Ti-Cats to be Bellefeuille’s club in 2009, Really?

This summer as GM Bob O’Billovich interviewed candidates for the defensive and offensive coordinator positions with the Ti-Cats he wanted players with potential to eventually take over as head coach. Almost two months ago that opportunity arose as the Cats fired Charlie Taaffe and replaced him with offensive coordinator and then interim head coach Marcel Bellefeuille. Since then Bellefeuille has directed the team to a 1-6 record, albeit with several close calls that could have easily been wins. Regardless this afternoon the Ti-Cats called a press conference to announce Bellefeuille will be the head ball coach in 2009.

GM O’Billovich stated in the press conference that this move was better completed, “sooner rather than later for the purpose of moving our club forward.” Forward is the only direction for the Ti-Cats at this point. With difficult economic times a near certainty in Steeltown who is going to have the money moving forward to support an annual cellar dwelling club? Hamilton fans deserve a lot of praise for sticking with this club through frankly God awful seasons of late, but at what point do they lose interest, either by choice or through circumstances beyond their control? The Ti-Cats are not the Maple Leafs they don’t have the luxury of rebuilding as BMO and IBM execs entertain clients in private boxes, the results have to be overwhelmingly positive and now.

When Coach Bellefeuille spoke at the press conference this afternoon he spoke of a, “ship going in the right direction.” But he added an intriguing metaphor about how it’s the fans that are putting more coal in the engine. To be honest my mind immediately went to the shots of workers raking coal in a James Cameron film about a certain ship sinking…

But Titanic metaphors aside there are few consistent signs of imcompetence that must be corrected. Before this season started the Cats preached everywhere from TSN’s Off the Record to radio programs that this club needed to be consistent in who played. That was promptly thrown out the window. Take a look at week one’s roster versus Montreal and the team the Cats will field come Saturday in Winnipeg, notice any differences? The Ti-Cats also have developed an unfortunate knack for signing former standout CFL players for much more than they’re worth, then watching as they slowly and painfully fizzle out…. (See Jason Maas or Casey Printers) Kenton Keith can officially consider himself on that list if he doesn’t show more next season. We’re talking about a guy who got food poisoning from a “bad” Pizza Pocket, after all. Unless he got that Pizza Pocket from a Harvey’s in North Bay, Ontario there’s something that doesn’t add up there.

Don’t get me wrong I have enjoyed watching Bellefeuille’s take on what this Ti-Cats team can do and they have had their successes, but is this really a hire that needed to be completed today, before any other coaches were looked at? Surely there must be a Ron Wilson out there in the North American football coaching ranks. And one only has to look to Montreal head coach Marc Trestman to know CFL experience is not neccesarily a mandatory asset. I think there is a great chance that Bellefeuille will lead this Ti-Cats team back to the playoffs and Ivor Wynne will be rocking again, but can Hamilton afford to suffer through his potential growing pains as a coach?

No pressure Marcel, but congratulations.

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