Khari Jones Off to Saskatchewan

Less than a year ago, Khari Jones was named the Offensive Coordinator of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He will not be in that role in 2012, as he has been named the Quarterback Coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Jones's first year as a coordinator provided mixed results. There were times when the Offense looked unstoppable and other times when it looked like they didn't know the difference between a football and a baseball. A perfect example of that is their play in the two playoff games: near flawless in victory over the Alouettes and completely inept in defeat at the hands of the Blue Bombers.

With a new Head Coach coming in – soon? – it was unlikely that Jones would return in the same capacity with the team in 2012. Jones has a lot of potential, and it showed in spurts during the 2011 season. I would have preferred to see him continue to grow in the roll with the Tiger-Cats, but I'm not surprised he is moving elsewhere.

The Cats are now need to fill both coordinator positions, as well as name a Head Coach. The list of candidates for all those positions are dwindling by the day – not to mention, Winnipeg is still in need of a new Offensive Coordinator – so the Ti-Cats can ill-afford to dillydally any longer. It's time to pick someone move on to other business. Hopefully a decision comes down before the end of the week, but with how long it has taken them so far, I will not be holding my breath.

The Week in Review

The past week was a very busy one for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

We had the long-anticipated announcement of Khari Jones as Offensive Coordinator. Anyone who has read me before knows that I am 100% behind this appointment. As far back as mid-November I said that Jones should be the next OC.

I'm not trying to pat myself on the back. I am well aware that I miss way more than I hit (an example of that is coming shortly), but I nailed this one almost two months ago. Score one for me.

But when talking about all-time whiffs, this one ranks right up there. I said that I would be stunned if Richie Hall was not the Defensive Coordinator of the Tiger-Cats should he not get the top job in Saskatchewan. Well he didn't – Greg Marshall did – and yet Hall will still not be joining the Hamilton coaching staff. He's headed back to Saskatchewan to be the Defensive Coordinator under Marshall. "Welcome to Tigertown, Coach Hall" might just be my "Dewey Beats Truman." Score one for real writers.

The question now remains: who does Hamilton hire? With Marshall being named the Head Coach in Saskatchewan and Hall following him, that leaves two names that I keep reading and hearing about to fill the void: Gary Etcheverry and Brad Miller. Etcheverry was the DC in Riderland last year, and Miller is currently the Secondary coach with the Cats. I think Miller has the inside track based on Head Coach Marcel Bellefeuille always preaching continuity, but I wouldn't mind seeing what Etcheverry could do with the talent the Cats have on Defense. I'm sure we'll find out before too long.

There is the whole stadium fiasco, but I've already wasted too much time covering that. Wake me when a decision is made on February 1st.

Lastly, I have touched on it, but Greg Marshall is, finally, a CFL Head Coach. He has been the bridesmaid so many times that it felt like he'd never get the chance. Now he inherits the two-time CFL West champions with a good chance to be successful right away. Should be interesting to see those two Hamilton-Saskatchewan matchups in 2011.

And the New Tiger-Cats Offensive Coordinator is...

Khari Jones.

To say that I am psyched is an understatement. I have been pushing for Jones since before it was announced that Mike Gibson would not be returning to the Cats. I said before that I thought some new blood would be a good thing, and to hire a retread would just be taking a sideways step. The Cats needed the new blood that Jones provides.

We have all seen the meteoric rise of Dave Dickenson in Calgary, and I truly believe that Jones can be Hamilton's version. He's got his shot; now I only hope that he rewards the Cats with a great infusion of fresh ideas or else I am going to look like quite the idiot.