some interesting stuff here about an American TV deal incoming.......

 

 

5 hours ago, Colin Unger said:

Assuming Damon Allen is using this guy as a vessel to get his message out it reminds me of Warren Moon. Warren wanted to go directly to GM of the Edmonton Football Team after years away from the league.  And with this guy pushing for him to be an OC again it seems like he probably wants to skip a few steps. 

"This guy" named Craig Ellis played 9  seasons in the CFL. He had 12,828 all purpose yards rushing, receiving, returning punts & kickoffs playing for 5 teams in the CFL. He scored 88 touchdowns during his time in the CFL. He's not a random boisterous fan on social media but a former player. He was Allen's teammate in Edmonton & Ellis was one of the best players to ever lace it up in the CFL. 

It's true that I don't know how long Allen has been wanting to coach in the CFL & how long he's been trying to get on a coaching staff but I think being a qb coach & with his knowledge having input into the offense of a CFL team would probably be helpful. Should he be an OC & jump over other coaches who have paid their dues coaching as assistants? It's happened before so why not as it'll happen again. To me, it's better than the same old coaches like Maas being recirculated now on his third CFL team as an OC & second as a HC. Giving the second  leading passer in CFL history the chance to coach seems like a no brainer to me. 

Edited December 19, 20223 yr by SpeedFlex27

1 hour ago, Bigblue204 said:

Has Allen been coaching somewhere?

And I'm not sure AC has been looked over, he will move up eventually, but he has what, 2 yrs coaching in the CFL now? 

No, Allen's never coached in the CFL but he did spend one year in the NFL in 2021 under the program they have for coaches of colour to have an opportunity to coach in that league. The same program Hank Burris was a part of allowing him to coach with the Bears in 2021. He's now with the Carolina Panthers but no longer a part of that program. 

15 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

In some situations but I think new blood means new ideas & concepts. Look how Buck changed the offense when LaPo left.  

I think Buck is a great counter point to your suggestion.

Buck spent two years as RB coach before getting to move up to QB coach for an additional four years before getting his shot at OC.

I'm pretty sure that if Allen was willing to start at the bottom, he would have had his shot. At this point in his life, maybe that isn't in the cards.

My impression of Allen as a man is that he isn't the type to start at the bottom rung. Or the second from bottom. He's Damon Allen. You should feel stupid for suggesting it.

Not saying this is the case, but it might be. It's possible that Allen isn't getting a job in coaching in the CFL because no head coaches feel he would make a good part of their coaching team. It's not enough to know the game, it's not enough to have the skills needed to coach, one must at the end of the day be able to come into a coaches room and be a team player. Just throwing it out there as a possibility as to why no one has come knocking on his door.

Edited December 19, 20223 yr by GCn20

8 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

Has Allen been coaching somewhere?

And I'm not sure AC has been looked over, he will move up eventually, but he has what, 2 yrs coaching in the CFL now? 

He has 6 years of CFL coaching now (Montreal & Toronto) & 2 years of Usports.

In the CFL he's been a receivers coach, a QB coach and an OC.  His one year as OC might have been in a name only - he had Jacques Chapdelaine there as an "advisor" while he learned the role.  When Popp resigned, Chapdelaine took over as HC and also took over playing calling from AC.  He was demoted back to QB coach the next season.

Maybe calvillo just isn't a good coach.

21 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Those that can do, those that can't teach. Being a good qb or player doesn't always mean you can be a good coach.

I've yet to see Calvillo interact with a player or coach on the sidelines, he spends most of his time staring at his play chart.

10 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

"This guy" named Craig Ellis played 9  seasons in the CFL. He had 12,828 all purpose yards rushing, receiving, returning punts & kickoffs playing for 5 teams in the CFL. He scored 88 touchdowns during his time in the CFL. He's not a random boisterous fan on social media but a former player. He was Allen's teammate in Edmonton & Ellis was one of the best players to ever lace it up in the CFL. 

It's true that I don't know how long Allen has been wanting to coach in the CFL & how long he's been trying to get on a coaching staff but I think being a qb coach & with his knowledge having input into the offense of a CFL team would probably be helpful. Should he be an OC & jump over other coaches who have paid their dues coaching as assistants? It's happened before so why not as it'll happen again. To me, it's better than the same old coaches like Maas being recirculated now on his third CFL team as an OC & second as a HC. Giving the second  leading passer in CFL history the chance to coach seems like a no brainer to me. 

I have no problem with giving him a chance to coach.  Similar to AC.  But i don't think it's wise to put him in a major role without proving something in a lesser role first.  Id love to see him come in as a QB coach and work his way up. Let's keep in mind that great players don't always make great coaches. Just ask the quarterbacks who's the bombers fielded for the 2007 Grey Cup. 

56 minutes ago, Colin Unger said:

I have no problem with giving him a chance to coach.  Similar to AC.  But i don't think it's wise to put him in a major role without proving something in a lesser role first.  Id love to see him come in as a QB coach and work his way up. Let's keep in mind that great players don't always make great coaches. Just ask the quarterbacks who's the bombers fielded for the 2007 Grey Cup. 

 

Some anomalies happen: Pinball went directly to HC after retiring as a player.

Dinwiddie went from a Offensive Quality Control Coach in 2013, to a QB Coach in 2016, to Head Coach in 2020. That is about as quick a progression as you'd see normally.

12 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

"This guy" named Craig Ellis played 9  seasons in the CFL. He had 12,828 all purpose yards rushing, receiving, returning punts & kickoffs playing for 5 teams in the CFL. He scored 88 touchdowns during his time in the CFL. He's not a random boisterous fan on social media but a former player. He was Allen's teammate in Edmonton & Ellis was one of the best players to ever lace it up in the CFL. 

One of the best? I serious doubt that. Top 500, no way. He was above average at best, that's it.

on what planet................I literally can't even right now......

 

4 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

I've yet to see Calvillo interact with a player or coach on the sidelines, he spends most of his time staring at his play chart.

Yeah...I see the same thing.....seems he's engrossed in something really interesting orrrr he's jus fakin' it

If Allen was so desperate to coach then why didn't he contact the Riders?

Also who cares about Ellis and his thoughts on why his friend should he be a coach?  So because Ellis played in the CFL and has some success his opinion means more then a CFL GM / president / organization who in theory deeply looks into available candidates and selects them?  

I don’t recall Allen being talked about as some sort of cerebral offensive mastermind when he played. 

His biggest strengths seemed to be athleticism and longevity. 

I don’t see anything about him that would scream jumping to an OC spot in professional football with no experience. 

He was Gumby..... that's about it.  I'm not saying he was a bad player, I'm just saying there's a reason he wasn't a first ballot Hall Of Fame player..... he wasn't THAT highly regarded. 

3 minutes ago, Noeller said:

He was Gumby..... that's about it.  I'm not saying he was a bad player, I'm just saying there's a reason he wasn't a first ballot Hall Of Fame player..... he wasn't THAT highly regarded. 

He really wasn’t. He was actually fairly disregarded most of his career.

AC I get the willingness to see what he has as an OC- but being a great player doesn’t mean you’re meant to coach. 
 

 

 

 

22 minutes ago, Noeller said:

He was Gumby..... that's about it.  I'm not saying he was a bad player, I'm just saying there's a reason he wasn't a first ballot Hall Of Fame player..... he wasn't THAT highly regarded. 

So much this. If he would have retired in his mid to late 30's, he would have been just another QB that played in the CFL.

3 hours ago, MrFreakzilla said:

One of the best? I serious doubt that. Top 500, no way. He was above average at best, that's it.

Not in the Top 500? Are you serious?? That is laughable. How many players scored more than 88 tds & had over 13000 all purpose yards?  I dare you to name them. BTW, Craig Ellis was signed by the Bombers in 1982 as a rookie after he was cut by the Miami Dolphins. The Bombers brought in James Murphy at the same time. GM Paul Robson signed them both but they started Murphy ahead of Ellis who was put on the PR. He was eventually released & the Stamps claimed him. It worked out for both. 

Edited December 20, 20223 yr by SpeedFlex27

5 hours ago, Colin Unger said:

I have no problem with giving him a chance to coach.  Similar to AC.  But i don't think it's wise to put him in a major role without proving something in a lesser role first.  Id love to see him come in as a QB coach and work his way up. Let's keep in mind that great players don't always make great coaches. Just ask the quarterbacks who's the bombers fielded for the 2007 Grey Cup. 

I agree. Allen has to want to take a role as a qb coach & go from there. His age is a factor as perhaps he has 10 years where he can contribute although there are examples of coaches who have coached well into their 70's. The most notable was probably **** LeBeau who retired at age 77. 

1 hour ago, Stickem said:

Yeah...I see the same thing.....seems he's engrossed in something really interesting orrrr he's jus fakin' it

That just seems to be the way coaches coach now. Take Ryan Dinwiddie. There were a few fights on the Argos sidelines this season & he just seemed oblivious to it every time it happened. It's like coaches are  encased in a bubble all around them & no one can talk to them. 

42 minutes ago, Mr. Perfect said:

So much this. If he would have retired in his mid to late 30's, he would have been just another QB that played in the CFL.

Allen still won Grey Cups with something like 4 different teams & put up big passing numbers. I get what you say as when he played at times he looked like he didn't seem to care if he won or lost but the championships count for a lot. I just think that was his personality. 

11 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Not in the Top 500? Are you serious?? That is laughable. How many players scored more than 88 tds & had over 13000 all purpose yards?  I dare you to name them. BTW, Craig Ellis was signed by the Bombers in 1982 as a rookie after he was cut by the Miami Dolphins. The Bombers brought in James Murphy at the same time. GM Paul Robson signed them both but they started Murphy ahead of Ellis who was put on the PR. He was eventually released & the Stamps claimed him. It worked out for both. 

One of the issues with Ellis (just looking at his numbers), and why he's overlooked is that he was both a running back and slot back. He also bounced around quite a bit so he never really established a legacy in one place

At either position, he's no where near the top of the all-time list but when you look at the numbers of combined, they are impressive.  There are hall of famer a with lesser stats 

1 hour ago, Brandon said:

If Allen was so desperate to coach then why didn't he contact the Riders?

Also who cares about Ellis and his thoughts on why his friend should he be a coach?  So because Ellis played in the CFL and has some success his opinion means more then a CFL GM / president / organization who in theory deeply looks into available candidates and selects them?  

I think Allen has to take the blame. He never got into coaching when he retired 15 years ago. Now, at age 59 he wanrts to be a coordinator. He should have done what Buck Pierce did, Start from the bottom as a running back coach & work his way up. I think he waited too long to decide he wants to be a CFL OC. 

Coaching is a profession like anything else.  If someone sits in the stands and complains that they aren't getting their shot at basically the #2 job on a 10 person staff on a pro team, they are deluded.

Lots of opportunity to get involved at many levels if someone wants to work their way into a job like OC.  Given someone being a HOF CFL QB they can probably jump a few steps, but would never jump right up to OC.  There would need to be some demonstration of competence as a coach first.

8 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

One of the issues with Ellis (just looking at his numbers), and why he's overlooked is that he was both a running back and slot back. He also bounced around quite a bit so he never really established a legacy in one place

At either position, he's no where near the top of the all-time list but when you look at the numbers of combined, they are impressive.  There are hall of famer a with lesser stats 

I personally know Craig & I've talked to him about Damon Allen in the past a number of times. At first, I didn't agree with him about Allen being an OC but we have coaches that bounce from team to team & are part of the Old Boy's Newtwork. They get jobs because they know people in the league on different teams. Now I think, why not?  I mean, could he be worse than Jason Maas? Or the unknown OC in Saskatchewan? Maybe but maybe not. 

As far as bouncing around as a player, Ellis said he was the kind of guy who spoke his mind & some head coaches took exception to it. He especially didn't like Jack Gotta & Bob O'Bilovich. He admits his attitude as a player has probably contributed to him not being in the CFHOF. His numbers say he is a Hall of Famer. That's all that should count. 

Edited December 20, 20223 yr by SpeedFlex27