A popular phrase in football these days is “next man up.”
It is usually in reference to a player who steps in for an injured or otherwise unavailable teammate.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats played that card in a similar sense on Monday when offensive co-ordinator June Jones decided to leave the team to “pursue other opportunities in professional football.”
That opportunity is reportedly a job in the revamped XFL with the Houston franchise.
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Jones arrived in Hamilton midway through the 2017 CFL season and quickly found himself taking over Kent Austin’s head coaching duties after the team stumbled to an 0-8 start. He led the Cats to six victories over the last 10 games and went 8-10 last year before the team bowed out in the Eastern Final against Ottawa.
With Jones heading out the door, Tommy Condell is the next man up.
The 46-year-old is taking over as Hamilton’s offensive co-ordinator, a job he held with the Tiger-Cats from 2013 to ’15, when Hamilton’s offence ranked at or near the top of the CFL in several statistical categories.
Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli flourished in Jones’ offensive system and is probably sad to see him go.
Offensively, the biggest question is will Condell get as much, or more, production out of Masoli as Jones did?
We won’t be able to answer that question until after this season.
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