Maciocia says 'lack of on-field disciple' contributed to Jones' firing

A day after firing head coach Khari Jones and defensive coordinator Barron Miles, Montreal Alouettes general manager and now interim head coach Danny Maciocia discussed the early season dismissals.

#AlsMTL GM/HC Danny Maciocia says a lack of on-field discipline for the last two seasons was a principal reason for Khari Jones’ dismissal. Second factor was the offence’s struggles in the red zone. Starting QB for next week will be announced on Sunday. #CFL @TSN_Edge

#AlsMTL GM/HC Danny Maciocia says DC Barron Miles’ dismissal stemmed from the team’s defensive identity changing, over which some players raised concerns. Maciocia said Tre Watson’s incidents with a teammate & coach in SK “summarized some of what we’ve been experiencing.” #CFL

Maciocia said a lack of on-field discipline with Jones leading the way over the past two seasons was the main reason for the firing. 

Maciocia notes the tipping point came last week against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Defensive lineman Michael Wakefield was ejected for a pair of misconduct penalties, while Tre Watson had incidents with a teammate and coach. Maciocia also mentioned the Als' struggles in the offensive red zone as a reason for Jones' dismissal. 

“We would lock up and get nervous,” he said. 

The Als have gotten off to a 1-3 record to start 2022 and are 2-7 in their last nine games.

“This kind of decision is always difficult to make, but we felt that we needed to make it early in the season while there is still time,” Maciocia said in a statement. "We want to thank Khari Jones and Barron Miles for their work, and wish them the best in the future”.

After coming aboard as offensive coordinator in 2018, Jones became head coach of the team just prior to the beginning of the 2019