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There was no bloodletting on Thursday. Heads did not roll. Kays Reed will return to the Alouettes' general manager Mike Sherman remains the head coach.
There is something to be said about consistency. Now, perhaps, Robert and Andrew Wetenhall are simply getting tired of paying hometowns?
The trolls on social media, of course, reacted quickly, not hiding their contempt over the decision. Reed should not, and is not, proud of eight victories in 36 games over two seasons. He most certainly understands the 2019 campaign will be dictate whether he remains a Canadian Football League GM. At least he offered an excuse for this franchise, which is one of the successes of this franchise – in the weak East Division to qualify for the playoffs.
If you get three years, you can not get to the end of it saying the same thing. You can not have the excuse you're still building something in the third year, "Reed said at management's post-mortem. The fact it was held at a downtown Montreal hotel, and not Olympic Stadium, led to some major changes in the past.
"There can be no excuses in Year 3. There just can not."
Reed, a trainer CFL head coach who was the Als' special teams co-ordinator before replacing the departed Jim Popp in December 2016, has never worried about his tenure. And if he is not aware of just how unpopular he is among many who still follow the team, he only looks at Marc Bergevin for comfort. The Canadians' GM, badailed a year ago, suddenly has become a genius; the sports world, and its fans, fickle.
"When you sit around and worry about your job, you're not doing your job. Leadership is not about being popular, "Reed said. "Do you feel confident in your plan? People below you are not going to see what you see. They do not have the information. They're going to make badessments.
"When you're not successful by record, you're going to be criticized. You should be. We did not expect to be 5-13. We failed in the expectations. We did not do that, and we have not got that GM. "
Sherman, of course, gets a mulligan as a rookie CFL head coach. But it's a year now to learn the Canadian game. People are looking at you, at times, on the sideline, and maybe this peculiar game really was foreign to him. There were some decisions that left many shaking their heads, potential points left on the board.
Aim is a coach who is only as good as he or she has to work – as supplied by the GM. Reed credited Sherman with establishing an environment in which the players, by season end, expected to win. So now, they must.
There's a build for Reed and Sherman. The quarterback position, led by Johnny Manziel, is the deepest – it's not necessarily the strongest – it has been in years.
The offensive line, Trey Rutherford, Tyler Johnstone, Sean Jamieson and Kristian Matte. Tony Washington's left-tackle has a potential free agent, although Reed said he's confident a new deal can be negotiated.
The GM did not accept the need to be more explosive at the receiver, require more depth on the defensive line and more competition in the secondary. When a team scores a league-low 345 points, it's no secret the offense could be in store for an overhaul. That includes the wildly inconsistent Boris Bede, the kicker who only seemed to be at work. He just left the scoreboard.
Sherman refused to declare Manziel the starter heading into training camp next May, but it seems the job's his to lose. Instead, he said the off-season preparation by Manziel, along with the others, will dictate and define who will be behind center.
One would expect there to be changes, as well as the coaching staff and the scouting department. The latter, in particular, has long been considered one of the organization's weaknesses in terms of discovering talent.
But here's the thing about Reed returning: the optics do not look good. And this is an organization hardly dealing with a position of strength. The Als exist during the summer, when the Canadians are on sabbatical, and are involved in a battle against soccer's Impact for a share of the sporting pie.
Once the Canadians report for training camp, the Als are virtually forgotten – unless they win. Patrick Boivin, the Als' president, Sherman and, especially, Reed. He said the organization is selling the prospect of what they're building toward. Time will tell that that's enough.
"You want to add degrees to being under the gun?" Boivin said. "They know. Kavis knows because he's two years into this. Mike knows. We're all up against a wall. This is not to add pressure to the proverbial guns against temples or heads. That's just the reality.
"Five wins is unacceptable. This progression has been continued in 2019. And we must translate this into victories. "
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
twitter.com/HerbZurkowsky1
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