Canada
This article was added by the user . TheWorldNews is not responsible for the content of the platform.

Former Alouettes defensive coordinator Barron Miles joins Redblacks

Reunites in Ottawa with former Als head coach Khari Jones, who was also shown door by Montreal in July.

Montreal Alouettes defensive coordinator Barron Miles gives instructions during training camp practice in Trois-Rivières on May 26, 2022.
Montreal Alouettes defensive coordinator Barron Miles gives instructions during training camp practice in Trois-Rivières on May 26, 2022. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

After more than 20 years as a player and coach, Barron Miles thought his CFL association might have ended in July, when he was fired as the Alouettes’ defensive coordinator.

After all, he had already worked for more than half of the league’s teams.

Since the Montreal Canadiens making the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 28 years, this newsletter is the dedicated Montreal Canadiens fan's source for exclusive Habs content, insight and analysis.

By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

“I always believed in myself, and someone else believes in me to give me this opportunity,” Miles told the Montreal Gazette on Monday, after being named the Ottawa Redblacks’ defensive coordinator. “I always had confidence in myself.

“Being in sports and coaching, I’ve been criticized and critiqued all my life,” he added. “If I’m not used to it or can’t handle it, I don’t need to be in that business. I know what I can do. I just want opportunities to do it, and the Redblacks have given me that opportunity.”

Miles becomes the second hire by new Ottawa head coach Bob Dyce. And he’ll be reunited with former Als head coach Khari Jones, the Redblacks’ new offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Jones and Miles were fired in early July by general manager Danny Maciocia with Montreal at 1-3. Maciocia replaced Jones and hired Noel Thorpe as Miles’ successor.

“If you’ve been around football long enough, you can sense it and feel it,” said Miles, 50, who spent seven seasons with the Als as a defensive back before returning to Montreal as an assistant coach in 2020. “People act funny in certain ways and you can tell. It seems like the bad guys tend to get the better jobs. You try to do things the right way and you seem to get the short end of the stick. The guy that flies off the handle or does crazy stuff gets the best and top jobs.

“What do I do that no one else can do? If I can do it well and people view it as that, I’ll always be working.”

After previously coaching in B.C., Saskatchewan — where he worked with Dyce — Winnipeg and Edmonton, Miles took a step back and recharged his batteries last season at the university level, accepting the D.C. position at Bishop’s University under head coach Cherif Nicolas. While his time was brief in Lennoxville, where he lived alone in a motel, Miles appreciated returning to his roots, working with fledgling players and removing himself from the politics that can permeate pro sports.

“Having that time to breathe and be with the other coaches, being a part of that, that was special to me,” Miles said. “My wife would call and say ‘you sound so much happier.’ Bishop’s will always have a special place in my heart.”

While much could change in Ottawa before the start of training camp, Miles is going to a team that finished last in the East Division (4-14), surrendered 46 offensive touchdowns — surpassed only by Edmonton’s 62 — while allowing an average of 25 offensive points per game. The Redblacks also have defensive-end Lorenzo Mauldin, the CFL’s outstanding defensive player, who had a league-leading 17 sacks. Mauldin, however, is a potential free agent.

“From afar, they had some close bouts and were always in the game,” Miles said. “I liked what I saw. I’m pretty sure we do have a team. There’s lots of free agents around the league. I’m hoping we retain the guys that want to stay there and want to play hard. I think it’s going to be great. I can’t think otherwise.”

Miles, the East Division’s outstanding rookie in 1998 and the league’s outstanding defensive player in 2002 with Montreal, was a six-time league all-star who completed his playing career with B.C. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

“Having worked with and against Barron in the past, I’ve seen how he builds great relationships and communicates his vision for success with his players,” Dyce said. “I believe we’ll all benefit from his high energy and direct coaching style.”

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

twitter.com/HerbZurkowsky1

  1. Former Montreal Alouettes defensive coordinator Barron Miles directs his players during game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Montreal on Aug. 27, 2021.

    Zurkowsky: Former Alouettes DC Barron Miles finds fit with Bishop's

  2. Montreal Alouettes head coach Khari Jones looks on prior to first half CFL football action against the Ottawa Redblacks in Montreal, Monday, Oct. 11, 2021. Jones was hired by the Ottawa Redblacks as offensive co-ordinator on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022.

    'It's nice to be wanted': Former Alouettes head coach Khari Jones hired by Redblacks

  3. Zion Miles during his senior year at Chandler High School in Chandler, Ariz., in August 2019.

    'It is a miracle,' Alouettes coach Barron Miles says of son's recovery