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Team Canada skip John Morris during curling action at the Brier in Calgary, Tuesday, March 3, 2015.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

John Morris shook up his team midway through the Canadian men's curling championship by demoting himself to third and handing the house to Pat Simmons to skip.

The first Team Canada to play in a Tim Hortons Brier doubled Jamie Koe of Northwest Territories 6-3 with the altered lineup Tuesday afternoon. They were 3-3 heading into the Brier's Battle of Alberta at night against the host province skipped by Kevin Koe.

After giving up four points in steals in a loss to Saskatchewan the previous evening, Morris suggested the switch.

"We just needed a spark. Something wasn't clicking," he said. "I think our best chance to win this is making that move.

"I thought our options were, keeping doing what we're doing and go .500 at the Brier and sort of fade away into the sunset or make a change and still try to win this thing."

Simmons has previous experience skipping teams at Briers, but he says the last time he called the shots was in 2010.

"It wasn't in the master plan that's for sure," Simmons said. "It's not everyone's wish to get halfway into the Brier (and change) when you haven't skipped in five years.

"The good news is I've skipped at this level before. It's just a matter of finding those skip legs and making a few draws under pressure."

When asked if the switch would remain in place for the duration of the Brier, Simmons replied: "As far as I know, until I hear otherwise."

Northern Ontario's Brad Jacobs stayed undefeated and out in front at 6-0. The reigning Olympic champions flattened Adam Casey's young team from Prince Edward Island 11-1.

Jacobs, third Ryan Fry and the front end of E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden have a reputation for first-pumping and broom-shaking after executing big shots. But the foursome has been quietly and ruthlessly efficient so far this tournament.

"That's a testament to how well the guys are playing in front of me," Jacobs said. "I don't want to have to make a big shot like that if we don't have to. The wide-open shots, the wide-open draws for two, I'm getting a lot of simple shots at my position, which I should make and the guys are playing really well.

"We've been really intense and really into all the games. We haven't had a big burst of emotion or energy, but we've got lots of games left. I'm sure it will happen."

Saskatchewan's Steve Laycock was 4-1 with a game remaining at night. Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador recovered from a pair of losses to join Laycock at four wins. Newfoundland downed New Brunswick's Jeremy Mallais 10-2 to get to 4-2.

Alberta and Manitoba's Reid Carruthers were both 3-2 with games to play at night. Quebec's Jean-Michel Menard defeated B.C.'s Jim Cotter 8-6 to put both teams at 3-3 alongside Team Canada.

Ontario's Mark Kean was 2-3, while P.E.I. dropped to 2-4. New Brunswick fell to 1-5 and the Northwest Territories was winless after six games. The top four teams at the conclusion of the round robin Friday qualify for the Page playoffs.

Morris felt if his team had any chance of finishing top four, a change was necessary now.

"We're too competitive to not make playoffs," he said. "We really believe we can win this thing and if that means having to re-shuffle a little bit here and there and adapt to the situation, so be it.

Morris played third for Kevin Martin from 2006 to 2013. They won Olympic gold in 2010 as well as a pair of Canadian championships and a world title. Simmons, 40, skipped Saskatchewan in four Briers from 2005 to 2008.

Simmons and the front end of Carter Rycroft and Nolan Thiessen won last year's Brier with Koe at skip. Koe left to form a new team.

His former teammates recruited Morris, who intended to take this season off from curling but agreed to join them in wearing the Maple Leaf in Calgary.

They didn't play a heavy schedule this winter because of family and job commitments. They instead got together for training camps at the Glencoe Club in Calgary.

"This is something we might have learned earlier in the year," Morris said. "We just didn't play enough to know."

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