Elks: Edmonton Eskimos 2018 v2

[Tyrolean]

Esks not a very good team. I said it at the beginning of the year. They lost too many good defensive players. Complete lack of discipline will kill the team in the end.

 

[Drivesaitl]

A day later and I'm feeling the same way. This was not on Reilly. This was a good QB performance from the best player in the CFL by a mile.

Some points;

1)Reilly execution in first half was flawless. You can't execute an offense better than this. 3TD's delivered, Moving the ball up field consistently.

2)Reilly execution of option was on another level last night. Every season I think that I've seen Reilly the best he can be he continues to amaze. On several plays last night Reilly executed the option to perfection. He's nearing NFL ability in his reads and what play he goes with. He's routinely making hot reads look so easy he makes the CFL look silly on most night.

3)That Reilly execution is this good with the Eskimos offense changing as much as it has is uncanny. Season to season it doesn't matter who his receivers are, who his RB is, who his line is, he's just in another league.

4) Drop down reads. What other QB in the league finds Behar in the endzone like that. Who finds Giguere in the flat like that. Who can consistently make a 50/50 ball on receivers not getting open such money. Reilly does this day in day out and its not being appreciated.

5)Reilly last night has 299yds, and I come here and he's being skewered for the loss. You won't see a CFL QB play a better half unless its Mike Reilly. Heres a difference. BC made excellent coaching adjustments at half time. That was the game. In one instance Reilly perfectly executes a screen option, hits receiver in the flat after the best handoff fake you ever see at this level of ball (even Gable thought he had the ball for a moment) and Leos still cover full field and stop the gain for 1yd. You can't execute a play better and it was a one yard gain. Reilly was reading heat several times in 2nd half and getting the ball away and Esks not makng gains. On one of these dumps Duke gets absolutely blown up in the flat.

6)Neither pick or fumble was on Reilly. First was a tip for interception ball. 2nd at end of game was a hail mary where he was able to have Duke one on one in the endzone with the game on the line. As a QB have to take that given Duke is the leading receiver in the league. The play fails because Duke does not complete the pattern, is not where he should be, and because he isn't Zylstra or Bowman or even Walker.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I remember when they used to give out the free ticket vouchers to kids in all the area schools. First week of school, free ticket for a kid to the Labour Day Rematch with a paying adult. And then they changed that to some other game late in the season against a non-descript opponent when the weather is getting cold. As far as I know now, the program no longer exists at all now.

On the concourse at the last game they had a draw for a Reilly jersey that you could enter with a small donation. The cause? Sending underprivileged kids to Eskimo games. Sounds great to me, I threw in my $5. But why the hell isn't the organization simply giving tickets to underprivileged kids, period? There are 25,000+ empty seats at every game ffs.

This next point isn't the Eskimos fault but liquor/licensing laws straight out of the bloody temperance movement era don't help bring in anybody in that 18-35 demographic that wasn't already a fan. I looked into starting my own party bus/pre-game tailgate type of thing. By the time I was even halfway through the AGLC document I knew it was a lost cause to even attempt it. It would be less hassle to build a spaceship and go to Jupiter than buy an old school bus and go to Commonwealth with an ounce of liquor on board with the Draconian laws this province flaunts.

This province has some of the most liberated laws in this country. For clarity the country is Draconian. Alberta is a constant leader in innovation in this regard and has some of the most liberal laws in Canada for Alcohol, food, marijuana.

Which is incredible as well as Alberta was a temperance province a short 45yrs ago. We have come a long way.

The legal liability of unsanctioned alcohol sales, or distribution in this country, would simply be an incredibly bad idea.

Agreed totally with the free voucher thing. This is traditionally how the esks used to grow their market and share its product with next generations. It has been that even before Commonwealth stadium. Why did they walk away from that? I feel like we're doing the stupid halftime concerts because the product didn't get to younger generations while they were in school. Every week we are hearing of young fans attending for the first time. Should not be the case to the degree that it is.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Esks get in free on the Labour day re-match
Kids Get In Free - Edmonton Eskimos

 

[joestevens29]

Good to see them bring back the program. Only issue is how long does it take to gain back what they loss? Seems like this program was gone for quite some time and now they have lost a solid group of young people that have now found other things to do.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Esks get in free on the Labour day re-match
Kids Get In Free - Edmonton Eskimos

Good to see them taking a step back in the right direction.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Good to see them taking a step back in the right direction.

They've done it occasionally over the last couple decades but not an annual thing or even a regular thing anymore. But I think theres been around a handful of these in last couple decades. used to be an annual promotion.

Just makes zero sense not to do it every year.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

This province has some of the most liberated laws in this country. For clarity the country is Draconian. Alberta is a constant leader in innovation in this regard and has some of the most liberal laws in Canada for Alcohol, food, marijuana.

Which is incredible as well as Alberta was a temperance province a short 45yrs ago. We have come a long way.

The legal liability of unsanctioned alcohol sales, or distribution in this country, would simply be an incredibly bad idea.

Agreed totally with the free voucher thing. This is traditionally how the esks used to grow their market and share its product with next generations. It has been that even before Commonwealth stadium. Why did they walk away from that? I feel like we're doing the stupid halftime concerts because the product didn't get to younger generations while they were in school. Every week we are hearing of young fans attending for the first time. Should not be the case to the degree that it is.

I've only really been to two provinces, but I have found BC's liquor laws much more lax than Alberta's.

For the record, I'm not saying it should be a total free for all, but a lot of the regulations fall into the realm of "fun police".

 

[joestevens29]

They've done it occasionally over the last couple decades but not an annual thing or even a regular thing anymore. But I think theres been around a handful of these in last couple decades. used to be an annual promotion.

Just makes zero sense not to do it every year.

Should be done for damn near every game across the league. There is really only 3 times the past few years that fill up, so maybe they don't do it.

But a team like Montreal that use to have good attendance and is going downhill could really benefit from this. Then again maybe less is better longterm in Montreal right now

 

[Kyle McMahon]

They've done it occasionally over the last couple decades but not an annual thing or even a regular thing anymore. But I think theres been around a handful of these in last couple decades. used to be an annual promotion.

Just makes zero sense not to do it every year.

They for sure had it every year for the Rematch from the mid 90s up until 2003 or so. I think they might have changed it to a different game the last year or two that I was in school. But yeah, why they ever changed it in the first place, who knows. The Rematch used to have 45,000+ every year, what an atmosphere that was.

 

[iCanada]

If you think Alberta has bad liquor laws go take a trip through Quebec, Ontario, and the maritimes. Lol.

They are all pretty much living in prohibition era compared to Alberta.

 

[guymez]

I remember when they used to give out the free ticket vouchers to kids in all the area schools. First week of school, free ticket for a kid to the Labour Day Rematch with a paying adult. And then they changed that to some other game late in the season against a non-descript opponent when the weather is getting cold. As far as I know now, the program no longer exists at all now.

On the concourse at the last game they had a draw for a Reilly jersey that you could enter with a small donation. The cause? Sending underprivileged kids to Eskimo games. Sounds great to me, I threw in my $5. But why the hell isn't the organization simply giving tickets to underprivileged kids, period? There are 25,000+ empty seats at every game ffs.

This next point isn't the Eskimos fault but liquor/licensing laws straight out of the bloody temperance movement era don't help bring in anybody in that 18-35 demographic that wasn't already a fan. I looked into starting my own party bus/pre-game tailgate type of thing. By the time I was even halfway through the AGLC document I knew it was a lost cause to even attempt it. It would be less hassle to build a spaceship and go to Jupiter than buy an old school bus and go to Commonwealth with an ounce of liquor on board with the Draconian laws this province flaunts.

I remember the voucher thing as well. It was a great idea...created a wonderful atmosphere for the Labor Day rematch.
That kind of stuff matters a lot more than a band at half time.

As for the Alberta liquor laws...you got me there. I dont know a whole lot about that.
I know that Canada as a whole is very archaic in terms of liquor laws compared to Europe. We are treated like juveniles over here comparatively speaking.

 

[guymez]

Good to see them bring back the program. Only issue is how long does it take to gain back what they loss? Seems like this program was gone for quite some time and now they have lost a solid group of young people that have now found other things to do.

Len Rhodes was too busy firing Hervey and wasting time on useless fan initiatives.

Glad to see he has figured out the kind of thing (targeting kids) that is really going to bring fans back to Commonwealth. Now how about a school program? Get the players into the community.
I remember when Larry Highbaugh used to play school volleyball teams by himself.

 

[rboomercat90]

If you think Alberta has bad liquor laws go take a trip through Quebec, Ontario, and the maritimes. Lol.

They are all pretty much living in prohibition era compared to Alberta.

I was surprised to read recently that they don’t have private liquor stores in Ontario. Seems like we’ve had them here forever. I remember what a pain in the ass it was having to buy your booze before 6pm or whenever it was that the ALCB stores closed for the night.

 

[rboomercat90]

Len Rhodes was too busy firing Hervey and wasting time on useless fan initiatives.

Glad to see he has figured out the kind of thing (targeting kids) that is really going to bring fans back to Commonwealth. Now how about a school program? Get the players into the community.
I remember when Larry Highbaugh used to play school volleyball teams by himself.

Larry Highbaugh was a pretty special guy in a much different time. I wonder how much today’s players want to do that kind of stuff.

 

[guymez]

Larry Highbaugh was a pretty special guy in a much different time. I wonder how much today’s players want to do that kind of stuff.

He was a special guy for sure. Exceptional athlete too.

I think that CFL players are smart enough to realize that if they want to keep playing in this League then the League has to survive. Without a strong fan base the League wont survive.
They need to connect with the fans or they will be out of work.

Stop the gimmicks (half time bands et al) and start to rebuild a connection with the fans again. Thats the only way people are going to truly care about this League IMO.

The CFL could be truly unique in the sense that while all the other pro Leagues are tightening security and reducing fan access to the players they could be doing the opposite.

 

[iCanada]

I was surprised to read recently that they don’t have private liquor stores in Ontario. Seems like we’ve had them here forever. I remember what a pain in the ass it was having to buy your booze before 6pm or whenever it was that the ALCB stores closed for the night.

I mean shit... before 6 PM on weeknights closed on weekends and holidays, government mandated pricing and supply caps, lack of brand diversity, etc.

My local liquor store is open all night, and we have craft brew stores all over the city that can import literally any alcoholic beverage from the entire world.

For example the Korean restaurant in Toronto didnt even have Soju because the demand wasn't enough for the LBCO to stock it. Just absurd.

 

[Valhallis]

Booze is what gets me through Eskimos games these days....

I've been saying for years that the league needs to promote its players, especially its stars. I'm sure not all players love the idea of community work and appearances but hey that should be part of the gig. Restricting access to players which is what the Eskimos have done these past few years leads to fan disinterest and a disconnect. More meet and greets with the players, show their human side and personalities in interviews more, kids that show up early can have stuff signed, etc. There's so many things that the Esks and the leagues can do to reinvigorate interest and set itself apart from the other professional leagues around.

As for the game, at least its done. Time to prep for next week. If we lose to the Als with Johnny Football at the helm, I might need to take a break for the sake of my health.

 

[trent_vinyl]

The thing is without TSN this League is toast. I am willing to cut TSN some slack for that reason.

Check out our other sport's network right now. Entire front page does't have one mention of the CFL or the game last night. Incredible. They got a number of NFL things there, but nothing CFL.

 

[MoneyGuy]

Relax, folks. This is all part of a grand plan. Let the Stamps coast for the rest of the season then upset them in the playoffs on the way to the cup. Maas is a genius; Reilly is a co-conspirator.

 

[guymez]

Check out our other sport's network right now. Entire front page does't have one mention of the CFL or the game last night. Incredible. They got a number of NFL things there, but nothing CFL.

Oh for sure. Its really sad how much this League gets ignored by media in this country.
TSN deserves a lot of credit for what they have brought to the League.
They basically saved CFL football IMO.

 

[rboomercat90]

Booze is what gets me through Eskimos games these days....

I've been saying for years that the league needs to promote its players, especially its stars. I'm sure not all players love the idea of community work and appearances but hey that should be part of the gig. Restricting access to players which is what the Eskimos have done these past few years leads to fan disinterest and a disconnect. More meet and greets with the players, show their human side and personalities in interviews more, kids that show up early can have stuff signed, etc. There's so many things that the Esks and the leagues can do to reinvigorate interest and set itself apart from the other professional leagues around.

As for the game, at least its done. Time to prep for next week. If we lose to the Als with Johnny Football at the helm, I might need to take a break for the sake of my health.

I agree with you and Guymez 100% on this issue. This isn’t the first time it’s been brought up on here. The team limiting access to players started when Jones and Hervey were here and if memory serves me correct it was heavily implied by them the reasons for it were because there was too much media demand on the players. To me that would suggest the players don’t want to do these things as much as previous generations of players. I’ve got no idea whether that’s the case or not and it’s disappointing if it is. Maybe they just don’t have the time. They aren’t making NHL type money and most of them are probably supplementing their income with regular jobs too. I’m not trying to make excuses for them because I believe more needs to be done to promote the league at the grass roots level, just trying to look at things from their point of view.

 

[MoontoScott]

Relax, folks. This is all part of a grand plan. Let the Stamps coast for the rest of the season then upset them in the playoffs on the way to the cup. Maas is a genius; Reilly is a co-conspirator.

First we have to make the playoffs.

 

[Stoneman89]

Lots of issues in this one, very frustrating game.

- offensive line was decent in the first half, just imploded in the second. Reilly had to run for his life for the last 30 minutes

- Reilly himself wasn't very sharp though when he did have time in the 2nd half. Just out of sync. Lulay faced the same vicious type of rush and managed to overcome it.

- the d-line was the best part of the team for us. A really good push for most of the night by all of them.

- the secondary was a joke (big surprise). Maston was pretty good though.

- linebackers had issues all night. Had problems filling gaps in the 2nd half, and controlling the Lions short passing game. Sherritt struggled for the first time this year, IMO. Edwards is just hot garbage. A nice play by Jones though.

- couldn't really blame the receivers too much. Doubt they had more than 1/2 second to run a route, and Reilly was either on his back, or getting smoked. A whole lot of jump balls, and ones where the dback blew up the receiver.

- as is becoming commonplace, our special teams were completely destroyed again. Gaping holes on coverage, and not much happening on the return. Something has to change.

- Wally Buono proved why he is such a great coach. Team struggled on both sides of the ball in the first half, and he made adjustments and the Lions dominated the 2nd half. Maas was unable to make any meaningful changes to counteract. Matter of fact, the game plan looked pretty vanilla and predictable in the 2nd half.

 

[Stoneman89]

Relax, folks. This is all part of a grand plan. Let the Stamps coast for the rest of the season then upset them in the playoffs on the way to the cup. Maas is a genius; Reilly is a co-conspirator.

Think I already brought up this scenario a few weeks back, and you pooh-poohed it, saying there was little chance of it happening again to the Stampeders.