Elks: Edmonton Eskimos 2019

[Del Preston]

No surprise, I wish him the best. Good on him for getting out of this dumpster fire.

 

[Stoneman89]

So, Maas doesn’t have the influence on Reilly that he thinks he does. Who knew?

The worst possible and nightmare outcome. Maas stays, Reilly goes.

 

[MoontoScott]

Vancouver columnist says it's 99% certainty that Reilly will be in BC next year.

Its looking more and more like this is a reality but the article says the "start of a new era"-- with a QB who is 34 years of age? Certainly, it's a significant signing but he is probably already on the down side.

I wonder if Franklin could end up back here to take one last shot at the starting position? He was disappointing last year but probably deserves another shot. And of course, since neither of the 2 younger backups with the EE played last season there really is no telling what we have there at this point.

Oh well, at least we have Jason's offensive schemes to bail us out.

 

[guymez]

So, Maas doesn’t have the influence on Reilly that he thinks he does. Who knew?

The worst possible and nightmare outcome. Maas stays, Reilly goes.

I wont be surprised if/when Reilly leaves but you are speaking as if its a done deal.
Was there an official announcement that I missed?

 

[Stoneman89]

I wont be surprised if/when Reilly leaves but you are speaking as if its a done deal.
Was there an official announcement that I missed?

Not yet, but initial reports are that he’s gone. Thought I’d get in before the avalanche of condemnation starts flowing on here when the official announcement is made.

 

[guymez]

Not yet, but initial reports are that he’s gone. Thought I’d get in before the avalanche of condemnation starts flowing on here when the official announcement is made.

Oh okay.
Don't get me wrong I fully expect Reilly to sign somewhere else...that why I posted what I did yesterday.
I just thought that there had been an official announcement and I missed it.

 

[Cloned]

I could see Reilly struggling in BC given his age and style of play is going to eventually catch up with him. Honestly if the Esks are going to move on at QB it might be best for them to be forced to move on in this manner.

 

[guymez]

I could see Reilly struggling in BC given his age and style of play is going to eventually catch up with him. Honestly if the Esks are going to move on at QB it might be best for them to be forced to move on in this manner.

There is a place for blind optimism. This might be it.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Who could have imagined that the BS suggestion that Maas had to be retained in order to keep Reilly was in fact...BS?

 

[The Batman]

Watching Edmonton's sports teams is becoming an even greater challenge.

 

[I am the Liquor]

I could see Reilly struggling in BC given his age and style of play is going to eventually catch up with him. Honestly if the Esks are going to move on at QB it might be best for them to be forced to move on in this manner.

I could see McDavid struggling in TO too. Last place is all but locked up.

Wonder what the Oilers would look like without McDavid? Tune in to EE games this year to find out.

 

[MoontoScott]

I notice today in Gerry's article for the Sun that Rhodes is still playing the "great relationship between Maas and Reilly" card. How long do you keep playing the 6 of clubs in a poker game before you realize that your hand isn't particularly strong? What a disaster this Rhodes guy is.

I don't think you can compare Mac-D/Oilers and Reilly/Eskimos for the simple reason that Mac-D is 22 and Reilly is 34.

I understand all that Reilly has brought to the club but I will try to be a little bit more optimistic here when I note that the year Moon left everybody said it was the end of the EE's good fortunes. Within 3 years, Dunnigan, Allen and Ham joined the club. You notice I said "try" to be optimistic because of course in those days everybody wanted to play in Edmonton but no so now. Maybe, as someone has suggested, this is the right time for a name change.

As bad as Rhodes is, this is all the cumulative effect of 15 years of mismanagement and very poor hiring practices. In that sense you can definitely see the parallels between the Oilers and the Esks. When you hire someone that everyone else in the league says "stay away from" it rarely turns out well.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Watching Edmonton's sports teams is becoming an even greater challenge.

There are 40 teams between the CFL and the NHL. Can you even argue that either the Eskimos or Oilers are not in the bottom five of all franchises in terms of how they have been and continue to be managed? The Alouettes and Ottawa Senators might be the only two that have been a bigger gong show on and off the playing field over the last couple years. Maybe the Hurricanes and Coyotes too. That's about it. Of course both Edmonton teams have financial resources and fan support far exceeding any of those other teams, so factor that in and it is even more disgusting. Darryl Katz and Len Rhodes, who has done less with more than these two buffoons?

 

[MoontoScott]

I think the critical difference between the 2 organizations is that no matter how badly a Canadian NHL organization is run there will still be a lot of bums in the seats. Not so with a CFL club which is so dependant on the gate receipts for survival.

The home opener this year will mark the first time that the EE BOD gets a real look at what their unconditional support for Rhodes has done. The reality check is not far off.

 

[Stoneman89]

I think the critical difference between the 2 organizations is that no matter how badly a Canadian NHL organization is run there will still be a lot of bums in the seats. Not so with a CFL club which is so dependant on the gate receipts for survival.

The home opener this year will mark the first time that the EE BOD gets a real look at what their unconditional support for Rhodes has done. The reality check is not far off.

Not so sure about your first comment. In the 90’s, the Oilers were bleeding red ink and there were lots of empty seats. Almost moved but were saved by local businessmen. Ottawa has trouble filling their rink in the present and recent past. If they don’t get a new rink in a proper location, and manage to lose both Stone and Duchene this year, in addition to losing Karlsson last year, I think they may be in some serious trouble. And it’s going to be very interesting/telling as to how many upper end seat renewals there are at Rogers Place when this season ends.

 

[MoontoScott]

Not so sure about your first comment. In the 90’s, the Oilers were bleeding red ink and there were lots of empty seats. Almost moved but were saved by local businessmen. Ottawa has trouble filling their rink in the present and recent past. If they don’t get a new rink in a proper location, and manage to lose both Stone and Duchene this year, in addition to losing Karlsson last year, I think they may be in some serious trouble. And it’s going to be very interesting/telling as to how many upper end seat renewals there are at Rogers Place when this season ends.

How bad have the Oilers been in the last decade and yet most of the games are SRO?

Its true that the NHL teams are not immune to attendance problems but the CFL is on much shakier ground.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

How bad have the Oilers been in the last decade and yet most of the games are SRO?

Its true that the NHL teams are not immune to attendance problems but the CFL is on much shakier ground.

The thing is though, a bad crowd at Commonwealth is still usually more people than typical crowds in Toronto, BC, Montreal, even Hamilton and Calgary at times. Even if attendance dipped to 20,000 per game (which would be an enormous decrease), that's still better than those first three cities I mentioned. So while it would definitely (hopefully) be a wake up call to the Board of Directors, I don't think it would throw the team into dire straits financially. What a terrible situation. I want to support the league and the team, but can't in good conscience hand more money over to this organization until Rhodes and Maas are completely removed.

 

[rboomercat90]

I think the critical difference between the 2 organizations is that no matter how badly a Canadian NHL organization is run there will still be a lot of bums in the seats. Not so with a CFL club which is so dependant on the gate receipts for survival.

The home opener this year will mark the first time that the EE BOD gets a real look at what their unconditional support for Rhodes has done. The reality check is not far off.

They should have taken notice of this late in the season. I was at the Ottawa game where it looked like the attendance was well under 15,000. I don’t know how delusional you need to be to not have already recognized you have a serious problem.

 

[Drivesaitl]

They should have taken notice of this late in the season. I was at the Ottawa game where it looked like the attendance was well under 15,000. I don’t know how delusional you need to be to not have already recognized you have a serious problem.

They simply don't care. Being that its a Grey Cup hosting season any critical assessment won't even exist in the accounting and annual report. The Grey Cup allowed the org to disguise normal revenue decreases from the total for one whole year. So that the earliest possible time sobriety takes hold is the 2020 annual report. 2019 report will already be speaking in glowing terms about the year just past.

By the time these fools are ousted they'll have been here as long as they want to and several are milking other local boards anyway as well as their own business. in this day and age the board motivated people are self serving. Results don't much matter, just that you've been on this board, that board, have these businesses etc. Half these people are considered movers and shakers regardless of performance or positive results in any one endeavor.

The moment I laid eyes on Rhodes Cheshire cat 1000watt smile I figured we were in for problems. He's the identical species that Bob Nicholson is. Guys that could smile in a prison camp while extorting black market rations. There's always bastards like this around.

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

At least the Oil Kings are good this year.

 

[MoontoScott]

The thing is though, a bad crowd at Commonwealth is still usually more people than typical crowds in Toronto, BC, Montreal, even Hamilton and Calgary at times. Even if attendance dipped to 20,000 per game (which would be an enormous decrease), that's still better than those first three cities I mentioned. So while it would definitely (hopefully) be a wake up call to the Board of Directors, I don't think it would throw the team into dire straits financially. What a terrible situation. I want to support the league and the team, but can't in good conscience hand more money over to this organization until Rhodes and Maas are completely removed.

Rhodes and Maas for sure and this is the year that Sunderland has to bring it or else. I have given him the benefit of the doubt on this board because everybody deserves a fair chance but this is now year 3 and he should know the igloo politics inside and out by now.

He really has 2 choices:

(a) -do what has to be done and really take control which means firing Maas if the team gets off to a slow start. No more of this mutual admiration society. That has gotten old.
(b) -admit that he will never have any real power under Rhodes and if so then start looking at some positions in the NFL. I imagine the Jets would welcome him back in some capacity.

Someone has to step up to right the ship. I honestly don't know who that will be.

 

[MoontoScott]

They should have taken notice of this late in the season. I was at the Ottawa game where it looked like the attendance was well under 15,000. I don’t know how delusional you need to be to not have already recognized you have a serious problem.

Based on having watched senior management teams and how they operate for many years, I would have to say that the answer to your question is extremely delusional and quite possibly delirious too.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Rhodes and Maas for sure and this is the year that Sunderland has to bring it or else. I have given him the benefit of the doubt on this board because everybody deserves a fair chance but this is now year 3 and he should know the igloo politics inside and out by now.

He really has 2 choices:

(a) -do what has to be done and really take control which means firing Maas if the team gets off to a slow start. No more of this mutual admiration society. That has gotten old.
(b) -admit that he will never have any real power under Rhodes and if so then start looking at some positions in the NFL. I imagine the Jets would welcome him back in some capacity.

Someone has to step up to right the ship. I honestly don't know who that will be.

We're on the same page with Sunderland. I too have been fairly lenient, since it remains unclear whether or not he truly has full control of things. If Maas has been forced upon him, I can cut him some slack. But if it turns out he's been complicit all along and believes Maas is the right man to coach the team, he can walk the plank along with him.

 

[guymez]

We're on the same page with Sunderland. I too have been fairly lenient, since it remains unclear whether or not he truly has full control of things. If Maas has been forced upon him, I can cut him some slack. But if it turns out he's been complicit all along and believes Maas is the right man to coach the team, he can walk the plank along with him.

I am willing to bet that we never find out he story behind that. Maybe years after the fact but I just dont see this as something thats going to come out anytime soon.

 

[MoontoScott]

I am willing to bet that we never find out he story behind that. Maybe years after the fact but I just dont see this as something thats going to come out anytime soon.

I was just thinking the same thoughts. In pro sports nobody talks until their career is done and in Sunderland's case that's a long time from now. We probably won't ever know.