Courtesy Calgary Herald:

The body of work is complete and Tom Higgins awaits judgment.

The Calgary Stampeders head coach/vice-president of football operations will be evaluated tonight when team president Ted Hellard meets with the executive committee — John Forzani, Bob Viccars, Doug Mitchell — to discuss their next course of action.

The Stampeders’ season ended abruptly on Sunday evening with a 26-24 road loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Division semifinal. The result did nothing to help Higgins, whose future is item No. 1 on their agenda.

In his third season as head coach, Higgins is expected to be replaced by former Stamps assistant John Hufnagel after the Grey Cup, which will be played Nov. 25 in Toronto.

“I would hope they’d do it (meet) sooner than later, to start their thought process with what happens from this point going forward,” Higgins said on Monday. “It does affect a lot of people.

“There’s a ripple effect when something happens to a head coach. There’s a wife and three children, but also there’s a whole coaching staff here that really sits in limbo and wonders if there’s a change. If something were to happen, what happens to them?”

Historically under this regime, Stamps brass has met shortly after every Canadian Football League season and reacted quickly to pressing issues.

With Higgins, the choice simply is whether to retain him for a fourth season in his current role, fire him or re-assign him to a different area within the club.

The latter is a strong possibility because Higgins has more than a decade of experience working behind the scenes as a general manager of operations with the Edmonton Eskimos. He brings myriad skills, credibility and personality to the table.

Considering the Stamps finished this season with a 7-10-1 record — decreasing wins for a second-consecutive season — and failed to win a playoff game for the third year in a row, Higgins doesn’t stand a chance to keep his spot.

“We’re going to meet, lay down what issues are and a decision will come quickly of whether or not we want to move,” said Hellard.

But Higgins understands the precariousness of his status.

While players cleaned out their lockers on Monday afternoon, Higgins addressed a deep media corps that quizzed him meticulously about his future.

He said all the right things and absolutely refused to concede defeat.

“I’m the head coach of the Calgary Stampeders until I’m told otherwise,” he said. “And until I’m told otherwise, I relish being the head coach of the Calgary Stampeders football club.

“I have no regrets, absolutely no regrets whatsoever. I enjoy every day that I come to work. I actually don’t consider what I do work. I actually enjoy it that much and let’s just see what happens.”

Looking back at the campaign, Higgins said the highlight was defeating the Eskimos three times during the regular season. Another source of pride was increasing the level of professionalism and respect exhibited by his players.

Low points included the playoff loss and firing defensive co-ordinator Denny Creehan with just over a month remaining in the season.

All told, he has his head up and awaits word on his fate.

“The moment that any professional coach takes a job, he knows he’s putting his neck out on the line,” said Higgins, explaining how matters are beyond his control. “They will make up their own mind. I don’t know that they’ll come to me and say, ‘What’s the pros and cons of this football team? Where are we going? Where are we headed?’ “