Mar
Timing is Key for Als Trestman
Courtesy Montreal Gazette:
Marc Trestman believes everyone has a skeleton, or two, in their closet. But other than graduating from the University of Miami with a law degree – fill in your punchline here – it’s hard to imagine what crosses there are for him to bear.
He’s tall and lanky, with a thinning patch of dark hair. And he wears glasses, giving him the physical appearance of a computer geek, along with the stature of a Boston Marathon competitor. He’s clearly bright and articulate,
almost too soft-spoken to be a professional football coach. It’s no wonder he did well in the job interview when Alouettes owner Robert Wetenhall and president Larry Smith began their exhaustive search almost four months ago for a new head coach.
Trestman has spent a lifetime in football, building an impressive résumé at the collegiate and pro levels, through National Football League stops at Minnesota (twice), Tampa Bay, Cleveland, San Francisco, Detroit, Arizona, Oakland and Miami, and at the university level with Miami and North Carolina State. He once was out of the game for four years, which should have been the kiss of death for his career. It wasn’t. Instead, he landed on his feet as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
If there’s one surprise, it’s that it has taken Trestman more than two decades to land his first head-coaching gig. He and Bill Cowher once were young assistants on the Browns’ staff. Today, Cowher is a television commentator, having coached the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 seasons, winning one Super Bowl, while Trestman is preparing for the challenge of his life.
