The good news is that Scott Milanovich didn’t climb off the plane, take a quick sampling of our -37ºC (-43ºC with wind chill) off-season fresh air and do a quick U-turn from the arrivals to departures gates.
The 22nd head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos has actually been here for a full sampling of the deep freeze since he arrived last Thursday from the CFL winter meetings at the at a resort in Ontario that involved considerably less winter.
Milanovich, who had yet to be properly introduced at a media event in Edmonton, was presented, along with a quorum of co-ordinators and assistant coaches — Noel Thorpe, A.J. Gass, Demetrious Maxie, John McDonnell, Winston October and Derek Oswalt — at a luncheon at the Sherwood Park Sawmill on Wednesday.
Milanovich surprised most everybody in the game when he decided he wanted to return to be a head coach in the CFL with the Eskimos rather than continue his upward-appearing career path as an assistant coach in the NFL.
And while he’s had to be a whirling dervish coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterbacks for the final three weeks of the NFL season and hire a coaching staff to work with in Edmonton, he also had time to consider how he wanted to reinvent himself somewhat for his return to the three-down game in Canada.
A winner of two Grey Cups as an offensive co-ordinator with the Montreal Alouettes and the winner of Grey Cup 100 as the head coach of the Toronto Argos, the new head coach says he has some ideas.
Milanovich, who will be his own offensive co-ordinator in Edmonton, said he believes he learned some things in his time in the NFL that will make him a better coach in the CFL.
“There were a lot of things. Offensively I’m not going to get into those things because hopefully we’ll have some sort of element of surprise early in the year.
“One of the things they did in Jacksonville that I hope to do here is bring in guest speakers. These guys get sick of listening to me talk day in and day out for 18 weeks. Hopefully we can get a Ricky Ray up here or get a Warren Moon up here. There are some other things I’d like to implement.”
Milanovich says one thing that being the head coach in Edmonton offers is that there’s very much an NFL feel.
“From a facilities standpoint, without getting into my past, it’s significantly better than what I’ve ever been a part of in this league.
“The Jacksonville facilities might be a hair better but not much. Not much at all. That was part of the selling point for me.
“Those things help when it comes to free agency or recruiting a guy. Even for rookies coming up, they see the locker-room, they see the stadium, they see our meeting rooms and they feel like they’re playing big time football. And they are. I’m hoping those things will help us retain guys and have more continuity than we’ve had in some of the places I’ve worked.”
Having most of his staff hired and here this week is beyond creating a media availability.
“It’s a key component to get the head coach and the majority of the coaching staff in play,” said general manager Brock Sunderland. “We’re a little behind and needed to get together and watch film collaboratively to get their thoughts on our current roster headed into free agency.”
Milanovich has already watched enough film to know that despite the Eskimos missing the playoffs two years ago and going East as the crossover playoff team this past season to believe he can succeed here.
“I like what I see. We’re a couple of pieces away and we’re still figuring that out but I think we have a good nucleus on defence. We can rush the passer. That’s where it starts for me, defensively. We have some linebackers with experience that had some injuries later in the season that probably hurt us.
“On offence, obviously I know Trevor Harris and what he brings at quarterback. On the offensive line we’re solid. We have good running backs. Our receivers are solid. There are some things I want to do that we’re going to have to tweak. I think we’re in good shape for Jan. 15.
“But I’m not going to make any grand statements about who we’re going to be because I don’t know that yet.
“I think we have a good staff. I think we have the beginnings of a really good roster. I expect to compete right away. I don’t see this as a rebuild.
“I won’t talk about this with the players other than on the first day but my goal every year is going to be to win the Grey Cup. There is no secondary goal.”
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