Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Chris Jones before the Eastern Semi-Final game at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, ON, Sunday Nov. 12, 2017. (Photo: Johany Jutras)
WINNIPEG — If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, a few Saskatchewan Roughriders obviously hold Chris Jones in high regard.
During Mark’s CFL Week, Roughriders defensive back Ed Gainey was asked to describe the funniest thing he has seen involving Jones during the latter’s two seasons as Saskatchewan’s vice-president of football operations, general manager and head coach.
Gainey immediately burst into a grin.
“He has this routine that he does with the whole team every morning, so a couple of the guys always try to mimic what he says before he comes in,” Gainey said.
“One time, he caught one of the guys doing it when he walked in. He told him, ‘Come up here in front of everybody and give us your best impersonation.’ He did it and the whole room erupted in laughter.”
“It was (linebacker) Sam Eguavoen,” defensive end Willie Jefferson added. “Coach Jones is a really generic person, so it’s not really hard to impersonate him. Sam did it and it was spot on. Coach Jones just happened to walk in on Sam when he was doing it and he laughed.”
That, Gainey concluded, said a lot about Jones — and a lot about the Roughriders.
“That’s the kind of team we are,” Gainey said. “We’re a family and we try to make light of every situation and try not to be too serious. But once business needs to be handled, then everybody needs to be doing that. It’s a good mix and a good balance.”
Jones has been the Roughriders’ head honcho since December of 2015, when he was hired just days after leading the Edmonton Eskimos to a Grey Cup title.
He initially became a CFL coach in 2002, when he was hired by then-Montreal Alouettes head coach Don Matthews. Jones since has earned kudos for his defensive schemes, which often involve exotic blitzes and coverages.
As a head coach, he also has been perceived as a bit of a rogue with his all-black attire and ever-present sunglasses.
In Jefferson’s mind, the public perception of Jones is way off.
“It’s night and day,” Jefferson said. “All people see are the black shades, the black shirt, the black pants and him yelling at us on the field. That’s pretty much how we see Coach Jones too, but (people) don’t know that it’s never anything hurtful or harmful coming from him. It’s always love and positivity.
“He’s never going to tell anybody anything wrong. He’s never going to give you bad advice or lead you in the wrong direction. He’s going to give you the honest truth and anything from there is up to you.”
Jefferson was at home in Texas after being cut by the NFL’s Houston Texans when Jones called and offered him a job with the Eskimos in 2014. Jefferson followed Jones to Saskatchewan in 2016 and, in 2017, the defensive end blossomed into a West Division and CFL all-star.
Gainey had never before played for Jones when he signed with Saskatchewan as a free agent early in 2016. The veteran DB had two interceptions in 43 career games with the Als and Hamilton Tiger-Cats before joining the Roughriders, but he has had 13 picks in 35 games in Jones’ defence.
The biggest thing Gainey has learned from Jones involves self-confidence.
“Everybody who’s a part of the team brings something to the table and it’s pretty much on you whether you’re going to bring it out or not,” said Gainey, who was named a division and league all-star in 2017 after posting a CFL-high 10 interceptions.
“Everybody is an athlete and everybody can play at this level, so he teaches us how to bring it out, maintain that level of competition and play at our peak. He gives everybody the confidence to believe in themselves.”
When Jones was the defensive co-ordinator in Calgary in 2008, the Stampeders cut a young defensive end in training camp. An injury prompted the Stamps to re-sign the prospect — and Charleston Hughes has registered 99 sacks over the subsequent 10 seasons.
On Feb. 2, Calgary traded Hughes to Hamilton, but the Tiger-Cats quickly flipped him to the Roughriders. On Friday, Hughes said that he “ended up where I’m supposed to be” after the whirlwind of activity.
Asked why Saskatchewan is that place, Hughes replied: “I played for Chris Jones. I know the defence (and) I know the system. I know what kind of coach he is and he knows what kind of player I am.”
To Hughes, Jones is a player’s coach who is driven to succeed.
“He’s probably one of the hardest-working coaches in this league and you can tell he has a must-win attitude,” Hughes said. “When it really comes down to it, you have to respect that as a player to know that your coach is working just as hard as you are.
“That makes it even better for me because now I’ve got motivation. I’ve got to show up. I’ve got to play. If he’s going to work hard, I’ve got to work hard, too.”
That was the case for Ricky Ray as well, even though he plays on the other side of the ball.
Ray quarterbacked the Toronto Argonauts in 2012 and ’13 when Jones was the team’s defensive co-ordinator. The two matched wits every day in practice, which may have benefited both men.
“It helps you so much because you’re seeing different looks,” Ray said. “We’d be running (pass skeleton) and he’d be dropping nine guys in coverage. You’d be like, ‘C’mon!’ But that’s what you expect from him.”
Ray said Jones’ defence works in large part because of the athleticism of the players involved. Hughes noted that the key is deploying defenders who meet Jones’ expectations for players. And Jefferson said the biggest thing is the fact that Jones knows his personnel and how they fit in the defence.
For Gainey, everything adds up to explain Jones’ success.
“He and his coaching resumé are really what bring players in,” Gainey said. “Then they arrive and see the intensity and the passion that he has for the game and for the players, on and off the field. Who wouldn’t want to play for that kind of coach?”
