Alex’s CFL Tuesday Takes – Fire Em All, Bring No One Back
Published: Tuesday, Oct 17th 2023, 1:10pm
By Alex Dormuth (@RealAlexD)
Up until last week, if you would have asked me who in the Saskatchewan Roughriders management team I’d keep for 2024, I would have said I’d keep President & CEO Craig Reynolds and General Manager Jeremy O’Day. You all know by know that I’m not a Craig Dickenson fan (as a head coach, I think he’s a great person and every interaction I’ve had with him has been great), so he was an easy answer for me.
Now? Fire em all. Blow it up. Bring no one back.
So what changed for me? A camera shot. One single camera shot.
After Jake Dolegala got sacked on 3rd down against the Stampeders with under a minute to go, sealing the Riders sixth straight loss, TSN put the cameras on Reynolds and O’Day in the box suites. What bothered me then and still bothers me nearly a week later was the absolute look of dumbfoundedness on both of their faces. There was no emotion. They sat there motionless. If I’m in EITHER of their positions, I’m yelling, screaming, throwing stuff, you bet your ass I’m being emotional and pissed off.
Them? Nothing. Like they didn’t give a crap.
That’s the final straw for me. Fire em all.
I think there could still be a spot for Craig Reynolds with the Riders. But he absolutely can not be the face of the team. He can run numbers and do all the boardroom stuff and make the team money behind the scenes. But ever since he took over, his idea of “sustained success” has been a colossal failure. The team needs someone different steering the ship.
As for Jeremy O’Day, this one I still struggle with. I think he’s done a good job of bringing talent in. His Canadian Drafts have been outstanding and usually I believe every GM should get two head coaches (unless you are Roy Shivers and decide that you are going down with him – Danny Barrett). But he has to wear the stink of this team just like the President & CEO and the head coach.
The team needs a new culture. Craig Dickenson admitted on Saturday night that after 17 games, they are still trying to figure out their identity… WHAT? What head coach says that after 17 of 18 games?
The culture in Riderville sucks and it needs a full change from the absolute top. Fire them all, bring no one back.
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