the Riders after Edmonton won the 2015 Grey Cup game.
“I learned a ton from Chris in terms of (defensive) front play and preparation,” said Shivers, 36.
“I learned about game planning, how to seek out weaknesses, how to attack them and how to get your players in position to make plays. I learned so much that I’ve probably forgot some of the stuff.”
Shivers takes over a defence that was among the league’s best in 2018, tying a CFL record with 11 total defensive returns for touchdowns (including eight interception-return majors).
It’s a defence in flux with linebacker Sam Eguavoen, who led the Riders with 81 defensive tackles, having signed with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
Defensive end Willie Jefferson, who returned two interceptions for touchdowns en route to being named the team’s most outstanding player in 2018, can file for free agency Tuesday. By promoting Shivers, the Riders may have an inside track on re-signing Jefferson.
“That is going to be spearheaded by Jeremy and Craig,” Shivers said.
“It definitely won’t be myself making those decisions. I would love to have Willie back because I’ve been with him pretty much my whole coaching career. It all comes down to Willie and the organization negotiating and coming to terms.”
The Riders are still looking for a defensive backs coach.
A candidate could be Brandon Isaac, who spent the past two seasons with the Riders as a quality control coach while working with the defensive backs.