Brady Gives Milanovich A Breather In 2013

DON LANDRY – Argonauts.ca Columnist

TORONTO – Head coaches are not generally by nature a relaxed lot. The very public faces of a football team during games, they can usually be seen on the sidelines sporting a look of concern and at times, downright fury.

Busy men with a lot on their minds and shoulders.

Argos’ coach Scott Milanovich kept it pretty cool during games in 2012, despite having even more on his plate than some.

Not only was he head coach, he was also offensive coordinator. It wasn’t a perfect scenario, but a necessary one, as his OC of choice remained with Milanovich’s former team, the Montreal Alouettes.

Marcus Brady’s arrival as Toronto’s offensive coordinator for 2013 is allowing Milanovich a little breathing room and a chance to more fully coach the entirety of his team.

“I have a lot of trust in him,” said Milanovich, nodding in the direction of Brady.

It’s a mutual admiration society, this relationship between former quarterbacks – “The biggest reason was Scott,” Brady said when asked why he ended up in Toronto – and it’s one that both men believe can continue to develop in positive fashion, simply because they are so like-minded.

“He thinks the same way I do,” offered Milanovich. “If I have to hand off the offence to him I have no concerns.  I know exactly what’s going to happen.”

Already some around the Argos have noticed a change in the head coach, who seems a bit more relaxed heading into the season. Now, there may be a number of reasons for that. Milanovich is no longer a rookie, having had as successful a field-boss launch as you could imagine, winning the Grey Cup and being named the CFL’s Coach Of The Year.

Without a doubt, however, having his friend as a right hand man is allowing for an even more comfortable existence. It’s just simple, ‘hours-in-a-day’ math. Head coach is a full time job. Offensive coordinator is a full time job. Do them both and what else do you have time for?

“He (Brady) takes some things off my plate that I had to do last year, because everyone was new to the offence,” explains Milanovich.

The installation of a type of offence both Milanovich and Brady are quite familiar with is now largely over, Milanovich doing much of the heavy lifting in 2012. However, having Brady as OC as opposed to a coach who might not be so up to speed allows for a comfortable transition.

“He’s got as good if not a better handle on it than I do,” said Milanovich of the Argos’ general game plan. “This offence, he and Marc (former Alouettes’ head coach Marc Trestman) and I kind of built together over the years. Obviously, I started with Marc but Marcus and I had a lot to do with it. He knows the roots of it and not just what it’s come to today.”

That’s because while Milanovich was Trestman’s offensive coordinator in Montreal, Brady was there, too, as receivers coach. When Milanovich left for Toronto after the 2011 season, Trestman elevated Brady to the position of Alouettes’ OC.

“It’s pretty similar,” said Brady, comparing the Als’ offence to that of the Argos. “There’s little different nuances. But, for the most part, about 90 per cent of the offence is the exact same stuff. Little bit different verbiage.”

Which means Brady gently wades into familiar warm waters as opposed to high diving into a frigid ocean.

“Same system. Same reads for a quarterback. So, it’s an easy transition for me,” he said.

It’s from that starting point that Brady begins to put his own touches on the ever-evolving entity that is a pro football offence. He’ll bring some ideas from his old job and go from there.

“There were a few plays and schemes that they ran in Montreal but not here in Toronto that I presented to Scott. If he likes it, we’ll put it in and see how Ricky (quarterback Ricky Ray) does with it. And if he likes it, then it’ll stay in.”

The grand plan, as the 2013 season unfolds, is to have Brady more and more involved in running the show during games. That would take even more pressure off Milanovich in some sense and allow him to better orchestrate all three phases of his football team as games unfold.

Meantime, Milanovich can spend less training camp time tailoring, installing and scheming an offence. Some of that freedom is due to his own work last season and some of it is due to the presence of Brady.

“There’s some other things that I’m able to do,” began Milanovich. “Spend more time in coach O’Shea’s (special teams coordinator Mike O’Shea’s) meetings and more time with Chris (defensive coordinator Jones). Do some of the things that a head coach needs to do.”

“Last year, fortunately, I had a veteran defensive coordinator and a veteran special teams coordinator, because I had to spend most of my time on offence.”

So now, O’Shea and Jones can expect the pleasure of the head coach’s company more often.

While he’s communing with them, Brady – whom Milanovich calls “A good teacher” – will familiarize himself with the weaponry that he saw from across the field the last few years.

“I’m excited about working with these guys,” Brady said.

“The offence is looking good. Especially those returning, the vets. They hit the ground running. Seems like a seamless transition.”

That’s just what Milanovich and the Argos are counting on. Not only in the players’ bridging of 2012 to 2013, but in the reigns being transferred from the hands of one offensive coordinator to another.