Darrell Davis: Jones’ motivational tactic may work on Riders

We’ll see if Chris Jones’ rant pays dividends on Thursday night.

That’s when his team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, resumes its CFL schedule with a rematch against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Jones stopped a recent workout to tell his players he wasn’t happy with their practice habits, blaming their sloppiness on the team’s 2-2 record.

There are numerous ways to motivate athletes, so coaches in many sports try this tactic. Being infuriated sometimes works. There are other methods. One of the most effective is threatening professional players with their jobs. Of course, teams need to have players available who can replace the less-than-motivated players who aren’t performing. But the Roughriders have decided against bringing in extra players to challenge their front-liners.

Another sloppy performance, particularly on offence, where the team has scored just four touchdowns in four games, would create much more concern. But another coaching outburst won’t work a second time, particularly if it didn’t work the first time.