Edmonton Football Team 2020 v2

[Drivesaitl]

I hope its not due to illness but I don't think Ed ever lasts too long anywhere. The Lions made a real mistake in hiring this guy.

As stated by several people here before, the Rhodes/Hervey combo was toxic all the way around and I don't think the attitude went over too well with owner Braley in B.C. either.

When he was a player losing his cool I was hard on Hervey. he was a distraction on a club that had all too often discipline problems. But he had a virtual pipeline of top talent coming into Edmonton and helping us almost immediately on the field. i mean I don't deny success and Hervey was a big part of building the club that won in 2015.

The thing is the esks brain trust weren't too enamored with EITHER Jones or Hervey and with both leaving at diff times and Rhodes famous epitaph "theres more important things than winning"

yeah, like sucking, changing the team name, getting fans to drop you like a bad habit.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

When he was a player losing his cool I was hard on Hervey. he was a distraction on a club that had all too often discipline problems. But he had a virtual pipeline of top talent coming into Edmonton and helping us almost immediately on the field. i mean I don't deny success and Hervey was a big part of building the club that won in 2015.

The thing is the esks brain trust weren't too enamored with EITHER Jones or Hervey and with both leaving at diff times and Rhodes famous epitaph "theres more important things than winning"

yeah, like sucking, changing the team name, getting fans to drop you like a bad habit.

maybe they can charge fans half-price to attend football games for all the fans who decided to stick around after this gong-show?

 

[MoontoScott]

Sadly a book could be written by this point detailing two decades of incompetence. The silver lining being that in an 8/9 team league that usually had three other franchises doing the same stupid things, the odd championship still occurred. Perhaps Maas could write the foreword...

I look forward to the abridged version.

 

[bone]

Could be the case but I still don't think that Ed survives too long in one place.

He was a member of the Eskimos franchise in various capacities uninterupted from 1999 to 2016 before being fired over an ego battle with Rhodes. Prior to that he only bounced around while trying to make a team in the NFL as a 20-something year old player before coming to Edmonton and setting up roots.

Don't believe everything Terry Jones tells you. Hervey likely would still have been here had Rhodes not got jealous of his popularity.

I think you are mistaking Hervey's mojo with Chris Jones' mojo.

 

[BlueCheeseWithWings]

Do you know that old saying: never meet your hero? In the summer or 2004, Hervey was mine. During training camp, the Esks took their open practice and autograph session to Concordia field. Every player had their own cards to give to fans.

I forget who Hervey was sitting with, but I remember him eating a bag of Old Dutch chips; they were given to the fans. I approached him like I did with every other player, but for some reason he refused to sign stuff for me. I thought we was kidding, so I laughed when he and his teammates chuckled. I then asked again, but he said no.

I observed him signing autographs and providing other fans with his card, so I was confused and hurt why he treated me that way. I had terrible self-esteem issues at 15; and that experience made it worse.

At least Prinsen and Lefsrud were awesome.

 

[MoontoScott]

He was a member of the Eskimos franchise in various capacities uninterupted from 1999 to 2016 before being fired over an ego battle with Rhodes. Prior to that he only bounced around while trying to make a team in the NFL as a 20-something year old player before coming to Edmonton and setting up roots.

Don't believe everything Terry Jones tells you. Hervey likely would still have been here had Rhodes not got jealous of his popularity.

I think you are mistaking Hervey's mojo with Chris Jones' mojo.

I don't think Terry Jones has to tell me about the personalities involved. Jones is basically a flake who follows the party line until some guy gets fired and then he comes out with his predictable rhetoric stating that he knew all along what the guy was about.

As a player, Hervey was a real hot head with a problem and on 2 seperate occasions the team warned him that (despite being a star) the next time would be his last. I also recall that his rise to head scout was questioned by many around the organization who felt he wasn't qualified for the job.

No doubt that Rhodes was a silly character but Hervey had a lot of problems with others as well? Look at his stubborness regarding "mik'ed up" when TSN was trying to come up with new ways to attract fans. Whether it was a bad move or not he certainly didn't come across as a guy who should be GM or a guy who had much in the way of communications skills. The position of GM is about recruiting but at that level the position is about a lot more.

Moving on to B.C., is the franchise better off after his 3 seasons there? I think Braley was ready to pull the pin last year.

 

[MoontoScott]

Do you know that old saying: never meet your hero? In the summer or 2004, Hervey was mine. During training camp, the Esks took their open practice and autograph session to Concordia field. Every player had their own cards to give to fans.

I forget who Hervey was sitting with, but I remember him eating a bag of Old Dutch chips; they were given to the fans. I approached him like I did with every other player, but for some reason he refused to sign stuff for me. I thought we was kidding, so I laughed when he and his teammates chuckled. I then asked again, but he said no.

I observed him signing autographs and providing other fans with his card, so I was confused and hurt why he treated me that way. I had terrible self-esteem issues at 15; and that experience made it worse.

At least Prinsen and Lefsrud were awesome.

So did the team mates offer you any reason as to why he was rude to you? Was it supposed to be a joke?

 

[bone]

I don't think Terry Jones has to tell me about the personalities involved. Jones is basically a flake who follows the party line until some guy gets fired and then he comes out with his predictable rhetoric stating that he knew all along what the guy was about.

As a player, Hervey was a real hot head with a problem and on 2 seperate occasions the team warned him that (despite being a star) the next time would be his last. I also recall that his rise to head scout was questioned by many around the organization who felt he wasn't qualified for the job.

No doubt that Rhodes was a silly character but Hervey had a lot of problems with others as well? Look at his stubborness regarding "mik'ed up" when TSN was trying to come up with new ways to attract fans. Whether it was a bad move or not he certainly didn't come across as a guy who should be GM or a guy who had much in the way of communications skills. The position of GM is about recruiting but at that level the position is about a lot more.

Moving on to B.C., how did he do in his time there? Is the franchise better off after his 3 seasons there? I think Braley was ready to pull the pin last year.

I'm okay listening or having debates about how good he is or isn't. I liked him in Edmonton except for those very same issues you bring up, but generally he was pretty successful in all of his roles with Edmonton. I just took exception to the notion that he doesn't stick around places long, when this BC example is the only time that has happened since establishing himself, and early reports are that it is for personal reasons.

The Terry Jones barb at you was moreso about how he was on a mission to get rid of Hervey for a couple years because of stupid things like dressing room access. I'm glad you don't put much stock in Jones' rhetoric.

As for BC, I don't think he did nearly as well there as he did here, and can't say he improved that team.

 

[BlueCheeseWithWings]

So did the team mates offer you any reason as to why he was rude to you? Was it supposed to be a joke?

I honestly can't remember. Maybe one of the o-line men tried to comfort me. If it was a joke, the bit went on too long. I assumed he was kidding at first, but the second refusal lead me on my way to the next tent of players.

 

[bellagiobob]

 

[Drivesaitl]

I'm okay listening or having debates about how good he is or isn't. I liked him in Edmonton except for those very same issues you bring up, but generally he was pretty successful in all of his roles with Edmonton. I just took exception to the notion that he doesn't stick around places long, when this BC example is the only time that has happened since establishing himself, and early reports are that it is for personal reasons.

The Terry Jones barb at you was moreso about how he was on a mission to get rid of Hervey for a couple years because of stupid things like dressing room access. I'm glad you don't put much stock in Jones' rhetoric.

As for BC, I don't think he did nearly as well there as he did here, and can't say he improved that team.

Jones will basically take decades long heat seeking missile issues with anybody he deemed would not talk to him enough.

He had some absolutely cringe worthy takes on Glenn Anderson, and for a long time. With him hitting at Anderson any chance he got, and what was an embarassment to journalism. Matheson was on that kick too. Because Anderson figured out these guys were clowns.

There was at least one Jones article written entirely on how when Glenn Anderson is dissing the local sports beat, he's dissing the fans and we should all think he's deplorable because he's refusing to talk to the fans by way of the sports beat media here.

Its something only somebody feeling jilted could write. That Jones and Matheson were privileged idiots just lucky enough to be on the best sports ride ever, personified, and they still had the idiocy to complain about their lot..

 

[Beerfish]

We better hope there is another David Braley hanging out in the weeds somewhere for the league.

 

[CanmoreMike]

Jones will basically take decades long heat seeking missile issues with anybody he deemed would not talk to him enough.

Didn’t Jones have issues with Tom Poti as well? Not a big deal but still.

I think most of this establishment media are guys who should be retired but have nothing better to do but little energy to do much with what they have.

Btw - when and why did Matheson stop using the HoF logo behind his name in articles?

 

[MoontoScott]

What a gigantic loss for the CFL as well as charities across the country.

No one did more to save the league than Braley did. He constantly came to the rescue of CFL franchises and spent a ton of his own dough to keep them afloat.

It seems ironic that he should pass away the same season that the CFL has (perhaps) taken its last breath as well.

I can't see anybody buying the Lions and sticking with the CFL like Braley did. What a dark period for the league. 2020 is truly the year from hell.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

What a gigantic loss for the CFL as well as charities across the country.

No one did more to save the league than Braley did. He constantly came to the rescue of CFL franchises and spent a ton of his own dough to keep them afloat.

It seems ironic that he should pass away the same season that the CFL has (perhaps) taken its last breath as well.

I can't see anybody buying the Lions and sticking with the CFL like Braley did. What a dark period for the league. 2020 is truly the year from hell.

I've always been much more positive than most about the overall health and stability of the league. I think this league was as stable as ever a year ago. But even I am starting to feel a bit grim about the future. It wouldn't stun me to see the CFL go into a hiatus until better economic/societal times return (if they return). Might be the least we've seen of it being a true major league.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Didn’t Jones have issues with Tom Poti as well? Not a big deal but still.

I think most of this establishment media are guys who should be retired but have nothing better to do but little energy to do much with what they have.

Btw - when and why did Matheson stop using the HoF logo behind his name in articles?

Maybe somebody mocked it.

Its too bad that Matheson and Jones at some point decided to be beat reporters of local sports until they drop. Neither brings all that much to the table and are pedestrian writers with worse analytical minds. Both through the decades have established histories of being wrong, all over the map. Negative about clubs that did well, trumping clubs that did poorly, being wrong on that too.

Its sad that neither ever retired so as to give younger brighter minds a chance. Instead they worked this into a lifelong gig with no other ambition, no other drive to do anything else. Which is poor form because superior sports beat reporters like Wayne Overland moved aside so that younger fresher scribes could get on a beat.

 

[Valhallis]

Nice move by the team here. For the record I'm 100% certain the Edmonton Joeys would be a more popular name than anything they're going to come up with.

 

[joestevens29]

What a gigantic loss for the CFL as well as charities across the country.

No one did more to save the league than Braley did. He constantly came to the rescue of CFL franchises and spent a ton of his own dough to keep them afloat.

It seems ironic that he should pass away the same season that the CFL has (perhaps) taken its last breath as well.

I can't see anybody buying the Lions and sticking with the CFL like Braley did. What a dark period for the league. 2020 is truly the year from hell.

Farhan Lalji was on Gregor's show yesterday. He said there have been some guys interested for quite some time, but Braley didn't want to sell.

Partially because of the offers. One was he would receive a 1mil a year for like ten years. He more wanted a clean buyout.

That and there are people within the CFL that thought he'd never sell as he was the Jerry Jones or Robert Kraft of the CFL. Except he had even more power than those kind of guys do. Really questioned if he would ever relinquish having the power he did in the CFL.

Farhan also mentioned generally in the CFL you aren't even buying teams, you are just assuming debt. Although he doesn't think BC is really in that situation. He also mentioned that in his will there is apparently a clear future for what his family is to do with the Lions. Money is for sure set aside to make sure they can run in 2021. We just won't know for at least a couple weeks what that clear future really is.

 

[CanmoreMike]

Maybe somebody mocked it.

Its too bad that Matheson and Jones at some point decided to be beat reporters of local sports until they drop. Neither brings all that much to the table and are pedestrian writers with worse analytical minds. Both through the decades have established histories of being wrong, all over the map. Negative about clubs that did well, trumping clubs that did poorly, being wrong on that too.

Its sad that neither ever retired so as to give younger brighter minds a chance. Instead they worked this into a lifelong gig with no other ambition, no other drive to do anything else. Which is poor form because superior sports beat reporters like Wayne Overland moved aside so that younger fresher scribes could get on a beat.

Ya. I don’t feel like they have a lot of inside scoops and perspectives on anything anymore. A lot of what they seem to add to the conversation is routine stuff that I could find drinking at a sports bar talking to some random dude.

What has bugged me the most is that they seem intent on shielding and protecting the two big clubs here and certain players.

 

[joestevens29]

Ya. I don’t feel like they have a lot of inside scoops and perspectives on anything anymore. A lot of what they seem to add to the conversation is routine stuff that I could find drinking at a sports bar talking to some random dude.

What has bugged me the most is that they seem intent on shielding and protecting the two big clubs here and certain players.

They remind me of 30+ UFA's that get paid for what they once did, not what they can now do.

 

[bellagiobob]

 

[Stoneman89]

So, the president of the club is unaware of bonuses that must be paid. One more reason I believe Lelacheur is incompetent, and one of the main reasons our team was a laughing stock for so many years. Seems he's brought that brand of cluelessness to the Lions as well.

 

[joestevens29]

So, the president of the club is unaware of bonuses that must be paid. One more reason I believe Lelacheur is incompetent, and one of the main reasons our team was a laughing stock for so many years. Seems he's brought that brand of cluelessness to the Lions as well.

I was just thinking the same thing. I highly doubt Hervey was the only one looking at contracts either. Don't teams usually have a guy that do them up for them?

That and this isn't like it's a league minimum contract either. Wasn't it one of the larger ones in the CFL? Seems like you'd want someone double checking a contract like that.

Also the league doesn't sign off on deals either? I honestly don't know one way or another.

 

[joestevens29]

On a side note and again I missed a bit of it, but Fleming was on Storytime yesterday.

I had no idea BC was the only province to play American rules at the high school level. Seems a bit odd.

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

I had no idea BC high schools play with NFL rules