October 30, 2018

Heads held high as Eskimos prepare for final game

Walter Tychnowicz, CFL.ca

EDMONTON — Spending the week off, Mike Reilly was on the East Coast for a wedding the night the Winnipeg Blue Bombers faced off against the Calgary Stampeders, a game which Reilly and the Eskimos found themselves in a rare situation — cheering for the Stamps.

A win by the Stampeders would have extended the Eskimos playoff hopes to the final week of the regular season as they would prepare to take on the Blue Bombers for the final remaining playoff spot. Unfortunately for Edmonton, luck was not on their side as the Bombers punched their ticket to the playoffs with a 29-21 victory.

It’s an unfortunate way for the Eskimos season to end with just one remaining game before they clean out their lockers and their off-season gets underway in a season where the Grey Cup will be hosted in their stadium towards the end of November.

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Positive perspective towards Week 21’s game against Winnipeg has Jason Maas ensuring his squad is focused as his team looks to make the most of their last remaining week together. (The Canadian Press)

Despite missing the playoffs, the Green and Gold are keeping their heads held high as they get ready for one more game together, and that’s the case that trickles down from the head office.

“It’s not meaningless… a lot of pride,” Eskimos GM/VP Brock Sunderland said on the outlook for this week’s game against Winnipeg. “Going 9-9 is a lot better than going 8-10. If anyone out here thinks this is meaningless, they won’t be here.”

Last year’s MOP Mike Reilly, to no surprise, is also taking the high road in taking responsibility for the season’s outcome, but still finding worth in this final game at home.

“We’ve got a game here at home and our guys can choose to go one of two ways, and that’s to pout about it and be negative or show up and get ready to work,” Reilly said on Monday following practice. “I think if today is indicative of how the week’s going to go, the guys are ready and excited to play.”

“It’s unfortunate for us, but at the same time, we put ourselves in that situation,” Reilly added.

It marks the first time the Eskimos will fail to make it to the post-season since 2013. That season just so happened to be Reilly’s first year in Edmonton, with less than a handful of guys who’ve been in Edmonton longer than he has.

“I think the guys understand this is our last opportunity to be together as this football team for 2018, so go out there and prepare for the week, as we do every other week, and do everything we can to go out and put on a good show and get a win,” Reilly said.

With the Eskimos off-season starting earlier than planned, it gives front office personnel to begin evaluating players on a different scale compared to how they would have over the course of the season. But as Sunderland says, it’s situations like this one that shows what players are made out of.

“It’s a test of a lot of things,” he said. “The word, again, is pride. Yes, professionalism, but it’s not just about a paycheque. When you talk about professionalism, yeah, you’re showing up and you’ve got a job to do, this should hit everyone in the heart and their soul.”

Sunderland said he was quite pleased in seeing his team return back from their bye week and approach practice with the level of energy he knew they were capable of, especially considering the conditions of their situation.

“It’s easy to practice hard and be all in when things are going your way,” he said. “True champions find a way when things aren’t going your way. Right now, how we handle this game is going to set the tone for next season and I’m very aware of what’s going on.”

As Reilly looks at it, approaching this week with a positive attitude goes beyond just the individuals who are currently associated with the organization, but rather pays homage to the history and tradition the Eskimos organization has been built upon.

“Anytime you put on the Green and Gold and step into this stadium and play a football game, you better play with a high level of pride, and play with the same attitude that all the guy’s who’ve come through before us and played on this team, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Reilly said.

The Eskimos will hope to finish the season off with one final victory at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium, drawing their record to .500 before getting a head start on their off-season preparation. Kickoff for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET.