GM-coach duo assures long-term stability for Esks

CFL.ca Staff

EDMONTON — It took only a year for the Edmonton Eskimos to see the mountains of potential in their head coach-general manager duo.

Brock Sunderland and Jason Maas were rewarded with contract extensions through the year 2020 on Tuesday, a move that seemingly assures long-term stability both on and off the field for one of the league’s most storied franchises.

Maas was hired as the team’s head coach in 2016, while Sunderland came aboard a year ago after previous GM Ed Hervey was let go abruptly.

“We’ve been talking for the last couple of months and trying to iron things out,” said Maas. “I was very thrilled that Brock came to me and asked about an extension early so we had time to discuss it.

“I’m also thankful that Brock got his extension. It shows that the organization believes in the direction we’re going and what we believe in, what it takes to win a championship and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”

Jason Maas has coached the Eskimos to a 22-14 record in his two seasons (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)

The Eskimos shocked the league when they announced Hervey’s dismissal on April 7 last year, a last-minute change that could have been a shock to the system in Edmonton — a dark cloud over the field and an excuse for failure in 2017. But the relationship between Maas and Sunderland made Hervey’s departure possible to overcome.

Winners of 12 regular season games, the Eskimos came to within four points of appearing in the Grey Cup, falling to their provincial rival Calgary in the Western Final.

“The type of guy Brock is, the way he approached the situation last year, definitely was what it took to make a bad situation turn into a positive,” said Maas. “The timing of it was not great, but at the end of the day Brock made it work. Len obviously made a great hire figuring out which kind of guy would work in that situation.”

Another obstacle overcome by the head coach-GM tandem was an historic injury bug, testing the Eskimos’ ability both to stay under the salary cap and perform on the field.

The running back and linebacker positions were hit the hardest, but the roster was affected by injuries at virtually every position but the quarterback, including the kicker.

For a rookie general manager, Sunderland described it as a baptism by fire.

“There are two former NFL GMs I lean on a lot for advice and they’re mentors of mine,” he said. “I called them about halfway through the year and said ‘here’s what’s going on, how did you handle it’ and both of them laughed at me and said ‘we never had that, we never had that in all of our 15, 20, 30 years’ and one of them 50 years.

“A little bit of baptism by fire, but if you can survive that, you would hope that anything that comes up again you’re ready for and, knock on wood, we’ll never have to go through that again.”

Brock Sunderland was tested in his first season as a GM, hit with an unprecedented number of injuries (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)

Maas and Sunderland are both enjoying a meteoric rise at their respective positions, and have the chance to build something unique if they can continue their success in Edmonton.

Sunderland became the youngest general manager in the CFL when he was hired by the Eskimos last year at age 37. He started with the Alouettes in 2004 as a regional scout, becoming the director of scouting from 2005-2007 before taking a job as a pro scout with the NFL’s New York Jets. He returned to Canada in 2013, serving as the Ottawa REDBLACKS’ assistant GM for four seasons.

In what’s become an era of young head coaches across the league, with former players Mike O’Shea and Dave Dickenson also rising among the coaching ranks, Maas was only 40 when he was named head coach of the Eskimos. The former CFL quarterback of 12 seasons started coaching in 2012 as the Argos’ quarterbacks coach, winning a Grey Cup his first year on the sideline. After a promotion to offensive coordinator with Ottawa in 2015, Maas was hired by the Eskimos in 2016.

Many will characterize Maas for his fiery demeanor on the sideline, but the Eskimos’ coach has been successful so far, guiding his team to a 22-14 record in two seasons.

While the head coach-GM relationship is characterized as one of the most important in football, the next box to check off belongs to quarterback Mike Reilly. Reilly can become a free agent in 2019, but a new contract could be delayed with the uncertainty surrounding the collective bargaining agreement.

After trading James Franklin this off-season, the Eskimos hope to get plenty more mileage out of their 33-year-old quarterback, who’s coming off a career year and a Most Outstanding Player honour.

“I don’t discuss contract negotiations publicly but I’ll say there’s been some communication,” said Sunderland. “We want Mike here, we’ve made that very obvious to his representation. We believe he wants to be here.

“The CBA and the ratification of it is going to play a big part of it. Right now that’s a huge point of emphasis. That’s hindering negotiations on all levels.”

– With files from Esks.com

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