ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
Each week, Argonauts.ca showcases one of the marquee matchups for fans to watch out for before the next Argos game. Perhaps a little unconventional, but as the 2010 season nears, we focus on the one matchup that cannot be ignored – the head coaches.
He has preached to his players and his coaching staff that everything they have worked for up to this point is for July 1st. There is nothing Jim Barker wants more than to open the season with a win.
The fact that it is against his old club may make it a little sweeter but Barker’s true focus is getting this team off to the right start and allowing confidence to set in after two playoff-less seasons.
He has gained the nickname “the gambler” for a reason, and perhaps that is why many should expect the unexpected from Barker in his first game on Thursday night. Engaging in a ‘shoot-out’ against one of the league’s most potent offences may not be the best road to trek down but Barker’s seven years in Calgary should give him a big advantage.
Afterall, as General Manager and Director, Player Personnel, he was primarily responsible for bringing in most of the talent currently on the Stamps’ roster. He knows all of their strengths and, most importantly, he knows each one of their weaknesses.
Ever since returning to the Stampeders in December of 2007, John Hufnagel has done very little but win. In his first season as Head Coach and General Manager, the humble bench boss took a good team and turned them into a great team, capturing the Grey Cup just 20 games after starting.
Hufnagel enters his third season with a new set of challenges before him. After a season where the chance to play for Canada’s ultimate football prize on their home field slipped away from them, Hufnagel and the Stamps enter the 2010 season with perhaps more competition than ever before with Edmonton and B.C. both improving, and Saskatchewan once again one of the favourites to compete for the Grey Cup.
He begins the season against an East Division opponent that is looking to come out of the gates quickly after two disappointing campaigns in a row. It will be up to Hufnagel to try and out-coach his counterpart in Jim Barker, a man he needs no introduction to.
Like Hufnagel, Barker loves taking risks and employing a wide spread offensive scheme and, with the Argos lack of experience offensively, that could play right into the former CFL Coach of the Year’s hands. If there is one thing that Hufnagel is no stranger to, it’s a back and forth offensive shoot out – and most of the time he proves to be victorious.