Redblacks general manager Shawn Burke said during Monday’s locker cleanup at TD Place that Bob Dyce will return to lead the team in 2024 for his second season.
Don Brennan is the article’s author.
Posted on October 30, 2023; updated on October 31, 2023; takes five minutes to read
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Head coach Bob Dyce of the Ottawa Redblacks.IMAGE CREDITED TO THE CANADIAN PRESS BY FRANK GUNN
The Ottawa Redblacks, who have finished last in the East Division of the CFL for four straight seasons, are anticipated to make a lot of changes this winter.
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The head coach will not be on the list of people leaving.
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Redblacks general manager Shawn Burke said during Monday’s locker cleanup at TD Place that Bob Dyce will return to lead the team in 2024 for his second season.
In Dyce’s first full season in charge of Ottawa, the Redblacks finished 4-14 overall, including a 0-10 record against opponents in the division, and missed the playoffs.
Ottawa had two seasons with three wins but finished 4-14 in 2022 as well.
Burke declared, “Bob will definitely be back.” “Last year, when I first began the process of choosing the perfect coach, I mentioned that building a culture and demonstrating leadership were two of the most important things, and I have witnessed those things. I have observed that our players emulate him and essentially follow the standard he establishes for them.
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It’s easy to sit here and be pessimistic about where we need to improve, but I also have to be honest about where we are, and I think our head coach can guide us in that direction.
From 2016 to 15 games into the 2022 season, Dyce served as the Redblacks’ special teams coordinator. Following a 3-11 start, he temporarily succeeded Paul LaPolice as head coach.
With that record, Dyce has a.227 winning percentage and a 5-17 record, which is, regretfully, the seventh-best out of the 15 coaches to have held the head coaching job on an Ottawa team since George Brancato was fired after the 1984 campaign.
After describing the team’s lack of consistency and its inability to deliver in the “big moments, when the spotlight finds you” for the five or six plays that separate the winners from the losers, Burke obviously wants to create some stability in the coaching office.
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“There must be reasons why those moments didn’t turn out as planned,” he stated. We’re going to investigate those causes and do all within our power to alter them. To do it, we must be sincere with one another. Although we can claim to be near games or to be this or that, it is unacceptable that we are 4–14.
After Burke and Dyce do a “deep dive” in search of solutions, Burke will assess both his own and his direct reports’ performance.
He also stated unequivocally that Dyce will be in charge of any adjustments made to the other coaching staff members.
In the meantime, angry fans who called TSN 1200 post-game broadcasts demanding blood after a promising 3-3 start turned into yet another face-flop will not be pleased with the choice to keep the head coach in place.
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Burke stated, “I judge Dyce on what I see, and I believe he comes in with game plans every week.” He interacts with his players and provides us with a roadmap for what needs to be done. He strikes a fine balance between wanting people to play for him and showing them respect.
Burke is incensed by the idea that Dyce is a player’s coach and that because of his excessive “likeability,” the people under his supervision don’t fear his fury.
Burke declared, “Nobody is going to have supper with Bob Dyce or drink beer.” They are aware of his authority. They are aware that he is the boss and that he lays out the plan.
Burke went on, “I am completely confident in his abilities as a head coach.” “I’ve been in this league long enough to witness coaches go through their trip, and you’ve witnessed it with a number of organizations that are currently regarded as the best, where coaches have experienced challenges in their first season and are constantly associated with having previously served as head coaches.
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“This was Bob’s team for the first time as a team. As an organization, we will decide where to go by making certain adjustments together, and he is the person I want in charge of it.
According to Dyce, the Redblacks’ incapacity to field a strong defense, a strong offense, and strong special teams consistently this season has been the foundation upon which they have repeatedly faltered.
He will consider how he may better himself in the future in order to achieve it.
“I worked hard to become better, and I didn’t get to this role,” Dyce stated. “I understand that I must identify my areas of weakness as I dive deeper into them. We can all always do better.
“I coach in a specific style, and I’ve had some success here as a special teams coordinator. In some ways, though, I think I have to bring that same degree of expectation and determination to the entire squad. In your field of competence, it’s much simpler to accomplish. In establishing these standards and holding everyone to them, you have to make sure that accountability is maintained at all times.
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When asked why supporters should have faith in Dyce as the coach who can change the team’s trajectory, Dyce answered,
It is a reality that this is the first season, and we are attempting to lay the groundwork for future seasons. We certainly have a solid basis, and I think we’re a better team. I believe that Shawn and I carried on our promise to be a physically strong team that could sprint and start at the line of scrimmage when we first arrived. We were a fast, physical team, and we used a lot of that on the defensive end, which was when our offense was at its best.
“We’re going to keep growing on the base that is already in place. After laying the foundation, you must now begin construction on the first floor and the remaining portions of the structure.
It won’t be good enough to simply emerge from the cellar the next season at this point.
