Justin Dunk reporting Ryan Dinwiddie is the new Argos head coach

[gilthethrill]

Any word on an introductory Press Conference?

11 am today at BMO Field.

[gilthethrill]

The “Plan C “ no one saw coming. Thoughtful selection. Of course his success will rely on the players and coaches he is surrounded by. Claybrook as DC would go a long way towards that goal. It looks like a very good year for availability of quality QBs. A light at the end of the tunnel. My Dad would caution me that’s great, ‘as long as it isn’t an oncoming train’.

Could also see long time Calgary receivers coach Pete Costanza come to Toronto, would not be surprised if Crompton is retained as QB coach.

[paulwoods13]

Here are the main "news" items from the newser, in no particular order.

Manning did not foresee firing Chamblin but after Pinball's review, Pinball told him a new culture was needed and that meant a new HC. Decided on this a couple of wks ago. They did talk to a number of people.

Culture change -- Past regime(s) were obsessed with looking backwards at what happened in the past. Pinball is determined to look forward. And being much more present in the community. The new HC will live in Toronto year-round, and wants most of his assts to do so as well.

Pinball compared hiring RD to the Argos hiring Obie and Milanovich, and the Stamps to hiring Dickenson -- young guys who were "the next guy."

Pinball likes the fact that RD is all football all the time. He only watches football (no other sports) and he is always first in the building and last to leave. Manning liked the fact that RD came in with a specific plan for the Argos. RD said Murphy "orchestrated" his hire.

RD: "I'm a players' coach. Players will love me but I'm going to be very demanding."

Assistants have not been settled on yet but RD has had a lot of conversations with potential assts and has had to tell a lot of friends "No." He plans to run an "explosive" offence. RD plans to hire an OC but be heavily involved and call offensive plays, like Dickenson does in Calgary. He wants a defensive coordinator who will play aggressively, and a ST coordinator who will emphasize physical play. New guys from both sides of the border have to be willing to make their mark initially on specials.

He mentioned his work with Jonathan Crompton as Mtl's offensive coordinator in 2014 so I would bet Crompton will be staying on staff.

He is looking for experienced coordinators and willing to hire inexperienced position coaches from US and Cdn college football. He wants a good mix of experience and youth on his staff.

I'm not so sure about Claybrooks coming on board. In response to a question about what went wrong with Claybrooks in BC this year, he said Claybrooks "felt like he knew it all" and he doesn't plan to make the same mistake.

RD wants to look inside and outside the org for QBs, and emphasized the need for good pass protection. He kind of implied he wants to get Arbuckle but that was just one possible interpretation of a comment he made quickly.

[timlb01]

Here are the main "news" items from the newser, in no particular order.

Manning did not foresee firing Chamblin but after Pinball's review, Pinball told him a new culture was needed and that meant a new HC. Decided on this a couple of wks ago. They did talk to a number of people.

Culture change -- Past regime(s) were obsessed with looking backwards at what happened in the past. Pinball is determined to look forward. And being much more present in the community. The new HC will live in Toronto year-round, and wants most of his assts to do so as well.

Pinball compared hiring RD to the Argos hiring Obie and Milanovich, and the Stamps to hiring Dickenson -- young guys who were "the next guy."

Pinball likes the fact that RD is all football all the time. He only watches football (no other sports) and he is always first in the building and last to leave. Manning liked the fact that RD came in with a specific plan for the Argos. RD said Murphy "orchestrated" his hire.

RD: "I'm a players' coach. Players will love me but I'm going to be very demanding."

Assistants have not been settled on yet but RD has had a lot of conversations with potential assts and has had to tell a lot of friends "No." He plans to run an "explosive" offence. RD plans to hire an OC but be heavily involved and call offensive plays, like Dickenson does in Calgary. He wants a defensive coordinator who will play aggressively, and a ST coordinator who will emphasize physical play. New guys from both sides of the border have to be willing to make their mark initially on specials.

He mentioned his work with Jonathan Crompton as Mtl's offensive coordinator in 2014 so I would bet Crompton will be staying on staff.

He is looking for experienced coordinators and willing to hire inexperienced position coaches from US and Cdn college football. He wants a good mix of experience and youth on his staff.

I'm not so sure about Claybrooks coming on board. In response to a question about what went wrong with Claybrooks in BC this year, he said Claybrooks "felt like he knew it all" and he doesn't plan to make the same mistake.

RD wants to look inside and outside the org for QBs, and emphasized the need for good pass protection. He kind of implied he wants to get Arbuckle but that was just one possible interpretation of a comment he made quickly.

Great summary Paul. I would add that he looked a little nervous and he also said his time in Montreal was with a dysfunctional organization. I wish he didn’t say that or the Claybrooks comment. Doesn’t do him any good doing so. I think this was due to him being nervous and unfamiliar with his new position.

[Neely2005]

11 am today at BMO Field.

Thanks, somehow I missed that. Fortunately my Argos App sent me a notification.

[gilthethrill]

Thanks, somehow I missed that. Fortunately my Argos App sent me a notification.

No problem buddy...Argos App?

[stuntdog]

When he was team president in 2002, Pinball hired Gary Etcheverry as HC. After twelve games in the 2002 season Etcheverry was gone and Pinball became HC.

What are the odds that we’re back to the future in 2020 and Pinball takes over as HC by the end of the season?

[Will]

I do understand the hesitation at this hiring because Dinwiddie is making a leap from QB Coach --> Head Coach. I assume that Dickenson was de facto OC, but I assume that Dinwiddie must have had some input there.

[AngeloV]

When he was team president in 2002, Pinball hired Gary Etcheverry as HC. After twelve games in the 2002 season Etcheverry was gone and Pinball became HC.

What are the odds that we’re back to the future in 2020 and Pinball takes over as HC by the end of the season?

I don't think it's the same situation. Etcheverry was a coach while Pinball played, and I think the main reason he was hired was because Pinball thought JI Albrecht and CO did him wrong. That was a mistake based on emotion. Pinball had no previous ties to Dinwiddie, which tells me that a lot more thought and due diligence went into this decision.

[paulwoods13]

When he was team president in 2002, Pinball hired Gary Etcheverry as HC. After twelve games in the 2002 season Etcheverry was gone and Pinball became HC.

What are the odds that we’re back to the future in 2020 and Pinball takes over as HC by the end of the season?

Obie hired Mike Faragalli to replace himself, and that hiring went south. Pinball brought in (or at least approved the hiring of) Stubler as his replacement, and that failed as well. Not all new coaches work out, obviously. But Dinwiddie looks like someone who will grow into the job, and I fully expect he will get more than one season (let alone 12 games) to prove his value.

[paulwoods13]

I do understand the hesitation at this hiring because Dinwiddie is making a leap from QB Coach --> Head Coach. I assume that Dickenson was de facto OC, but I assume that Dinwiddie must have had some input there.

RD said at the newser that while DD called the plays and was in fact the OC, he (RD) had tons of input and did a lot of the stuff OCs do including running some of the meetings.

[1971GreyCup]

I really like the RD year-round commitment to the community. That’s a big change to the culture the “Pinball” is changing. As everyone knows, “Pinball” is American by birth, Canadian by choice. That immediately differentiates the Argos from the other sports franchises in Toronto and more similar to the Western teams.

[OV Argo]

Great summary Paul. I would add that he looked a little nervous and he also said his time in Montreal was with a dysfunctional organization. I wish he didn’t say that or the Claybrooks comment. Doesn’t do him any good doing so. I think this was due to him being nervous and unfamiliar with his new position.

IF that comment about Nice Hat Claybrooks indicates RD is not really solid with him and not sold to hire him as DC, I'm very good with that; much more experienced Canadian ball defensive minds out there to consider. RD should consider hiring some real experienced, sharp football minds to his staff - to help him with his very limited football coaching resume - and not just go with same old recycled CFL fave types who were hired because they were ex-players and know somebody from the current standard CFL thinking clique.

[jerrym]

Here are the main "news" items from the newser, in no particular order.

Manning did not foresee firing Chamblin but after Pinball's review, Pinball told him a new culture was needed and that meant a new HC. Decided on this a couple of wks ago. They did talk to a number of people.

Culture change -- Past regime(s) were obsessed with looking backwards at what happened in the past. Pinball is determined to look forward. And being much more present in the community. The new HC will live in Toronto year-round, and wants most of his assts to do so as well.

Pinball compared hiring RD to the Argos hiring Obie and Milanovich, and the Stamps to hiring Dickenson -- young guys who were "the next guy."

Pinball likes the fact that RD is all football all the time. He only watches football (no other sports) and he is always first in the building and last to leave. Manning liked the fact that RD came in with a specific plan for the Argos. RD said Murphy "orchestrated" his hire.

RD: "I'm a players' coach. Players will love me but I'm going to be very demanding."

Assistants have not been settled on yet but RD has had a lot of conversations with potential assts and has had to tell a lot of friends "No." He plans to run an "explosive" offence. RD plans to hire an OC but be heavily involved and call offensive plays, like Dickenson does in Calgary. He wants a defensive coordinator who will play aggressively, and a ST coordinator who will emphasize physical play. New guys from both sides of the border have to be willing to make their mark initially on specials.

He mentioned his work with Jonathan Crompton as Mtl's offensive coordinator in 2014 so I would bet Crompton will be staying on staff.

He is looking for experienced coordinators and willing to hire inexperienced position coaches from US and Cdn college football. He wants a good mix of experience and youth on his staff.

I'm not so sure about Claybrooks coming on board. In response to a question about what went wrong with Claybrooks in BC this year, he said Claybrooks "felt like he knew it all" and he doesn't plan to make the same mistake.

RD wants to look inside and outside the org for QBs, and emphasized the need for good pass protection. He kind of implied he wants to get Arbuckle but that was just one possible interpretation of a comment he made quickly.

I love the idea of having a year-round coach. Hopefully RD has good public communication skills as the team needs all the help it can get in building the fan base, although having Pinball means thats not absolutely necessary.

Many quality HC's over time struggled in their first HC job both because they often start off with troubled teams and because they are still learning the job, but learned from their mistakes and went on to success later. Hopefully, RD will catch on quickly.

His role in developing Arbuckle relatively quickly into a starting QB is promising.

I would have liked to see Claybrooks as DC. His defensive systems in Calgary were extremely effective. I was somewhat impressed with his ability to get BC turned around from a 1-10 start to finish 4-3. He may have learned from his experience. However, if RD perceives him as a know-it-all, whether true or not, it's unlikely he'll be hired.

[argonaut11xx]

Dunno what to make of this hiring, Hope it works out.

Consistency is very important IMO, so 3 head coaches in 3 years is not great.

That said, Coach Dinwiddie has the prettiest baby blue eyes I've ever seen.

Paul Woods, your the expert, are Dinwiddie's eyes, Cambridge or Oxford blue?

[1971GreyCup]

“Pinball” covers comprehensively all the bases on why RD was hired on this 4 minute video. https://twitter.com/torontoargos/sta...978457600?s=21

[paulwoods13]

Dunno what to make of this hiring, Hope it works out.

Consistency is very important IMO, so 3 head coaches in 3 years is not great.

That said, Coach Dinwiddie has the prettiest baby blue eyes I've ever seen.

Paul Woods, your the expert, are Dinwiddie's eyes, Cambridge or Oxford blue?

I don't know but you have led me to a great idea -- all Argos should have to wear contact lenses, one Cambridge and one Oxford.

[Jon Gonzo]

One has to wonder if this recent purge of autocratic old school coaches in the NHL had any weight in this 'move to youth' for Pinball.

The emphasis on 'teaching, not telling' says a lot.

Chamblin was known to rub players the wrong way. He's abrasive and cold to some players whom he feels aren't getting it.

Frankly I think 3-4 losses in 2019 fall at the coaches feet, so I am just hoping that RD's game management is better. Chamblin may have had a problem with delegation of duties.

If RD and Pinball can get us prepared and going in a positive direction, and then not lose games on game-day, then we could see a bump in production right there alone.

I like how important the QB and O-line are to RD. They ARE giant priorities. We all know that keeping a D off that big field in the CFL is ultra important. It instantly improves Defenses.

I think we'll see a #1 QB come in to compliment Dakota/or MBT (along with the Canadian kid), we'll see a big American LT come in, maybe upgrade at Guard and we'll see strong Coordinators on the D and O and also along the O-Line.

Mike Benevides and Noel Thorpe come to mind for DC. After seeing the Presser, I agree with Paul Woods, it doesn't sound like Claybrooks is the guy.

[doubleblue]

One has to wonder if this recent purge of autocratic old school coaches in the NHL had any weight in this 'move to youth' for Pinball.

The emphasis on 'teaching, not telling' says a lot.

Chamblin was known to rub players the wrong way. He's abrasive and cold to some players whom he feels aren't getting it.

Frankly I think 3-4 losses in 2019 fall at the coaches feet, so I am just hoping that RD's game management is better. Chamblin may have had a problem with delegation of duties.

If RD and Pinball can get us prepared and going in a positive direction, and then not lose games on game-day, then we could see a bump in production right there alone.

I like how important the QB and O-line are to RD. They ARE giant priorities. We all know that keeping a D off that big field in the CFL are ultra important. It instantly improves Defenses.

I think we'll see a #1 QB come in to compliment Dakota/or MBT (along with the Canadian kid), we'll see a big American LT come in, maybe upgrade at Guard and we'll see strong Coordinators on the D and O and also along the O-Line.

Mike Benevides and Noel Thorpe come to mind for DC. After seeing the Presser, I agree with Paul Woods, it doesn't sound like Claybrooks is the guy.

Yes there is no doubt that Benevides, Thorpe and Claybrooks are proven DC guys out there. With the three openings in Toronto, Edmonton and Ottawa they all could find a job in one of those places when the music stops.

[paulwoods13]

Frankly I think 3-4 losses in 2019 fall at the coaches feet, so I am just hoping that RD's game management is better.

Without going back and looking at all 14 losses, I think you're possibly being generous at just 3-4. In-game coaching decisions were mind-boggling all season. Maybe CC had too many responsibilities as DC and HC, but there's no excusing some of the insane decisions on third downs and challenges.