Jamie Nye: Riders are not better without Jones

If you’re mad at Chris Jones for leaving the Roughriders, I suggest you divert your anger elsewhere.

Nobody should knock Jones for doing something we’d all do if a dream opportunity landed at our feet.

However, some are saying good riddance.

Pardon?

5 wins, 10 wins, 12 wins was the path the Riders were on with Jones at the helm. How his departure is a good thing for the Riders is a strange take. Sure, maybe you think they paid up too much for a vagabond coach who was bound to continue his upward trajectory in football. But in the short term, this as much as a punch to the gut as it would be if the Eskimos or Stamps lost Mike Reilly or Bo Levi Mitchell this off-season.

Jones was the Roughriders. His personality and mindset was the ‘Riders Way’ for three seasons. Sure, he had his flaws. There isn’t a quarterback. But he was able to win a lot of games without a franchise QB.

What are the Riders without him in 2019? We don’t know. But I can almost guarantee it won’t be better.