Johany Jutras/CFL
REGINA — Chris Jones won’t need much time getting comfortable with his new surroundings in Regina.
The Riders’ new head coach and GM revealed his 2016 coaching staff on Wednesday, all eight coaches following him over from the Grey Cup-winning Edmonton Eskimos.
Joining Jones on the Riders staff will be:
Stephen McAdoo – Offensive coordinator & assistant head coach
Craig Dickenson – Special teams coordinator
Jarious Jackson – Quarterbacks coach & passing game coordinator
Mike Scheper – Offensive line coach
Phillip Lolley – Linebackers coach
Jason Shivers – Defensive backs coach
Ed Philion – Defensive line coach
Craig Davoren – Running backs coach & special teams assistant
McAdoo first coached with Jones on the Argos coaching staff as the offensive line coach before following Jones to Edmonton to become the offensive coordinator in 2014. After spending 2012 and 2013 under the offensive tutelage of Scott Milanovich, McAdoo helped the Eskimos bounce back from a 4-14 season in 2013 with the CFL’s second highest-scoring offence and most productive in total yards.
In what was just Mike Reilly’s second season as a starting CFL quarterback he quickly emerged as one of the league’s best, completing 64.6 per cent of his passes and throwing 16 touchdowns to 11 interceptions with 3,327 passing yards.
What followed in 2015 was no less impressive. The Eskimos ranked third in scoring and second in total offence despite being without Reilly for most of the season, while ever since Reilly’s return Edmonton went a perfect 10-0 in capturing the 103rd Grey Cup presented by Shaw.
Jackson (quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator) and Scheper (offensive line coach) also played a key role in Edmonton’s offensive resurgence and will join McAdoo as a familiar face on the Riders’ offence.
Equally important for Jones will be the help he gets on the defensive line, where Lolley, Shivers and Philion will assist Jones in running the Riders’ defence. Jones quickly restructured an Eskimo defence into an elite one in 2014, finishing number one in the CFL in net yards that year — a feat he’ll look to replicate in Regina.
Edmonton’s defence played a key role in the team’s run to a Grey Cup last year, meanwhile, allowing the fewest points in the league, the third-fewest total yards and the second-lowest time of possession while recording the third-most sacks and the second-most takeaways.
Also joining Jones’ staff will be Special Teams Coordinator Craig Dickenson and Running Backs Coach and Special Teams Assistant Craig Davoren.
