CFL.ca
It all started back on June 1.
The first day of training camp at Commonwealth Stadium which also was the first time new head coach Chris Jones and his coaching staff started the Eskimos’ on-field journey.
Fast forward to the middle of October and the Eskimos are back in the Grey Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2012, and are very likely to be playing the post-season in the Western Division for the first time since 2011.
The Eskimos clinched a playoff spot with a convincing and dominating win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by a score of 41-9 on Thanksgiving Day. The team has hit the 10-win mark for only the third time since the Eskimos last won the Grey Cup back in 2005. So how have the Eskimos been able to turnaround this team from a dismal 4-14 campaign a year ago?
“We expect to win and our staff does a great job of preparing our players and our players have bought what we’ve been selling from day one,” said Jones.
“We wanted to bring a physical brand of football both offensively and defensively and the kicking game. We wanted to be a solid football team.”
The Eskimos right now have improved by six wins from last season which is a new club record and quarterback Mike Reilly says a winning attitude now persists within the organization.
“I’ve said all year that has been the biggest change and that’s what has got us to this point,” Reilly said. “The expectation to win every game and come out here and do whatever is necessary and it makes it more fun. A year ago it wasn’t all that enjoyable to come out here and practice. Knowing that you are going to the post-season helps makes things fun.”
Winning should be an easy sell, especially for the 36 players from last season who had to endure the pain of that 4-14 record.
General Manager Ed Hervey wanted to hire a head coach who would be detailed, prepared, and demanding which led to the hiring of Jones.
Jones then assembled a coaching staff he could work very well with, a great mix of youth and experience who share in the same vision of forging that winning attitude. Then both Hervey and Jones assembled a roster that has been described as having great depth and character.
Of the 36 players who returned from last season, 20 were starters. This season 11 new players have started for the Eskimos because of either injury or simply just better than player who started last season. Many more players have excelled in special teams and situational roles.
The Eskimos lost six games in 2013 by a cumulative deficit of 20 points. That means the team for the most part put themselves in a position to win games but didn’t know do it.
In similar situations this season the players who are here from last season have learned the lessons from those failures and are better equipped in those situations. What is also not present this season are the numerous sidelines gaffes which included disorganization, ill-prepared game plans, and play-calling.
To me that is the biggest difference. Yes the players play the game and for the most part the games are won and lost on what they do. Coaching is all about preparing players and putting them in the best position to succeed.
The Edmonton Eskimos are tough, physical, fast, and aggressive football team in all three phases. The Eskimos have a solid understanding of their identity and they don’t waver. On defence, players are put in a box they are instructed to fly to the football. On offence they control the game with the clock, creating first downs, moving the ball down the field, and winning the line of scrimmage. Stay aggressive of special teams.
With a playoff spot wrapped up the Eskimos now focus their sights on a home playoff game and can greatly improve their chances with a win Sunday in Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
There are still challenges facing this group.
One is their youth, but they can they overcome it. Secondly is the amount of penalties they still take, which is still too many as the team sits tied for second in the CFL in average penalties taken per game (11.8).
Last, is this team ready to take the next step and move up into the class of the Riders (even without Durant) and the Calgary Stampeders?
The Riders are the defending Grey Cup champions and have great experience. Without Durant the Riders seem vulnerable and the Eskimos already hold a victory against them. The Stampeders are another story, the best team in the CFL who have survived injuries and in the last two meetings with the Eskimos looked like the superior team.
Make no mistake, the Eskimos are back to being a formidable foe and it’s because of the attitude and expectation to win every week.
“We have great character in our room and they want to win,” Chris Jones said. “They wanted to win since the first day they walked in here.”
Yep, it all started back on June 1.
