Football: Blind item; Weird doings down in Windsor

Strange things might be afoot down in Windsor.

The word is that athletic director Gord Grace showed up at Lancers training camp a few weeks ago and demanded beleaguered coach Mike Morencie oust his defensive backs coach, John Binz.

Morencie initially refused, as most football coaches would. Grace is said to have responded with the you-or-him ultimatum. Lo and behold, the Lancers website no longer lists Binz as a coach. Maha Atogwe, the former CFL defensive back and big brother of the St. Louis Rams safety O.J. Atogwe, is now coaching that position group.

Meantime, the Lancers will apparently not start star QB Sam Malian on Saturday vs. the U of T Varsity Blues. Daniel Carloni, a second-year backup, will apparently start while Slingin' Sam rests an injury.

Again, this is not a rumour site, but the person who shared it is very trustworthy and he was relating what he was told by multiple sources.
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17 comments:

  1. You can take that secondary coach rumour to the bank. That one is 100% true.

    Unfortunately, the wrong coach was fired.

    The Windsor program has loads of potential...here is a major reason it has underperformed.
    1st coach Gino Fracas
    2nd coach John Musselman
    3rd coach Mike Morencie

    So, in 40 years..the program has only had 3 coaches. What do they all have in common?

    All Windsorites.

    Fracas got away with it until about the early 80's. Windsor high school football was probably the best in the provice per capita...back in the day. Those early Lancer teams were primarily Windsor based rosters. Therefore, both of Windsor's championships were in that era. In time, Fracas' lack of province wide recruiting caught up to the program.

    IMO, a school such as Windsor being away from the GTA population centre of the province absolutely requires a coach with some sort of GTA or Golden Horseshoe connections.

    The next Windsor coach will NOT be a Windsorite for these reasons.

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  2. Recruiting, in my view is a little overrated. A good coach has to coach up the players once they arrive on campus. University ball is different from high school or OVFL. As for Windsor, where there is smoke there is fire...I suspect if Morenchie does not get this team deep in the OUA season--I think it is time to fire Morenchie.

    I agree with the fact that Windsor has potential. Not to start rumours, a pretty good QB/WR who is currently on track to graduate from Fanshawe is set to enroll at Windsor next fall. Last year, this person had a 3.77 GPA. He wants to be in the business program. I think this athlete would make an excellent addition to Windsor football and the Windsor community.

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  3. I think this bit about needing a coach with a GTA connection is rubbish.
    Look at Western's roster...very few players from the GTA yet they do fine.

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  4. Ok...then if ALL of the players Windsor produced, stayed in Windsor...just like "back in day"...Windsor would actually be assured of being one of the better OUA units every single year. Unfortunately, NCAA rosters have about 6 or so Windsorites who would all be OUA all stars. Tell me, how much better would Windsor be if you added 6 all star calibre players? How much better would Windsor be in every OUA Windsor player stayed at home?

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  5. any1 know how i can watch the windsor vs blues game?

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  6. Windsor cable 11...

    Windsor wins 30-3...as UT breaks the shut out bid..with a last second FG.

    Why they didn't thrown the ball into the endzone is a mystery to me. I guess losing 30-3 sounds better than 30-0?

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  7. Lots of boys were recruited from other cities only to be put behind local players.

    Thats the Windsor philosophy, highlight the local grown, other than the Darryl show.

    What kind of message is this sending to the rest of the team/recruits who have been there practicing for years??

    Morencie's time has come and gone...if Windsor wants to become competetive again they need some football sense at the helm.

    Why isn't something done about this, year in year out same old stuff...2 wins...maybe 3 if a team doesn't show up.

    Feel sorry for the kids, they don't know who's pulling the strings, same old stuff...Grace step up and do something.

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  8. Its a successful program that needs to be built each year, not a successful team, which seems to be the focus of this current staff. Lets be honest good programs take a few years of recruiting quality players who also have the ability to stay in school and graduate and not flunk out after 1 or 2 years. You can't build a program with players like that. Morencie has had his chance and year after year look at his record, one winning season in what.....12 or 14 season's???? Each year they get there 2-3 wins against bad teams and that is all.....Morencie wants to be his players friends and not a coach who turns these players into successful young men in football and in life......how many players quit this program because they dedicate 2-4 years in the program and don't even dress on special teams...that is how you build a program, those players who are there year after year committing to workouts and improving and eventually showing experience and leadership to the rookies. But those guys end up quitting or leaving because some rookie or american transfer or flunk out gets the political start or oppourtunity ahead of the ones who make a program what it is. You also need coaches who have played and coached in winning atmospeheres and teams. I'm tired of watching a program with much potential continually be the one of the 3 laughing stocks of the OUA....believe me that's what they are....this program needs to be totally revamped, and until that time it will continue to contribute to a lackluster tradition of disappointing football for the windsor area.

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  9. The problem is very clear. You have a staff and an athletic director that are bent on playing local players first, even though they have much better talent that never gets to see the field. The university should get a quality coach and expand their network into the hot beds of high school football. If this continues, it's just a matter of time before U of T and York get better and Windsor will become the punching bag of the division.

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  10. As an alumni of Windsor (class of 89) it is a disappointment that the team has fallen to such depths....I have both faith and )the program will turn around under Gord Grace...it has started with a new stadium rather than "playing on the road" which the other stadium was often called...next will be a complete house cleaning of ALL coaching staff...no one shoudl be left...then hire a coach who has the energy and drive to recruit players down the 401 with an opportunity to play (sometimes right away)and build the program the right way...when Greg Marshall went to Mac the program was brutal and he built that program up to and past the point of being competitiive...and really that is all thats needed...a team that competes and whether they win or lose the opponent walks off the field having respect for them...that has not been the case in a long time

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  11. As a fan of the Lancers, and an alimni(class of 01) I must say that the last game against Waterloo was a disgrace. No defence present in the game, worse there were no adjustments, no offence or offensive plays that worked other than the td that was called back by a questionable call. Special teams had some bright signs only to be let down by turnovers. Mike, let me make a suggestion to you, when something isn't working, your suppossed to adjust, not hold on to those plays that aren't working.
    Your article in the CBC today was hilarious. You talked about losing your leader Sam and thats the reason you lost. If your putting your hopes on a 2nd year qb that has had injuries from game 1, you better start packing right now. Sam was down 14 or 17-0 before he took himself out to another injury at Waterloo. Didn't look like the team was being led at that time, in fact the only spark of hope was when the back-up qb made a td throw. Don't know why your so high on one guy on the team. Penalties and bad play calls are a result of bad coaching, not players, thats what lost the game. Your team didn't feel bad they lost their qb, they felt bad that there were no adjustments or answers to the Waterloo offence, I don't know why you put so much emphasis on your starter qb, maybe one day it will come out in the wash, you should of started building a team with all players getting the pat on the back, not just one. Good luck with your resume....

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  12. First of all, there is a lot of truth to the part of the situation between Coach Bins and the administration of the athletic department, however, he was not fired. Bins decided not to be a distraction for the team heading into the season and stepped down.

    I too am a Windsor grad and former SID with the Blue and Gold as well as having served as a member of the media who covered the previous and current regimes.

    A couple of issues at play according to my sources within ARS tell me that there may not be any changes coming this season, depending on some outstanding issues with the CBA for coaches.

    Second, and this tends to happen a lot when a team thinks its better than its record in the CIS, some players sometimes think they can do better with a different coach. Fact is, and it pains me to say this, the Lancers could very well be 1-3 this season instead of 2-2.

    Finally, Millan has played in less than two full games this season. The fact is that the Lancers offence is going to struggle this season as it did a year ago without a bonafide #1 pivot.

    Anyone, outside of the Blue and Gold, who thought this season, with the schedule the Lancers had, were going to finish above .500 were kidding themselves. This is a team that might make the playoffs, if they beat Ottawa in week 8 and get some help. Otherwise, it's wait until next year.

    But I'll tell you this, it's a helluva lot better than what I lived through watching as a student in the mid-to-late 90s.

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  13. One last item, Gino might have been from Windsor, but he was recruited to come back to the U of W to start the football program in the mid-60s after a hall of fame playing and coaching career with the Eskimos and the Golden Bears.

    Anyone who knocks his credentials as might have occured earlier, doesn't know how well Gino is respected in football ranks.

    Muss, well, he won a Vanier with Guelph - but I have to admit, I was one of his biggest critics at the end of his tenure. Although he played for Windsor, he also coached St FX and won a couple of then AUAA coach of the year awards.

    Morencie guided AKO during some of its best years...

    Point I am trying to make here is that the Lancers coaches have been qualified when they were hired. Morencie came from the local high school system as well...

    Sorta like Greg Marshall did at McMaster - where he coached in the local high school system before getting the nod at the Marauders hc.

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  14. John, John, John....

    Gotta tell ya, besides overstating your credentials (media member covering the team is a bit of stretch)being an apologist for UW coaches is not a flattering role for you or anyone else.

    Gino had a couple good years, yes, but his overall record leaves a lot to be desired...he is a stellar person, however, but his leadership of the Lancers wa unfortunately mediocre.

    Musselman was a bust....had lost the desire to do what it took to succeed and Mike M. had one coup....getting Stephenson from London....the lustre is gone....he's now just holding out til Matt goes gets the best pro deal he can and that's what it's ben about for 2 seasons now...why else would he weaken the team by moving him to centre?

    What Lancer alumni need now is not apologists but activists....players by and large lobbied to have Musselman released.

    This one will be up to the alumni and it should happen soon if anyone really cares about the team.

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  15. Windsor should quit recruiting boys from other cites if they are not going to play them. Show Casing the local boys is fine but at some point you have to use your most talented players if you want to compete. If you are going to play your star recruits you should let them go play somewhere else. Morencie has got to be the worst coach I have ever seen. They will continue losing until he is gone and a new attitude, a winning attitude is established.

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  16. Completely agree unfortunately.

    Morencie's recruiting ability is fantastic. Stephenson, Franklin, Glavic, etc.

    Morencie's coaching is horrible. Most players can't stand him. He commands little respect, and he is unable to change when something isn't working.

    Windsor has a solid fanbase, and should be able to build on many things- success of Stephenson, new stadium, etc. in recruiting efforts.

    Bottom line- Morencie is hurting Lancer football.

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  17. When an orchestra performance is lack-lustre, the musicians and the public look to the conducter to inspire and present a masterpiece. In not showcasing the obvious talent on this team, everyone remains uninspired. Inrerceptions are not half as embarrasing as running the same plays over and over until your opponent knows them so well that they can mindlessly inflict defeat. At this low point in the season, this team needs to experiment with some surprise plays. Nothing ventured-nothing gained.

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