(Lumsden far left)Edmonton Eskimos' GM Eric Tillman announced today that head coach Richie Hall would not be returning for the 2011 season. Tillman cited "philosophical differences" and noted that head coach and defensive coordinator are too many hats for one man to wear. To be fair, Hall looked a little overwhelmed at times during the 2010 season, but noone can doubt that he had the respect of his players and was a great motivator. Hall will likely not be unemployed long because his skills as a defensive coordinator are unquestioned. Many fans would love to have Hall back in Saskatchewan where he won a Grey Cup in 2007. Riders defensive coordinator Gary Etcheverry has had a tough year as teams have adjusted to his "crazy" schemes and generally run roughshod over his defence.
In other news Calgary running back Jesse Lumsden tore his ACL in Calgary's final regular season game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This is the latest setback in a never-ending string of setbacks for the talented, but injury-prone Lumsden. If you were to ask me at the start of the season which would be the bigger surprise, Hall fired or Lumsden injured I would definitely say Hall fired. Lumsden wasn't even playing and Edmonton had Grey Cup aspiriations. Halfway through the season I would say Lumsden injured because I could see no way Richie Hall would survive the year. Now, at the end of the season Hall's firing would be a minor surprise at best. He did rally his troops towards the end of the year, but one had to expect that he was not part of Tillman's plans from the start. As for Lumsden, his serious injury just had a tragic air of inevitability about it. Please retire Jesse, by all accounts you're a great young man but football is not for you. But if you do decide to attempt another comeback, I would recommend against rehabbing with Buck Pierce in the offseason. If these two recognize each other at the gym and go to shake each other's hand...
In other news Calgary running back Jesse Lumsden tore his ACL in Calgary's final regular season game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This is the latest setback in a never-ending string of setbacks for the talented, but injury-prone Lumsden. If you were to ask me at the start of the season which would be the bigger surprise, Hall fired or Lumsden injured I would definitely say Hall fired. Lumsden wasn't even playing and Edmonton had Grey Cup aspiriations. Halfway through the season I would say Lumsden injured because I could see no way Richie Hall would survive the year. Now, at the end of the season Hall's firing would be a minor surprise at best. He did rally his troops towards the end of the year, but one had to expect that he was not part of Tillman's plans from the start. As for Lumsden, his serious injury just had a tragic air of inevitability about it. Please retire Jesse, by all accounts you're a great young man but football is not for you. But if you do decide to attempt another comeback, I would recommend against rehabbing with Buck Pierce in the offseason. If these two recognize each other at the gym and go to shake each other's hand...
0 comments:
Post a Comment