Jamie Nye: Public opinion won’t sway O’Day

Column

Pundits and fans all want to pick a favourite for the next head coach of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

I know I have my favourites, but for the most part, we’re just guessing when it comes to who the next coach will be.

We make our predictions based on an educated point of view.

The Roughriders are on the brink of falling into the dark ages of Rider football, back in the days when you could have an entire row to yourself to kick up your feet while watching the game at Mosaic Stadium.

General manager Jeremy O’Day and president Craig Reynolds have never had to face this amount of scrutiny over their careers in Saskatchewan, O’Day going back 25 years to when he joined the Riders as an offensive lineman and Reynolds going back nearly 15 years to when Jim Hopson hired him as the chief financial officer for the team.

To say this head-coaching hire is important would be a gross understatement.

The fact this hire is so crucial is why I’ve agreed with many in saying that O’Day should be chasing veteran coach and three-time Grey Cup-champion Scott Milanovich.

Milanovich brings an incredible amount of experience to the position after winning a Grey Cup in 2012 with a staff he put together that included four current head coaches in the CFL: Chris Jones, Jason Maas, Orlondo Steinauer and Mike O’Shea.

Milanovich is well-respected as shown by his career in the NFL in the years after his time with the Toronto Argonauts.

The other name that was dropped by Winnipeg Free Press CFL reporter Jeff Hamilton was that of Milanovich’s old boss in Montreal, Marc Trestman.

Trestman is a three-time Grey Cup champion as a head coach in Montreal and Toronto. Hamilton reported on The Green Zone this week that he’s hearing Trestman wants back in the game as a coach after his stint in the XFL lasted only a few months in 2020 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

So if it’s experience you crave, those are easily the two biggest names.

However, there are plenty of great options if O’Day wants to go with a fresh voice with fresh ideas.

Those could include Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive co-ordinator Buck Pierce, B.C. Lions offensive co-ordinator Jordan Maksymic, Argos defensive co-ordinator Corey Mace or Toronto pass game co-ordinator Pete Costanza.

We’ve also seen Calgary Stampeders special-teams co-ordinator Mark Killam’s name bounced around in recent years, and Stampeders quarterbacks coach Marc Mueller definitely has some intrigued with his strong Rider ties.

We’ve also seen another former CFL head coach with Roughrider connections — Khari Jones — recently put on the unemployment line by the Ottawa Redblacks.

And then there are media-driven rumours involving Henry Burris, Kerry Joseph and, yes, even Kent Austin.

But none of us will be in the room when any of these men are interviewed and that’s where the hire will be made — in the interview room.

O’Day shouldn’t hire the biggest name or the most popular name or the best co-ordinator. O’Day needs to hire the man who brings forward a plan, a vision and communication skills that O’Day will know will drive a team to a championship.

Let’s not forget O’Day was in locker rooms when Don Matthews, Cal Murphy, Danny Barrett, Kent Austin and Ken Miller addressed the team. He was an executive when Greg Marshall, Corey Chamblin, Chris Jones and Craig Dickenson led the Riders.

O’Day knows what he wants to hear and knows what vision he believes will take this team to the next level.

So we can pick our favourites based on resumés and feel, but none of it matters. All that matters is someone will blow away Jeremy O’Day.

That’s who the next Roughriders head coach should be, no matter where he comes from or how long he’s been around.