THE CANADIAN PRESS

WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have dipped into their past with the naming of Joe Mack as vice-president and general manager of football operations. The news of his pending hiring was first reported by sportsnet.ca on Thursday.

Mack served as the team's director of player personnel in the mid-1980s, but has not worked in the Canadian Football League since. At a news conference held to announce his hiring Friday, the 55-year-old said the time he spent away from the league should not be a concern.

"I have a number of friends up here still -- and a lot of people in the NFL -- so I feel really comfortable about being able to hit the ground running," Mack said.

When he left the Bombers, Mack became involved in scouting and personnel for four NFL teams (Atlanta, Washington, Carolina and Cleveland). He was Carolina's assistant general manager from 1994-97.

In the XFL's one and only season, in 2001, Mack was the New York Hitmen's director of football operations. He has been a consultant for the last five years -- his projects include working on a new potential football league, though he would not address any specifics, citing a confidentiality agreement.

He knows he'll have to familiarize himself with the current CFL, but doesn't view that as a daunting task.

"If you think about it, in the NFL there's 32 teams with much bigger rosters and I was responsible for all the players in the league and upcoming college players," Mack said. "So in an eight-team league, I feel fairly confident that I can get up to speed pretty quick."

Mack's hiring was sparked after Lyle Bauer resigned as the team's president and chief executive Dec. 17, the same day the Bombers parted ways with head coach Mike Kelly.

The other finalists for Mack's position were Calgary Stampeders senior vice-president of football operations Jim Barker, as well as Brendan Taman, who became general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Thursday.

Mack's first job will be hiring a coach who can improve a team that went 7-11 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The board will fill the president/CEO position at a later date.

Mack said he'd like to find a coach within the next two weeks. And that coach will have CFL experience.

"I already have four, five people in the CFL that I'm aware of, that I've done research on, that I think are strong candidates," Mack said, saying that while Winnipeg's board of directors will have input, he's been assured he will have the final say.

A number of names have been tossed around, including Montreal offensive co-ordinator Scott Milanovich. Mack is friends with Alouettes coach Marc Trestman.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive co-ordinator Greg Marshall is also interested in the position. Calgary's offensive co-ordinator George Cortez and defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones may also be in the mix.

Mack doesn't think it'll be long before the Bombers are competitive again and he knows the spotlight is on the quarterback position. He said Michael Bishop did some good things, but said he'll have to evaluate the others on the roster and the negotiation list.

"With any league you have to be good at quarterback, and particularly in the CFL, so that's going to be a priority for us -- making sure we have quality and depth at the quarterback position."

He had no comment about whether, Ross Hodgkinson, the interim vice-president of football operations, or John Murphy, the director of player personnel, will continue to have a role with the team.

Reports leading up to Mack's hiring had Winnipeg's 11-member board split between Mack and Barker, with board and search-committee member Paul Robson pushing for Mack.

Robson was the Bombers' general manager when Mack was with the club.

"His background is extensive in the National Football League and he's worked in organizations that were either being created or revitalized and I just have a lot of faith in his abilities," Robson said. "He'll have no trouble getting up to speed."

The Bombers are in the midst of the league's longest Grey Cup drought, dating back to 1990. Mack was with the team for its '84 championship and left before its '88 title.

Mack said he took the "unique opportunity" because his three children are now in high school or college and he's ready to get back in the game.

"I had some great experiences in the National Football League, but to be quite frank, some of the most enjoyable times I had professionally was in the CFL," he said.