2020 RedBlacks Coaching Staff Updates

I'm old enough to remember when people said we wouldn't be able to get quality coaches/players to come Ottawa because GM Marcel Desjardins has no people skills and is only working on a one-year deal.

With the most qualified head coach candidate secured, and that coach already building a quality staff, I think it's safe to say that those fears are unfounded. Let's catch up on how this coaching staff is shaping up so far.

Paul Lapolice: "We are excited to bring Mike on board as our defensive coordinator. Mike has been a successful assistant coach as well as a Head Coach in our league. He has a vast background in CFL football and his input will be very valuable to our staff and our players. Our players will also enjoy working with him on a daily basis."

 “I’ve known Mike for a long time. We’ve kind of grown up in the business together. We’re on the same page on a lot of things. Making sure we had experienced co-ordinators is part of the course in the Canadian Football League. We were excited to get Bob Dyce. He’s going to help me through the process. He knows the building, he knows the players and he’s well-respected. Bringing in Mike, who’s been a head coach and defensive co-ordinator and has been successful, it’s another person who has experience. You want to surround yourself with the best people possible."

Mike Benevides: “We want to be a group that’s going to be physical and fast and aggressive and well taught. But the vision has started way before today. It didn’t go the way they wanted (in 2019). Marcel and the group have been working hard at it and Paul’s been on the job for a while now. It was an off year. Now we have an opportunity to do things to improve it. There’s a ton of work ahead of us, but that’s OK. If you do anything in life, whether it’s football or something else, there’s always a lot to get done. You get excited about it, roll up your sleeves and get at it.”

Here are the most recent recent highlights of Benevides' career.

He...began a four-season stint as the (BC) Lions’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2008 and after winning his 3rd Grey Cup in 2011, he was promoted to head coach.  In 2012, Benevides guided the Lions to a first place finish in the west with a 13-5 regular season record and in his three-seasons at the helm, the Lions were a combined 33-21.  Benevides moved-on to the Edmonton Eskimos in 2016 as the team’s assistant head coach and defensive coordinator and in his 3rd and final season with Edmonton, he also assumed the role of linebackers coach.

Benevides' appointment is, of course, in addition to retaining Bob Dyce as special teams coach and hiring Bob Wylie to coach the offensive line.

Paul LaPolice: "We’re ecstatic to have Bob Dyce back for a fifth year with the club. I’ve known and respected Bob for many years. He’s an excellent Special Teams Coordinator, he’s got a good feel for this organization and he’s beloved by his players. We think Bob will continue to play a key role in the success of this team going forward. We worked together in 2003 in Winnipeg, Bob’s first year in the CFL, and we have been friends ever since." 

Dyce has had great success in the Canadian Football League over the years. The Winnipeg native won his first Grey Cup while with Saskatchewan in 2013 and became a champion once again with the REDBLACKS in 2016.

It's crazy to think that Dyce has already been with the team four years. Prior to his involvement, it seemed like there was at least one big return given up every game and a quality punt or kickoff return was more rare than a humble Saskatchewan fan. I don't miss those days.

Paul LaPolice: "We’re also very excited to have Bob Wylie as our Offensive Line Coach. This will be the third time that we have the opportunity to work together, so he already knows what we want to do to protect our quarterbacks and how we will run the ball. He’s an unbelievable teacher of men and he will create a great atmosphere in the offensive line room.  Our players will love the experience of working with coach Wylie."

Wylie's resume is a lengthy one indeed. Here's how it is summarized in the press release.

Bob Wylie, arrives in Ottawa with decades of experience at the college and professional football levels in the US and Canada. Wylie has worked for six Division I schools, two CFL teams and eight NFL organizations. Most recently, the Rhode Island native was the O-Line coach for the Cleveland Browns in 2017-2018 after serving in the same role with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2014-2016.

His Wikipedia page connects his stops with the success of his former players.

Saskatchewan (2009):  Under his coaching center Jeremy O'Day, and guard Gene Makowsky were named CFL All-Stars. 

Winnipeg 2014 - 2016: Under his coaching, guard Travis Bond was named a CFL All-Star as well as an All-Division selection.

The interesting part of that is that while O'Day and Makowsky had been honoured multiple times in the past, that was Bond's only season in which he was so decorated. he's a free agent in February and I wonder if he wouldn't want to reunite with his old coach.