June Jones called Orlondo Steinauer about a week ago, setting the wheels in motion to become head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“June gave me a call which shocked me. I just thought it was a free agent talk. He thought this was best for the organization. I thought this is why I came back: to surround myself with those type of people. It wasn’t about the Toronto or the B.C. opportunity it was more of what I had here. It really wasn’t a tough decision,” Steinauer said.
“Extremely grateful and appreciative for B.C. and Toronto reaching out, we were too far down the road. I respect both organizations and really felt like as we got into it and had the talks. It goes back to when I made a commitment, I made a long-term commitment to the organization, if that was the path that it took. Talking with Bob and Scott that’s why I came back to begin with.”
That led to the Ticats completing a coaching shuffle promoting Steinauer to head coach and reassigning Jones to associate coach and offensive co-ordinator. Jones guided the team to an 8-10 record in the regular season. The Tiger-Cats finished second in the East and reached the division final before falling to Ottawa. Jones hired Jerry Glanville as the defensive coordinator for the 2018 season.
“We’re in talks with Jerry right now, I want Jerry back. When I watch June coach and I watch Jerry coach there’s a lot of similar patterns. They believe in meeting together, they believe in one voice, they believe in not micromanaging allowing their assistant coaches to do their job. That’s the way that I believe,” Steinauer said.
“I definitely would be one of those guys that would want to be a head coach and actually be a defensive coordinator – if I didn’t see what I saw out of Jerry. What I saw was players playing hard, I saw somebody that was loyal, I saw Jerry during ups and downs, during the good times and the bad times and I was more impressed with him as a person. He’s a book of knowledge of football, but definitely impressed with him and how he handled adversity along with June and so I definitely want Jerry to be back on our staff.”
Steinauer spent one season as Fresno State’s defensive co-ordinator in 2017 and previously four years on Hamilton’s staff from 2013 to 2016 in the same role under then-head coach Kent Austin.
“There’s a lot of input that Jerry let me have even though I was on the offensive side of the ball and he used some of it and some of it he didn’t, I don’t see it working any different,” Steinauer said.
“If he decides to come back he will be the defensive coordinator, he’ll call the plays and I’ll allow him to do so.”
– with CP files
