Right man for the job

Give the Hamilton Tiger-Cats credit. They traded for struggling quarterback Henry Burris and have now given him a head coach who has worked with him before and just might be able to restore his abilities.

The signing on Saturday of George Cortez, who decided after two years as the Buffalo Bills quarterbacks coach to return to the Canadian Football League where he had worked for some 20 years, is stunning to say the least. Going from the CFL to the National Football League is not unusual. Going from the NFL while still employed there to the CFL is a rarity.

The Ticats had Cortez on their radar since firing head coach Marcel Bellefeuille shortly after the East Division final, ending a disappointing three-and-a-half-year term. The Cats interviewed various candidates and the short list was whittled down to Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive co-ordinator Tim Burke, a mysterious second candidate currently employed by a CFL team, and Cortez. But the Cats couldn't talk to Cortez until the Bills completed the 2011 season, which they did last Sunday. The team fired its defensive co-ordinator following a 6-10 season, but left their offensive staff intact.

Once the Cats began negotiating with Cortez and his representative, there were two things made abundantly clear. According to various sources, Cortez wanted a salary of $500,000 a year, which would have made him the highest paid coach in the CFL, and absolute control of football operations, something he has demanded when previously interviewed for head coaching jobs.

Through the Bills' media communications staff, Cortez politely declined an interview when approached by sportsnet.ca earlier in the week. Cortez has routinely stayed clear of the limelight, preferring to let the head coach speak for the team, and he never publicly campaigned for a head coaching job. One of his biggest tasks in his new role will be dealing with the media on a daily basis. It will be interesting to hear his explanation when he's formally introduced by the Cats why he left the Bills to come to Hamilton.

A source told sportsnet.ca that Cortez had a verbal agreement with the Argos in 2010 to become their new head coach, but when the Bills made him an offer he opted for the NFL. He was doing quite well as the Bills' QB coach, but the Ticats wanted to at least talk to him to see if he would consider returning to the CFL and become a head coach for the first time in his lengthy coaching career.

Sources say if Cortez didn't get his financial asking price, it wouldn't be that far off because it would have to at least match his NFL salary of $400,000. Moreover, he gets a guaranteed three-year deal, which might be more long-term security than he had in Buffalo -- his value would never be higher than it is now. The absolute control means he has final say in all football operations decisions, meaning he supersedes general manager Bob O'Billovich and president Scott Mitchell. While most CFL team presidents hire their general manager and empower them to hire the head coach and make decisions on personnel, Mitchell is known to have tremendous clout. At the very least, Mitchell was the one who made the recommendation to team owner/caretaker Bob Young. Whatever O'Billovich thought, Mitchell had to give his approval.

Once he had given his blessing, Young gleefully tweeted the arrival of Cortez.

"Hey Ticats, we've hired George Cortez as new HC. So excited had to tell someone!

"For the record: all credit for new Ticats head coach Cortez goes to Scott and Obie," he later tweeted. "I'm just a better Twitterer than they are."

Young had been tweeting for a few weeks about the Cats' pursuit of a head coach and his discussions with O'Billovich. Almost a month ago he tweeted: "Obie swore me to secrecy. We have great candidates eg: xxx xxxxx and xxxxx xxxxxxxx, but not close to getting to a decision."

If nothing else, Young understands social media.

Young bought the team after the 2003 season and has had middling success. The Ticats have signed and/or traded for some big-name players, the likes of quarterbacks Jason Maas, Casey Printers and Kevin Glenn, and running back Kenton Keith, to name a few. For the most part the team has failed to get the most out of their investments. But Young has continued to pay the bills. He is a stubborn individual, but also one with tremendous passion for the city of Hamilton and its beloved Ticats.

Trading for Burris, who cost the team Glenn, young Canadian centre Mark Dewit and a conditional draft pick next year, is the latest gamble on a marquee player. Burris had been the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 2010 and led the Stamps to a Grey Cup win in 2008 and was voted the game's Most Valuable Player. Burris was bitter he wasn't named the MOP that year, but winning the Cup and the MVP honour made up for it. Cortez was with him that year as offensive co-ordinator.

But Burris is coming off a horrific year. He started off strongly in 2011, but slumped badly in the second half of the season and was replaced as the starter for the final three regular season games and the Stamps' lone playoff game. He was as good as gone afterward, it was just a question of where.

When the Toronto Argonauts traded for Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray in what was considered a stunning deal, it left Burris with only one other option: Hamilton. Rather than wait for Calgary to let Burris go, knowing it wouldn't pay him a $60,000 signing bonus due in February, Hamilton decided to trade for him and renegotiate his salary. It decreased his salary from $400,000 to $300,000, but gave him a $100,000 signing bonus. The deal was done before the new year, although not announced until after because the Cats had room in their 2011 salary cap.

Cortez knows Burris's strength, and if he can turn him into what he once was instead of what he became last year, the Cats will have a serious shot at going where they haven't been since Young took over the team -- the Grey Cup.

Cortez has never been a head coach, so it's a guess as to how he will do. It's one thing to manage a particular aspect of a team, but now he's overseeing it all and with the control he wanted. Cortez will now have to assemble a staff. Sources say Cortez will be the team's offensive co-ordinator, even if someone is named in that capacity, but he has enough contacts to recruit one with proven experience. He is expected to use a spread offence, which was first introduced in professional football in 1992 with the Stamps. The team was quarterbacked by Doug Flutie, the offensive co-ordinator was John Hufnagel and Cortez worked as the offensive line coach. Cortez has been associated with the likes of Flutie, Jeff Garcia, Dave Dickenson and Burris in his CFL history. He knows offensive schemes and how to develop quarterbacks.

Because Burris has worked under Cortez's system and knows the terminology, he will automatically be ahead when the offence is introduced. It's another reason the Cats made a solid hire.

This wasn't so much an example of Burke being the wrong man for the job, but Cortez had a tangible element that made him the better choice now. Burke built the so-called Swaggerville defence in Winnipeg, so staying with the Bombers allows them to maintain continuity. They are looking for an offensive co-ordinator after firing Jamie Barresi after the season.

Maybe Barresi will surface in some capacity in Hamilton.

Don't be surprised if Mike Roach, with whom Cortez has worked with previously, becomes the new defensive co-ordinator. He has a ton of experience. Although many teams have put together their staffs and Cortez is behind in that process, he should be able to attract individuals with little problem because of his long-time experience in the CFL.

And the fact he truly understands the CFL game is important.

Like the many hirings and firings that have been consistent and characteristic since Young took over the Cats -- he was the mysterious buyer known only beforehand as Mr. X -- the latest one is truly interesting.

It is also a good one.

Perry Lefko keeps you connected to all the news in the CFL on sportsnet.ca. He is also a regular contributor on other sports, including the UFC.