GROOMED FOR SUCCESS
Chris Jones gets the job done
Chris Jones’ sense of humour isn’t as dark as his clothing.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ general manager, head coach and vice-president of football operations revealed a lighter side when asked why he only wears black Tshirts and golf shirts.
“It matches my personality,’’ Jones said with a chuckle. “It also makes it really easy to pick out clothes in the morning.”
Stephen McAdoo, the Riders’ offensive co-ordinator and assistant head coach, has own theory on why Jones wears black.
“He really thinks that it makes him look thin,” McAdoo said of his longtime friend. “He’s really concerned about that and wears those black clothes to look thinner.’’
McAdoo added that Jones’ choice of clothing reflects the coach’s personality.
“He’s pretty consistent in what he does,” McAdoo said. “It goes along with who he is and how he does things. He has his way of doing things. It may not be to everyone else’s standards, but he gets the job done.’’
Jones has accomplished that since he entered the CFL in 2002 as the defensive line coach with the Montreal Alouettes. Jones subsequently had stops with the Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos before joining the Roughriders in December. Through 14 CFL seasons, Jones has never missed the playoffs. The teams he has been with have reached 12 division finals and advanced to the Grey Cup game on seven occasions.
Jones has earned Grey Cup rings with Montreal (2002), Calgary (2008), Toronto (2012) and Edmonton (2015). Most recently, he celebrated a championship to cap his second season as the Eskimos’ head coach.
“He’s energetic and he’s determined to do well,” Jim Popp, the Alouettes’ head coach and general manager, responded when asked about Jones’ success. “He is innovative and he has been groomed and taught by very successful people who were smart enough to pick up on things that worked. He has also been smart enough to intertwine other thoughts and be creative with things that other coaches have done. Those things have to work, but he has been good at finding success that way.’’
Don Matthews was the first CFL head coach to recognize Jones’ talents. Matthews was building a young staff with the Alouettes in 2002 and felt that Jones would fit in. Popp, who was Montreal’s general manager that year, picked up quickly on what Jones brought to the Alouettes.
“We were looking at guys who were hungry and wanted to be part of the CFL,’’ Popp said. “You want guys who wanted to be here and it doesn’t matter what the money is.
“They are willing to put in the hours and do the job. You try to build your staff that way because they can’t all be at the top of the pay scale.’’
The staff came together quickly, helping the Alouettes to a 26-16 win over the Eskimos in the 2002 Grey Cup game. The next season, Jones was promoted to defensive co-ordinator, a role in which he would excel for the Alouettes through the 2007 season.
Jones was also on his way to developing a reputation as a defensive guru. That reputation and the success of Montreal’s defence convinced John Hufnagel — Calgary’s vice-president of football operations, head coach and general manager at the time — to hire Jones in 2008 without having met him.
“I knew he was in line for the Montreal head-coaching job and if he didn’t get it, we would be a spot he would want to work,’’ Hufnagel said.
Jones served as Calgary’s defensive co-ordinator until 2010, when the positions of assistant coach and assistant director of player personnel were added to his responsibilities.
‘’Because of Chris’s relationship with Don Matthews, people put the defensive pressure tag on him,’’ Hufnagel said. “He likes to bring pressure, just like any defensive coach. He still changes it up and is often willing to do it during the week of practice so there might be two defences put in for one week. He does what it takes to win.’’
Scott Milanovich became familiar with Jones’ determination while they were members of Montreal’s staff in 2007. Milanovich, Montreal’s quarterbacks coach in 2007, shared an apartment with Jones at the time.
“We would sit up with a yellow legal pad late at night, drawing X’s and O’s,’’ said Milanovich, who was named Toronto’s head coach in 2012. “It was good for both of us, but probably more for me.’’
There is a tale of a promise made between Jones and Milanovich during one of those brainstorming sessions in Montreal. The first one who got a head-coaching job would hire the other as a member of his coaching staff.
Milanovich said that he doesn’t remember if the pact was made, but it still made for a good story. After Milanovich was named Toronto’s head coach in 2012, one of his first hires was Jones as his defensive co-ordinator, assistant head coach and assistant general manager.
It didn’t go as smoothly as hoped because the Argonauts were fined by the CFL for allegedly failing to clear the move with the Stampeders. Regardless, it worked out and the two good friends shared in the 2012 Grey Cup championship with the Argonauts.
“I know in my mind, he was the guy who I wanted,’’ Milanovich said. “There were a lot of guys in the CFL who had a ton of respect for what he had done in the CFL before I got there. When I had an opportunity to bring him to Toronto, it was a no-brainer.’’
In 2014, Jones got his chance to be a head coach with the Eskimos. He remained in that position until being hired in his multiple roles with the Riders on Dec. 7, eight days after Edmonton beat the Ottawa Redblacks 26-20 in the Grey Cup game.
McAdoo, who was Edmonton’s offensive co-ordinator, said making the move to Regina after winning a Grey Cup was difficult. Still, all but one member of Jones’ staff followed him to the Riders.
“It’s always about the ties that you have to guys and it’s always hard to say goodbye,’’ McAdoo said. “The situation came about and it was the right move for us.’’
It was also the right move for the Roughriders, who were coming off a 3-15 season. Craig Reynolds, the Riders’ president and CEO, picked Jones because he felt the longtime CFL coach was the type of leader the franchise needed as part of its football operations going forward and someone who could provide sustained success.
Those attributes led to Reynolds signing Jones to a three-year deal and handing over control of the team’s football operations. Reynolds has grown to appreciate Jones’ work ethic.
“He works so hard and he’s so committed,’’ Reynolds said. “He’s so focused on winning. When you see him operate for a little while, you see why he has been so successful.’’
The 48-year-old Jones has a life away from football. He has a son Drew from a first marriage. His wife Sara and daughters Jackson and Allison live in South Pittsburg, Tenn., where Jones grew up. The family resides there year-round because Jones doesn’t want to disrupt their lives with football moves.
Jones, meanwhile, lives in a local hotel during the football season. He said his late nights and early mornings are easier to deal with if someone else looks after the cooking and cleaning.
Jones is committed to football and wouldn’t have it any other way.
“If it wasn’t for football, there ain’t no telling what I’d be doing,’’ Jones said.
“I’m very fortunate to be able to come out and do what I do every day and have fun. Quite honestly, years ago, I had a 1.75 GPA and I had been in finance and engineering and every other thing trying to chase money. My mom said, ‘Well, what do you love?’ I said, ‘I love football.’ I’m not good enough to play it, certainly, but I love being around it — every aspect of it, being in the locker-room, going out and competing in the game. It’s something that I really enjoy.”