If the Saskatchewan Roughriders capture the Grey Cup on Sunday, as they should, it’d be chiefly because of masterful leadership from a former CFL star who was deemed useless midway through last season by the Toronto Argonauts.
Not that Kent Austin was daunted by the Argos’ mysterious decision to fire him as their offensive co-ordinator. It didn’t seem to faze him. He never complained, never uttered a nasty word and, significantly, never doubted his coaching abilities.
And now, while the Argos cry in their beer after being eliminated by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in last Sunday’s Eastern final, the ’Riders revel under Austin, their head coach and a lock as CFL coach of the year.
Odds on the ’Riders prevailing Sunday have increased — they’ve risen from nine-point favourites over Winnipeg to 12-point favourites — and perhaps only the mere formality of playing the game stands in the way of Saskatchewan’s first Grey Cup victory since 1989.
Austin was the quarterback of that ’Rider team, which defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Toronto, and now there’s déjà vu. He’s the mastermind behind the QB of this year’s ’Riders.
Kerry Joseph is no spring chicken at 34 and had been a so-so QB for four CFL years — until Austin came along this season and transformed him into the league’s premier player, just as he transformed the ’Riders from also-rans to champions.
Austin “has meant a lot to me,” Joseph acknowledged. “He’s given me a different picture of the game (with) the offence that he’s brought in and the way he dissects defences. It has truly elevated my game.”
Austin had similar objectives with the Argos’ QBs but the organization, for some reason, couldn’t comprehend/tolerate his pass-oriented philosophies. Since firing him, the Argos haven’t had consistent offensive production.
Eric Tillman, on the other hand, had strong faith in Austin. Tillman and Austin are similar — both from Mississippi and both with serious, football-first mentalities. They were together in Ottawa — Austin was the Renegades’ offensive co-ordinator and Tillman their general manager — and it was a sure bet as soon as Tillman became Saskatchewan’s GM that he eventually would hire Austin as head coach.
What wasn’t a sure bet was that the ’Riders would get this far, this quickly. They downed the powerful B.C. Lions in the Western final last Sunday. Beating the Bombers and inexperienced QB Ryan Dinwiddie this Sunday should be, well, routine.
Austin should be able to celebrate. He’d remind us that perseverance pays. He’d remind the Argos that they goofed up by discarding him.
For more Grey Cup stuff check out my latestCFL Report.
In three-plus decades as a columnist and broadcaster, Marty York has built a network of solid contacts and a renowned reputation for his hard-hitting, groundbreaking style. The tradition continues in Metro Sports.
