Former Blue Bombers offensive coordinator Buck Pierce, seen here with quarterback Zach Collaros, was introduced as the B.C. Lions new head coach on Wednesday -- photos by Cameron Bartlett
Buck Pierce officially said his good-byes on Wednesday and Ted Goveia will be next to formally say so long to Winnipeg and the Blue Bombers on Friday.
The B.C. Lions introduced Pierce as the 28th head coach in that franchise’s history at a media gathering this week and Goveia will be unveiled as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats new general manager Friday in Steeltown.
And with that two men with long ties to the Blue Bombers are gone, leaving gaping vacancies in the coaching staff and football operations department.
In addressing the media, Pierce said his team will have an identity of ‘toughness, grit, integrity and accountability’ — all tenets that are cornerstones with the Blue Bombers. And asked by TSN’s Farhan Lalji what he had learned the most from Mike O’Shea — the two worked together from 2014-24 — Pierce heaped praise upon his now former boss.
“The importance of team,” Pierce began. “The importance of how we’re going to build things, the way it should be built and what’s truly important to winning. It’s about the people you surround yourself with, it’s the way you carry yourself and it’s the way you live you live.
“Mike has taught me in my time with him just as much about being a man as a coach. I have the utmost respect for him as a person. Obviously. we know what he’s done as a coach but he’s a great man first and foremost.”
What’s next for the Blue Bombers — both in the search for a new offensive coordinator and a personnel man to fill Goveia’s role — will be massively important. It’s also possible both Pierce and Goveia could further dip into the Blue Bombers coaching and personnel departments to help build their staffs in Vancouver and Hamilton, respectively.
Ted Goveia, now the Hamilton Tiger-Cats GM
Filling Goveia’s shoes might not be as cut and dried as finding another assistant GM. The club may opt to divvy up his roles in scouting, particularly for Canadian talent, and in contract negotiations. We’ve previously indicated that could mean increased roles for both Darren Cameron and Matt Gulakow as well as Assistant Director of Player Personnel Cyril Penn while working with Assistant GM Danny McManus, but the club could also reach outside the organization to bolster this area with more regional scouts or poach from another team for another personnel candidate.
Finding the next man who will shape the offence in 2025 will also be critical. Winnipeg’s offensive numbers dipped significantly in 2024 as the team underwent changes on that side of the ball with the departures of Jermarcus Hardrick and Geoff Gray on the offensive line, Rasheed Bailey in the receiving corps and then lost Dalton Schoen for the season in Week 3 while seeing Kenny Lawler missed eight games due to injury.
In 2023, the Blue Bombers offence ranked first in points (33.0), second in touchdowns (65), first in passing TDs (42), first in net offence per game (414.7), first in rushing (139.1 yards) and second in passing (292.4). This past season those numbers all fell with Winnipeg 6th in points (24.8), 7th in TDs (41), 6th in net offence (358.5), third in rushing (111.7) and 8th in passing (260.2).
No timelines have been set by the organization as to when the two positions would be filled, although the coaching carousel is already spinning with one of the OC candidates — Jordan Maksymic, who had been a finalist for the Lions job — reportedly moving from B.C. to Edmonton to join Mark Killam’s new staff.
O’Shea will undoubtedly cast a wide net in his search for an OC candidate. Here’s a list of who is already in house and others who have already been linked to the job — understanding that Pierce’s successor might not be among this group:
-Offensive line coach Marty Costello: O’Shea calls him the best O-line coach in the CFL and he’ll get few arguments from those who have worked with him.
-Receivers coach Kevin Bourgoin: Has worked with both the running backs and receivers during his days with the Blue Bombers and it’s no coincidence the likes of Nic Demski, Schoen and Lawler have had career years working with him and 2024 rookies like Pokey Wilson and Kevens Clercius make significant contributions in their first year.
-Running backs coach Jason Hogan: His biggest fan is Brady Oliveira and that must carry some weight. Joined the Blue Bombers in 2022 after working various roles the Université de Montréal Carabins as the assistant offensive coordinator, running backs and wide receiver coach.
Others:
-Paul LaPolice: the popular former OC and head coach of the Blue Bombers has already worked for the club on three different occasions. He’s blossoming as an analyst at TSN, though, and is said to be staying in television.
–Jarious Jackson: He became the interim head coach for the Edmonton Elks this season after the firing of Chris Jones. Significant experience as an OC in the league with B.C., Toronto and Edmonton. Former QB who helped the Elks finish first in offensive points in ’24 and finish first in rushing and fifth in passing.
-Khari Jones: Another popular name and a member of the Blue Bombers Hall of Fame, Jones has worked for Hamilton, Saskatchewan, B.C., Montreal and Ottawa as a coach and is currently a visiting assistant professor at Linfield University.
-Pete Costanza: Has worked with O’Shea before, most recently in 2021. He has been the passing game coordinator with the Toronto Argonauts for the past three years — he has two Cup wins over Winnipeg, to boot — and six in his career, including his days in Calgary.
-Mike Miller: No, not the Mike Miller already on board as the Blue Bombers special teams coordinator, but the Mike Miller who is currently the Argos QB coach. He’s earned significant praise for his work with Chad Kelly, Cameron Dukes and Nick Arbuckle and also worked with the Alouettes, the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers as well as with three NCAA programs.
-Markus Howell: A Winnipeg product and former Blue Bomber, Howell was part of the Elks staff and began his coaching days with his hometown club in 2011 as the linebackers coach, then 2012-15 as the receivers coach. Also has experience with B.C., Saskatchewan and Toronto.
-Beau Baldwin: The 2024 season was his first as an assistant in the CFL as he was the QB coach with the Calgary Stampeders, but he has significant ties to the league for developing the likes of Matt Nichols, Bo Levi Mitchell and Vernon Adams, Jr. during his days as the head coach at Eastern Washington University.
-Mike Lionello: Said to be a rising star in the coaching ranks. He’s been the receivers coach with the Alouettes the past three years and has worked with the Argos, Lions and at Simon Fraser University.
-Drew Tate: Former CFL QB who is now an offensive assistant with the Argos. He retired from the game in 2018 and has since worked with Coastal Carolina, B.C., in The Spring League, the University of Tennessee-Martin, Northern Iowa and as the receivers coach in Saskatchewan.
