As the Argos continue to flounder, it's up to head coach and GM Jim Barker to turn the ship around.
The Toronto Argonauts can justifiably blame bad luck and officiating for their early downfall this year, but some of it has to do with decisions Jim Barker has made in his dual role as general manager and head coach.
The Argos have a 1-5 record, including losing their last five, and Barker has come under criticism from the media and fans for the team's woes. Last year, he had a 9-9 regular season record as the team's new head coach. He guided the Argos to an upset win in the East semifinal against Hamilton before the Cinderella Argos lost badly to Montreal.
Barker was named the 2010 CFL Coach of the Year. It was all good.
He also had his role expanded when team owner David Braley named him GM, replacing Adam Rita, who was not retained. Rita had been criticized for his decisions as GM in the years prior to Barker's hiring. There had been whispers that Barker and Rita did not agree on some aspects of football operations and in the end Barker's success led to Rita's dismissal.
As is often the case in sports with individuals who are named coach of the year, particularly for taking a bad team and making it competitive, it can be a curse because they plateau and are usually fired within a year or two.
Barker decided after the Argos' 36-23 loss to Montreal on Thursday to fire defensive coordinator Chip Garber, an individual he hired and believed in strongly, and replaced him with secondary coach Orlando Steinauer, who is in his second year of coaching.
Mike O'Shea, whom many people feel has the personality, temperament and understanding of the CFL game and its nuances to become a head coach, is already employed by the team as special teams coordinator. He was given that job last year in his first season of coaching, an indication of how much Barker appreciated his skills and knowledge. O'Shea crafted some strategies on special teams last year that resulted in clever plays that were executed with perfection. To give O'Shea the defensive coordinator job now would have created all sorts of logistical problems, so Steinauer became the go-to guy.
In two games against Montreal this year - both of which the Als won with ease - the Argos opted to drop back on defence and blanket the field rather than pressure the quarterback, feeling that Anthony Calvillo would rip them apart. He took what the defence gave them, and then the Als used the running game to completely deflate the defence. For the most part, turnovers by the offence and some strategies by the coaching staff became the turning points for both defeats.
The defence played strongly last year and did its best at times this year, although it started to come undone of late because the offence didn't carry the load, combined with numerous injuries.
The Argos' defence didn't become lousy, it just finally wilted from having to do too much without assistance from the offence. That's been a recurring theme for the Argos for years.
There's no denying the Argos have been victims of bad luck this year, but sometimes you create your own luck, both good and bad. In the first game against Montreal, the Argos had a raw rookie quarterback who hadn't taken a single regular-season rep and had him direct the offence near the goal line. On the first play, the ball was fumbled and returned for a touchdown. Why the Argos didn't go with a more experienced quarterback was curious.
Barker has placed faith in some key players who have not done their job to expected levels, none more so than quarterback Cleo Lemon. The Argos' record last year was because of special teams and defence. Lemon was the beneficiary of both, although Barker pointed to Lemon's winning record as proof he was a legitimate quarterback. Lemon has shown in brief spurts of late he has improved, but the bottom line is the team is not winning with him, and the offence has been overhauled to accommodate him. The motion across the line using running back/slotback Andre Durie in a creative role has disappeared. He was looking like a clone of Pinball Clemons in his hybrid role, but that has lessened.
Chad Owens, a dynamic returner last year, was deemed to be worthy of a contract paying him between $150,000-$200,000 this year because Barker thought he could also be a full-time starter on offence. Owens had some interest in the National Football League from the New York Jets, but had already been in the NFL without any success and the likelihood is he would have received a marginal signing bonus at best the second time around. If any team had offered him serious money up front, do you think he wouldn't have jumped at that chance? Clearly it would have indicated the degree of seriousness and intent. Instead, Barker believed he couldn't afford to lose Owens due to his value as a returner and opted instead to extend his contract with a major upgrade in pay while giving him a bigger role on offence. The list of returners who have also been every-down players is brief. Owens hasn't produced as well on special teams this year and hasn't done much on offence. But his salary eats up money that could be used on a more experienced receiver.
Barker has also kept his faith in Jeremaine Copeland, a veteran receiver who at one time was among the best in the league. Copeland has had to become the primary receiver with the Argos because of the lack of depth overall in the receiving corps. On another team, he might be the third option. He is clearly trying his best, but appears to be at the tail end of a brilliant career playing for a team that expects him to be a primary or secondary target.
As a coach, Barker has been heavily criticized for decisions by his team in the last two games. Two games ago against Edmonton and trailing by one point, Barker opted for a 57-yard field goal with 25 seconds left on the clock and facing a third and four. He had time to call a high-percentage short pass to the sidelines or possibly run the ball with a running back, Chad Kackert, who had been gobbling up yards on the ground. He opted for the low-percentage alternative and the kick came up well short.
Against Montreal on Thursday, Barker had the chance to run a 48-yard field goal with six seconds left in the first half, but opted to have Kackert run the ball. Kackert was either not told to get a few yards and run out of bounds or got carried away in the moment and ran for daylight, only to be stopped with no time on the clock. It was the kind of play that sucks the momentum and energy out of a team.
Two years ago, first-year Argos coach Bart Andrus made these kinds of curious play calls and the fans and media soured on him and he was fired at year's end with a 3-15 record. No one is calling for Barker's firing - and given that he is the GM, removing him would be extremely problematic - but he is hearing the criticism.
All that really matters now is how well he is able to hold the team together through these struggles. Barker should take a greater role in the play-calling on offence. The offence needs far more attention, and Barker has too much experience in this area to be turning it over to someone else. It's not like the offence has been lighting it up under the current coordinator.
With six of eight teams making the playoffs, a losing record can still result in a post-season berth. It's up to Barker in his dual-portfolio as both GM and head coach to fix the Argos' ails and get back on the winning track.
A coach named Chip has been fired, and if something doesn't turn around soon, let the other chips fall where they may.
