Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca
The BC Lions have their swagger back.
And, it’s no coincidence that Wally Buono is again commanding the sideline as the most winningest coach in CFL history.
Buono is a presence wherever he goes. Whether it be a charity function, the locker room or a media scrum, Buono can become the centre of attention without asking for it. When you’re the greatest of all-time it’s no surprise.
Heck, when you talk to CFL fans and just utter the name ‘Wally’ there is no confusion who you are talking about.
Wally does it his way. He is the only head coach in the league in the last… forever… to not wear a head set. Instead, his assistants coach and he manages them. That’s what a head coach is after all: the manager of the bunch. He has the final say but when kickoff comes it’s time for all the planning to be executed. Instead, he takes the time to motive his players, send messages and not take up time looking at a play sheet.
It’s the way he does things, not necessarily the way it should be done but the record speaks for itself.
Last week’s comeback win in Saskatchewan was an eye opener for this columnist about why the BC Lions are again leading the pack in the West. They were the team that came in to Saskatchewan in 2008 and pushed the Riders around the in the playoffs. They were the team that fought and clawed their way out of the basement in 2011 to go on to win the Grey Cup. This is a team that will play to the edge every single down because they know if they don’t, they answer to Wally.
The Lions are nasty and while that does trickle over to the dirty side, that’s what will come with playing on the line.
And while Wally is definitely no rookie when it comes to being a head coach, he has been away from the game for five years in an office rather than the day to day work in the film room and practice field.
Two rookie head coaches in the West trying to now chase down Wally’s Lions could learn a lot by how Buono works.
In Calgary, Dave Dickenson knows the world well, having been a quarterback Wally helped become a Hall of Famer. Jason Maas in Edmonton has had more than enough battles as an opposing quarterback to Buono’s style.
But the biggest thing these two young rookie coaches need to learn: do it your way and make no apologies.
The biggest mistake some coaches make is to become something you’re not when you’re given the head coaching role.
Wally never wavers in the way he did things. Not in 2011 when the calls for his firing came, not in 2016 when he announced he would make a return to the sideline after seeing Mike Benevides and Jeff Tedford struggle to get wins.
While Maas has the unfavourable job of taking over a team that just won the Grey Cup and the incredible expectations that come with that, Dickenson has to take over for a coach in John Hufnagel who never had a team drop below 10 wins in a season over his eight seasons as the boss.
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Mic’hael Brooks was hit with a fine for a low hit on Darian Durant in Week 4 (CFL.ca)
But they have to continue to coach the way they believe is the best way, no matter who has come before them.
Already, Maas has been given the label as a coach that is somewhat hard to please. He demands attention to detail and with the way the offence has been scoring points and piling up yard, it appears to be working.
Dickenson is more of a level headed coach. While commanding the same attention to detail, Dickenson stays true to himself. He puts off the aura as a very patient individual. I guess you’d have to be when many came knocking to give him a head coaching roll long before Hufnagel stepped down and gave him the gig.
Dickenson meanwhile is already pressing players to be better. The competition between a veteran like Bakari Grant and a younger player like Kamar Jorden is a great example for a receiver spot in Calgary. The best player will get the job but they both will get the opportunity to prove it on game day.
Their resume as assistants proves what they do equates into success so there is no reason to change if you’re Dave Dickenson or Jason Maas.
And for those that thought the game has changed and Wally Buono may need to adapt … think again … Wally just needed to be Wally and the wins are coming.
