The Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ board of directors went into the playbook to pull off the ultimate trick play.
The board hired retired Bomber fan favourite Wade Miller on Friday to replace chief executive officer/president Garth Buchko, who had only been in his role since March 2012.
Miller immediately fired embattled general manager Joe Mack.
Miller, a Manitoba native, played 11 seasons with the Bombers, mainly on special teams. He hurtled his body, built like a fire hydrant, with recklessness, earning his teammates’ respect and adoration of the fans. Miller is a Blue Bomber Hall of Famer and community leader who transitioned well into business following his retirement.
What the Bombers have done is somewhat reminiscent to what the Toronto Argonauts did in 2000, firing hated head coach John Huard and replacing him with fan favourite Pinball Clemons, who was still playing. Argo fans rejoiced, just as Bomber fans are now.
“We are empowering Wade to do what he does best and that’s to roll up his sleeves, motivate people and effect positive change that will move the WFC in a new direction,” Bombers’ board of directors chair Brock Bulbuck said.
“With his record of success in business, football and the community, the board is confident that Miller has the right combination of experience to lead the Club positively forward into the future.”
The Bombers’ faithful wanted Mack’s head. Facebook and Twitter sites had been created to Fire Joe Mack. The imminent firing of Mack had been reported by the Winnipeg Free Press on Thursday, citing a Bombers’ board member, saying Buchko had made the recommendation. The fact Buchko also received his walking orders is somewhat surprising, but he had been a backer of Mack.
With a record of 21-39 in his three-plus seasons, Mack’s numbers speak for themselves. The Bombers are currently last in the East with a 1-5 record.
Mack’s sole accomplishment came two years ago when the team made it to the Grey Cup. But the team that started that season with a league-leading 7-1 record began a gradual freefall thereafter and only made it to the Cup because it merely needed to win one game after clinching first place in the East.
It has been nothing short of a rapid decline since with a record of 10-24.
Mack had been an odd hiring from the start, a director of player personnel with the Bombers from 1984-87, but long gone to the National Football League in a variety of roles afterward. At the time of his hiring he had been working as a consultant. His last full-time job came in 2001 as director of football operations with the New York/New Jersey Hitmen of the now-defunct XFL.
It had been a former Bombers’ board member, Paul Robson, a onetime GM of the team, who strongly supported Mack’s hiring. It came out of the blue, and Mack came across as a dinosaur from decades gone by.
He received heavy scrutiny and criticism, externally and internally, for many of his moves. He hired rookie head coach Paul LaPolice in 2010 and fired him eight games into the 2012 season with the team last in the East with a 2-6 record. But he had given himself and LaPolice contract extensions following the success of the previous season. In their first year together, the Bombers finished last overall with a 4-14 record. But the worst-to-first turnaround gave hope that Mack had found the formula for success. In essence, it camaflouged his many shortcomings.
Mack stuck with often-injured quarterback Buck Pierce, who missed more games than he started. It was only heading into the team’s last game that it was decided Pierce would be dropped from starter to third-stringer and inexperienced backup Justin Goltz would be promoted to starter for the rest of the season. The Bombers cut ties with a couple of their quarterbacks after last season, but opted to stick with Pierce even though the decision should have been made to release him.
With multiple options available, such as trading for B.C. backup Mike Reilly, whom Edmonton pursued aggressively, or acquiring Calgary backup Kevin Glenn, a onetime Bombers’ starter, Mack dithered.
Some Bombers’ players criticized his inactivity in the 2012 free agency via social media, voicing what many fans had been feeling.
The Bombers are enjoying financial success because of a move to a new stadium this season. However, the Bombers have yet to win at home. Buchko spoke in the off-season of the need to win this season and clearly that mandate had not been fulfilled. He paid the price along with Mack, who maintained a bunker mentality, seldom speaking to the media.
It is highly unusual to fire a GM in mid-season because it’s hard to reconstruct a plan on the fly. Axing the CEO is even more incredulous.
Tim Burke, in his first full season as head coach, has an overall record of 5-10 since promoted from defensive co-ordinator midway through last season. The offence, co-ordinated by Gary Crowton, is woeful. Crowton is a holdover from LaPolice’s staff and hasn’t been able to grasp the CFL game.
Suffice to say that unless the Bombers somehow put it together, the entire football operations department will be blown up.
Anything can happen in the CFL, but what the Bombers have done is truly historic.