Around the CFL: Matthews' exit sends shockwaves throughout league

By Fred Williams Oct 6, 2006, 17:45 GMT

Montreal, QC - There's no doubt regarding what was the top story in the CFL this week.

Don Matthews' resignation Wednesday as the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes for health reasons made people throughout the CFL stand up and take notice. The announcement came out of left field because leading up to it there had been no indication that the 67-year-old Matthews had been experiencing any problems.

In fact, just three weeks ago when it was reported in Montreal that this would be Matthews' final year with the Alouettes, he publicly denied the story and told reporters that he'd be around for the next few years. Earlier this season, Matthews had signed a contract extension with the Als that apparently took him through the 2008 season.

But there's significant doubt throughout the CFL, however, that Matthews left the Alouettes willingly.

Five years ago, the Edmonton Eskimos parted ways with Matthews, again citing health concerns. But six months later, Matthews resurfaced in Montreal during Grey Cup festivities as the Alouettes' new head coach.

And it was odd to see Matthews leave an Alouettes team that still has four regular season games remaining and tied for first place in the East Division with the Toronto Argonauts.

Matthews leaves the CFL as the winningest coach in league history with 231 career victories. He had a 58-28 record with Montreal with three Grey Cup appearances, winning in 2002.

Matthews won a record-tying five Grey Cups as a head coach and 10 in total. He began his CFL coaching career as an assistant coach with Edmonton and was part of the Eskimos team that captured five straight Grey Cup titles from 1978 to '82.

General manager Jim Popp, who hired Matthews in Montreal, takes over as the club's head coach until the end of the season. Popp served as the Alouettes head coach in 2001 when he fired Rod Rust late that season. Popp lost the final game of the regular season as well as the East semifinal.

As for next year, former Als head coach Charlie Taaffe and Edmonton's Danny Maciocia have surfaced as frontrunners for the job.

Taaffe is currently coaching at the University of Pittsburgh but is under contract through the 2006 season. Taaffe was Montreal's head coach in 1999 and 2000 before departing to become the offensive coordinator at Maryland.

Maciocia is presently Edmonton's head coach, but is a Montreal native and began his CFL coaching career as a volunteer coach with the Als. Maciocia still has a year remaining on his deal with the Eskimos, but the defending Grey Cup champions are last in the West Division and in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 35 years, which, if it happens, would undoubtedly create doubts about his longterm future in Alberta.

BUONO MOVES UP: With Don Matthews' abrupt resignation, Wally Buono of the B.C. Lions becomes the winningest active coach in the CFL.

Buono, the Lions head coach and general manager, has registered 199 career victories, second only to Matthews in CFL history heading into B.C.'s game Friday night versus Calgary.

Whether Buono will be able to catch Matthews for top spot overall remains very much in question. He's under contract with the Lions through next year, but Buono said when he signed the deal that it likely would be his last. With Grey Cup titles and CFL coach-of-the-year awards to his credit, there's nothing really left for Buono to achieve, and he has said that he's not interested in sticking around just to catch Matthews.

RITCHIE WANTS IN: Dave Ritchie, the B.C. Lions defensive coordinator, has stepped up and said he wouldn't mind returning to Montreal as the Alouettes head coach.

Matthews' resignation this week created a vacancy in Montreal, where Ritchie began his CFL coaching career in '83 and compiled a 25-10-1 record as head coach in 1997-98 before leaving to join the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Then again, Ritchie also expressed an interest in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats head job when Greg Marshall was fired and Ron Lancaster returned to the sidelines on an interim basis.

And there are questions regarding the longterm future of Wally Buono, the Lions head coach and general manager. Buono's contract runs through next year, but there are no guarantees he will sign another deal, and if he does it might just be as GM only, creating a vacancy at head coach.

ROBERTS RETIRING?: Charles Roberts, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' electrifying running back, has thrown the CFL club a real curve.

This week on a Bombers chat site, a message was posted under Roberts' regular user name that said the running back would retire from football at the end of the season.

If true, the move would be horrific for the Bombers. Roberts is a five-time CFL all-star who is second in league rushing this year with 1,305 yards, just 40 behind league leader Joffrey Reynolds of Calgary.

Roberts has rushed for 7,785 career yards, leaving him second in Bombers history behind Leo Lewis at 8,861 yards.

TRASH TALK: It hasn't taken long for the B.C. Lions and Calgary Stampeders to start talking smack.

With the two teams battling for top spot in the West Division standings and heading into a home-and-home series, there was already plenty on the line. But B.C.'s Geroy Simon and Calgary receivers Nik Lewis and Jeremaine Copeland have fired numerous verbal shots at one another.

The verbal jousting began earlier this week when Lewis and Copeland mocked Simon's touchdown celebration, which mimics a super hero's pose, calling it 'gay.' Simon countered by saying he'd be coming after Lewis and Copeland on Friday, even though the three players are never on the field at the same time.

© 2006 The Sports Network