January 18, 2018

Khari Jones: A New Set of Eyes for the Als Offence

He’s coached in Saskatchewan, BC and Hamilton. He’s played in Winnipeg, BC, Hamilton and Edmonton. He knows the league like the back of his hand. Khari Jones is coming to Montreal to lead the Als offence on the road back to success and we can’t wait to see him take on the challenge.

Find out how he’s planning on working with the team’s renewed roster and coaching staff.

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Montreal?

The fans. I was fortunate enough to be there for the first game at Percival Molson Stadium. It was the playoffs, in 1997 I think, and I was playing for the BC Lions. I remember the atmosphere, the outdoor arena and I loved it ever since. When I had my battles against Montreal as a player, I loved seeing how involved the fans were. I’m happy to be on the home team now and hear the “first down Montreal” for me instead of against me.

With the background that you have, will working with Freeman be your number one focus?

Working with all the quarterbacks will be a big focus. In this game, you need good quarterbacks to be successful. It’s been proven time and time again. It’s really hard to win without a solid pivot. Not just the number one but all your quarterbacks. It’s very important for me to make sure that those guys are up to speed on what we’re doing. They’ll have to work hard to know our offence and I’ll make sure I adapt our system to their needs. I want them to be able to do what we ask them to do. There’s no point in having a very complicated offence or an offence that doesn’t suit your quarterbacks. After all, they’re the ones who are pulling the trigger.

What do you think Freeman will bring to the team?

He’s a big guy. He’s got size and strength. He had some experience down in the NFL and he’s done some positive things there. He’s going to have to learn the CFL game. I think that his experience at Calgary’s minicamp should help him out. The faster guys can adjust to the CFL the better, and from what I understand, he wants to do just that. He seems to be eager to learn and that’s important. You’ve got to be willing to forget some of the things you know and embrace this game here.

What will be your approach with him?

I’ve had guys from all walks of life over the years. This will be my tenth year coaching in the CFL and I spent almost all of them working with quarterbacks. I’ve dealt with a lot of guys that had never seen the game and a lot of guys with limited experience. The main thing is getting him comfortable, making sure we talk about the things that are very similar to the game he knows and then talk about the differences. We’ll work on those differences. That’s going to be the key. It’s getting used to our receivers running downhill. It’s looking at 12 guys on defence instead of 11. It’s setting your eyes for a wider field than you’re used to. Those are the things we’ll be working on from the start.

How would you qualify your coaching style?

I have a teaching background. I taught in the off-season for years in California so I think of myself as a teacher. I try to share as much of the knowledge I gained from playing and coaching. I try to give my guys everything that I have. I’m not a big yeller and screamer although it has happened in the past and it probably will again. I treat my guys like men. I treat them with a lot of respect, and I want to see them respect the game. I think I’m a pretty positive coach. I come from a positive place. I want to see my guys do well. I want to see them succeed. I know how it feels to have success on the field and I want to help my guys achieve that and reach their goals.

What type of players are you looking to have in your unit?

For the offence, we need a lot of guys who show leadership qualities. Players who can be positive, face adversity head on and not shy away from it. That’s the kind of guys we’re looking for. Every team I’ve been with faced adversity at some point and what matters most is how you react to it. We’re going to work really hard to find guys who we know will do well even when the chips are down. We have to be able to see their true character.

You will be supported by some well-seasoned coaches in Paul Dunn, Jason Tucker and André Bolduc. What do you think each of them will bring to the table?

I’m excited about our coaching staff. We all have different backgrounds. Some with less CFL experience, which I think is great because they come with a set of eyes that is different from mine. It will be nice to look at things from their perspective as well. Paul Dunn has coached at the highest levels of the NFL and college football. Jason Tucker whom I’ve coached with and had success with in Saskatchewan for a couple of years. He’s also been in the NFL for a while. Bolduc who’s been here for a while and can show us the ropes by telling us what happened in the past and what we need to focus on. I’m looking forward to blending our backgrounds and making sure we put the best product out on the field.

The combination of Coach Sherman’s solid NFL experience and your CFL knowledge should be interesting to see as well. How do you expect things to roll out with him?

It’s going to be fun. Our talks have been fantastic so far. I think we share the same mindset. We aren’t coming with big egos or to prove something. Even though he’s been coaching for such a long time, he realizes that this is a new game for him and his goal is just to put the best product out on the field. I’m going to try to gain from his knowledge and from his experience to make his concepts and ideas work in the CFL.  He’s a great man. I’m excited to work with him. He will surely help the team go a long way.

How do you plan on bringing back the Als offence explosiveness?

It’s going to be a team effort. That’s the big thing. The first thing we have to do is believe that we can turn things around. We can’t let ourselves be defined by what happened in the past. I’ve talked to a few people and they said: “Ah well, we haven’t won in so long…” and I have to stop them and say: “I don’t know what WE you’re talking about. I haven’t been here, the coaching staff hasn’t been here… I know you’ve been here and seen it, but we’re coming with fresh eyes. We’re coming with a lot of positivity, regardless of what happened. It’s going to be a tough road, it always is, but we have to focus on the task at hand and not worry about what’s been done in the past.”

 

Want to know more? Check out the interview with our new Defence Coordinator, Kahlil Carter.