Tiger-Cats Head Coach Marcel Bellefeuille spent the last week on a scouting trip at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama with General Manager Bob O’Billovich. Ticats.ca caught up with him to briefly discuss the week’s activities…
Can you give us an idea of what goes on during the week at the Senior Bowl?
“It’s a great environment for football because it’s truly an pro football experience. You have complete coverage from the NFL Network and a contingent of NFL coaches and scouts as well as personnel executives from the CFL and other leagues. They do a really nice job in Mobile. There were a couple thousand fans that came out to watch every day.”
“The first day is a testing day when they take heights, weights and do general testing while everyone observes. After that you get into the practice phase where you basically have four practice days with two practices a day that we go to, scout players and take notes. In the evenings they have professional functions for coaches, scouts and agents to get together.”
What about the opportunity to network with coaches and executives from other pro football teams across North America?
“The week is really action-packed, almost continually from the time you get up in the morning for the first practice until the end of the each evening’s function around 10 p.m.”
“You’re talking with agents, other CFL executives and coaches as well as NFL scouts and personnel guys. You’re also spending a lot of time evaluating the players and trying to find the best possible players for our league. You’re looking for a player who will end up in the CFL… maybe not tomorrow but in a year or two. it’s really a constant evaluation process, a constant discussion from morning to night.”
What were your thoughts on the group of players at this year’s Senior Bowl?
“There was lots of talent, obviously, different styles of players – some smaller, quicker players that fit the CFL style of play. There was a nice cross reference of players. You see a lot more of the spread offence in the NCAA now so there’s a lot more room for the smaller, quicker players that fit the CFL mold.”
Was there a specific position you watched more than others?
“I spent a lot of time watching the defensive secondary, watching for specific things like cover guys. We spent some time looking for the best pass rushers. You’re always looking at the receiver and kick returner positions, so we spent a lot of time evaluating those guys.”
One player that received a ton of hype this week was Florida QB Tim Tebow. What were your thoughts on him?
“He’s a great athlete, he was a great leader. He probably looked a little better at Florida at his Pro Day when people had a chance to evaluate him there. The pro game is a different style of game than NCAA. Quarterbacks are asked to drop back more often and rely on their arm strength. He’s going to have to prove to NFL scouts that he’s capable of doing those things.”
You spent the week with GM Bob O’Billovich. What’s it like working with him at events like this and do you treat the week as a learning experience?
“Every day I work with Obie is a learning experience whether it’s in Canada or the U.S. This was a great opportunity for us. He has such a great network of people he knows there and I had an opportunity to meet a lot of these people. We were able to constantly talk and compare how we evaluate talent. Discussions like that are critical for my development as a coach and personnel guy.”
“Just having the opportunity to be away from the office and talk about our own personnel and talk about what we need to do to improve is nice. We do those types of things in the office as well, but being together for four days and being able to just discuss those things gives us more insight.”
You’re going to need to hire a new Receivers Coach after Dennis Goldman left to pursue an opportunity at Princeton. Have you started the process to find his replacement?
“I’ve interviewed four different potential coaches for that position. I feel that we’ll have somebody with CFL experience and someone that can complement our staff. The timeframe is fairly short… it won’t take long to fill the position.”
