Courtesy Montreal Gazette:

The Montreal Alouettes weren’t prepared to make Chris Jones their next head coach, so now they’ve lost him as their defensive co-ordinator.

Jones has resurfaced in Calgary, where he has a three-year contract to serve as the Stampeders’ defensive co-ordinator. Although Jones has no history with John Hufnagel, the Stamps’ new head coach and general manager, he was strongly recommended to Hufnagel by Jim Barker, Calgary’s outgoing GM.

Jones’s departure might shed some light on the next Alouettes head coach. If Montreal was leaning to someone with an offensive background, it likely would have begged the highly-respected Jones to stay. To let Jones leave might indicate the Alouettes will hire someone with a defensive background.

Both Greg Marshall and Richie Hall, the defensive co-ordinators for Winnipeg and Saskatchewan, respectively, have interviewed with Montreal. Marshall has been invited back for a second interview.

Meanwhile, neither Steve Buratto, Toronto’s offensive co-ordinator, or former Calgary head coach Tom Higgins indicated they’ve been summoned for another interview.

There could be a new candidate in the mix - Marc Trestman, who was a guest coach at Montreal’s training camp in 2007. Trestman has 17 years of National Football League experience, and was Oakland’s offensive co-ordinator when the Raiders reached the Super Bowl in 2003.

Charlie Taaffe is also out of the running after Hamilton’s new general manager, Bob O’Billovich, announced Thursday that Taaffe was remaining with the Tiger-Cats.

Not hiring Jones also indicates the Alouettes have no interest in promoting from within. That means offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille can be scratched as a candidate, despite being interviewed. What remains to be determined is whether Bellefeuille becomes the third co-ordinator from Jim Popp’s staff to leave, following Jones and special teams co-ordinator Noel Thorpe, who signed with Edmonton last month.

Although Bellefeuille has a year remaining on his contract, Taaffe said Thursday he could have an interest in him. But the Ticats require permission from the Alouettes before any talks can occur.

Once he understood he wasn’t going to be Montreal’s next head coach, Jones told Wetenhall and president Larry Smith he was pulling out of the race last Tuesday. The Stamps, originally denied permission to talk with Jones, flew him to Calgary on Wednesday, where he met with Hufnagel well into the night.

“I put my best foot forward. I pulled my name out prematurely, because I didn’t feel I was the leading candidate,” said Jones, who spent six years with the Als - the last five as a co-ordinator. “My contract’s up (Dec. 31) and there was no guarantee the new head coach would keep me.

“It’s a business decision they have to make. They never owe you something because of longevity. They have to feel you’re the best, and they never gave me that idea. I’m not hurt, but I am disappointed.”

Although the Als had a poor 8-10 record under Popp, Montreal’s defence was competitive, allowing an average of 20.9 points per game.

“It’s time to move in a different direction and recreate,” Jones said. “Prove I can do it somewhere else.”