If they still have a chance, this is their last one. If the decision hasn't already been made and the Renegades really and truly do hope their coach returns next season, they will show so today.

If they want any input in the call, if they want a say in the fate of their beloved Joe Paopao, they will handily thrash the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Frank Clair Stadium.

They can put up, or they can shut up.

Being just close again won't do. Coming out on top in a squeaker won't prove a thing, either. The Ticats will be more concerned with staying healthy than winning.

Their thoughts will be straying somewhat to next Friday's playoff matchup with the Toronto Argonauts.

The Renegades don't have such luck. They'll spend tomorrow packing up their belongings and cleaning out their lockers.

They'll very soon be departing to their various homes and those who sincerely care about this team will take time over the next seven months to ponder what went wrong in 2004.

They will remember all the injuries, and they will recall horrendous officiating that probably cost them two wins. But unless there's a dramatic change of tune, none of them will blame Paopao.

You could look a long time before finding a team of players who genuinely love their coach more.

In almost 20 years of sports reporting, we never have. There is not a man in that locker room who will say a bad word about Paopao, either on or off the record. Despite the losses, they believe in him and still want to play for him.

"I don't know what it is, but I think the decision has already been made," said offensive tackle Alexandre Gauthier, a player Paopao benched earlier this season.

"I only hope the owners know this is not Joe's fault. I'm pretty sure if any other coach would have been here, it would have been worse. At least he kept our spirits up and kept the team together.

"You know, everybody always says he is such a good guy. But he's not just a good guy. He's a good coach. He knows when he has to push us harder. People have to understand, it's the players who didn't get the job done."

Offering similar sentiments was linebacker Jason Kralt, another guy who would have liked to have seen more field time this season.

"As players, we're concerned that if they start over again, you're looking at another three years of expansion-team play," said Kralt. "It's not my dollar, and it's not my team, but if it was, I wouldn't completely start over.

"Whether that means keeping Joe or keeping the players, I don't know, but (coaches) only get so many pieces of the puzzle to work with. If it's not working, is the coach to blame? I would start changing the pieces. The players are the ones who play the game.

"He has always gone to bat for his players," Kralt added of Paopao. "If they do decide to get rid of him, as players we are going to be very disappointed."

Ultimately, it is believed Paopao's tenure will either end or extend pending the result of an ownership struggle waged by the two majority shareholders.

There's some talk both Paopao and GM Eric Tillman stand a better chance of returning if Randy Gillies winds up in control, although it's also believed Gillies is more likely to sell his shares to Bill Smith.

Either way, a convincing victory this afternoon should be looked at as a statement of support for Paopao by his players. While a 6-12 season will still be a bitter finish, it'll be much smoother to swallow than 5-13.

Paopao, meanwhile, wears the "L" the heaviest. The season has been hard on him, and now he will get no relief until after the Grey Cup.

Asked yesterday about ownership's decision to put off all major announcements until after the league's showcase game, he replied: "I'm sure people would rather know sooner than later in life, but in our business, that's the way it is."

Later, he was told his players were pointing blame for the team's woes at themselves.

"We're all in this boat together, there's no two boats," he said. "We came up short and we're all responsible, for multiple reasons. It's good that players take accountability, it's good that coaches take accountability. It's on us.

"If we finish on a good note, I'll be happy."

It's up to the players now. It's up to them to put a smile on Paopao's face with a thorough win today.

It may be their parting gift to him, or maybe, just maybe, it may be a way to save their coach's head.

don.brennan@ott.sunpub.com