Esks success begins in the Locker Room
I know most of you read the news at other sites , but i was just got really amped up reading this article i thought i would post it here:
Chris O'Leary
Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON -- Kavis Reed makes no qualms about it: The Edmonton Eskimos locker-room was a must-fix when he took over as head coach this season.
“If I had to say what was a chief priority, it was to make certain that we had a football team,” Reed said after Friday’s practice for Sunday’s West Division semifinal against the Calgary Stampeders.
“You can put 46 guys together and they can run around together with the same uniform, but true football teams enjoy each other, they enjoy being around each other. They have a true and genuine passion for each other and I think we’ve been successful in doing that.”
The Eskimos locker-room doesn’t have any cliques or outcasts.
“We’ve been very vigilant throughout the season, making certain that if we didn’t feel a guy fit that we quickly dismissed them and got them out of the locker-room. That is very important,” Reed said. “This football team, we’re trying to build it for the long term, not just for a one-year thing. In order to do that, we have to have character.”
Character is a keyword for Reed. It’s what he points to in every instance of success that his team has had in its impressive turnaround season. Longtime Eskimos equipment manager Dwayne Mandrusiak has seen plenty of it this year.
“This is like our Grey Cup teams,” said Mandrusiak, a 40-year Eskimos veteran. “The unity of it, the closeness. It doesn’t end after practice. Guys aren’t running in every direction. They hang out together on the road, they’re always in groups.
“It’s a fun locker-room. I’ve been around since the five in a row (Grey Cup champs from 1978-82) where you look around and think, ‘OK, pick the (jerk) in the room. Some years, you’ve been able to (find a lot of them),” he said, laughing.
Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray pointed out that the team’s 11-7 record certainly didn’t hurt the chemistry in the room, either.
“When you’re winning and guys are coming together, you feel a lot better about yourselves and your teammates,” he said. “When you’re struggling and going through tough times, that’s when guys’ character really shows and guys get frustrated. Last year was a little bit of that for us.
“This year has been really fun, guys have come together and we’ve had success together.”
Eskimos slotback Adarius Bowman called this year the most fun of his four-year CFL career.
“This has been the first year since I’ve been in the CFL that I’ve enjoyed every day, every month. It’s hard to say why it happened, but I’m glad to be here and glad to be a part of this.
“In my previous years, for whatever reasons, you have your ups and downs: ‘I don’t want to be here; I don’t want to practice; I don’t want nobody to talk to me.’
“I love these guys. There are so many different personalities, but coach Kavis and our staff, they managed to make all of us work together.”
Mandrusiak said that Reed’s influence on the room has gone hand-in-hand with the energy that exists in there this year.
“He understands what it is,” Mandrusiak said. “He’s one of the better coaches that I’ve been around when it comes to knowing what the Eskimo tradition is. He’s a player’s coach with discipline, which is really hard to balance. I think the guys love him and they play for him. They want to do well for him.”
Reed’s understanding of that Eskimo tradition comes from his four years as a defensive back with the team from 1995-99.
“My comparison (for a model locker-room) is going to be when I walked into the locker-room in 1995 and during my time here,” he said. “I try to gage it as to what it was when I was in the locker-room. Quite honestly, we’re getting there. We’re not quite there yet because of experience, but we’re getting there in terms of the character that we have in the locker-room.”
The Eskimos’ season could end Sunday, but Bowman, for one, doesn’t believe that will happen.
“I’m not going to lie; deep down inside I don’t feel like this is going to be our last practice. That’s just me. There have been previous years where I was like, ‘It’s over,’ ” he said, laughing. “You know what I mean? It’s not over here, man.
“There’s a light over us.”
SHORT YARDAGE: Tailback Jerome Messam will be suiting up for Sunday’s playoff game unless there’s a flare-up of his undisclosed lower-body injury, said Reed. “We expect him to play.” Messam worked about 70 per cent of the plays on Thursday and 90 per cent on Friday ... Reed was also optimistic about the return of defensive end/linebacker Greg Peach, who was initially dealing with a sore knee related to the surgery he had earlier this season ... Offensive lineman Greg Wojt (ankle) will not play and linebacker J.C. Sherritt (finger, ankle) will be a game-time decision.
I woke up today and went out did the whole family shopping thing and didn't really think about the game tomorrow, but right now i'm really starting to get fired up thinking about the game. I'm happy it's against the Stumps. I don't think i would be this excited if it was against the Green plague. Fcuk Cowgary!!!!
Chris O'Leary
Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON -- Kavis Reed makes no qualms about it: The Edmonton Eskimos locker-room was a must-fix when he took over as head coach this season.
“If I had to say what was a chief priority, it was to make certain that we had a football team,” Reed said after Friday’s practice for Sunday’s West Division semifinal against the Calgary Stampeders.
“You can put 46 guys together and they can run around together with the same uniform, but true football teams enjoy each other, they enjoy being around each other. They have a true and genuine passion for each other and I think we’ve been successful in doing that.”
The Eskimos locker-room doesn’t have any cliques or outcasts.
“We’ve been very vigilant throughout the season, making certain that if we didn’t feel a guy fit that we quickly dismissed them and got them out of the locker-room. That is very important,” Reed said. “This football team, we’re trying to build it for the long term, not just for a one-year thing. In order to do that, we have to have character.”
Character is a keyword for Reed. It’s what he points to in every instance of success that his team has had in its impressive turnaround season. Longtime Eskimos equipment manager Dwayne Mandrusiak has seen plenty of it this year.
“This is like our Grey Cup teams,” said Mandrusiak, a 40-year Eskimos veteran. “The unity of it, the closeness. It doesn’t end after practice. Guys aren’t running in every direction. They hang out together on the road, they’re always in groups.
“It’s a fun locker-room. I’ve been around since the five in a row (Grey Cup champs from 1978-82) where you look around and think, ‘OK, pick the (jerk) in the room. Some years, you’ve been able to (find a lot of them),” he said, laughing.
Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray pointed out that the team’s 11-7 record certainly didn’t hurt the chemistry in the room, either.
“When you’re winning and guys are coming together, you feel a lot better about yourselves and your teammates,” he said. “When you’re struggling and going through tough times, that’s when guys’ character really shows and guys get frustrated. Last year was a little bit of that for us.
“This year has been really fun, guys have come together and we’ve had success together.”
Eskimos slotback Adarius Bowman called this year the most fun of his four-year CFL career.
“This has been the first year since I’ve been in the CFL that I’ve enjoyed every day, every month. It’s hard to say why it happened, but I’m glad to be here and glad to be a part of this.
“In my previous years, for whatever reasons, you have your ups and downs: ‘I don’t want to be here; I don’t want to practice; I don’t want nobody to talk to me.’
“I love these guys. There are so many different personalities, but coach Kavis and our staff, they managed to make all of us work together.”
Mandrusiak said that Reed’s influence on the room has gone hand-in-hand with the energy that exists in there this year.
“He understands what it is,” Mandrusiak said. “He’s one of the better coaches that I’ve been around when it comes to knowing what the Eskimo tradition is. He’s a player’s coach with discipline, which is really hard to balance. I think the guys love him and they play for him. They want to do well for him.”
Reed’s understanding of that Eskimo tradition comes from his four years as a defensive back with the team from 1995-99.
“My comparison (for a model locker-room) is going to be when I walked into the locker-room in 1995 and during my time here,” he said. “I try to gage it as to what it was when I was in the locker-room. Quite honestly, we’re getting there. We’re not quite there yet because of experience, but we’re getting there in terms of the character that we have in the locker-room.”
The Eskimos’ season could end Sunday, but Bowman, for one, doesn’t believe that will happen.
“I’m not going to lie; deep down inside I don’t feel like this is going to be our last practice. That’s just me. There have been previous years where I was like, ‘It’s over,’ ” he said, laughing. “You know what I mean? It’s not over here, man.
“There’s a light over us.”
SHORT YARDAGE: Tailback Jerome Messam will be suiting up for Sunday’s playoff game unless there’s a flare-up of his undisclosed lower-body injury, said Reed. “We expect him to play.” Messam worked about 70 per cent of the plays on Thursday and 90 per cent on Friday ... Reed was also optimistic about the return of defensive end/linebacker Greg Peach, who was initially dealing with a sore knee related to the surgery he had earlier this season ... Offensive lineman Greg Wojt (ankle) will not play and linebacker J.C. Sherritt (finger, ankle) will be a game-time decision.
I woke up today and went out did the whole family shopping thing and didn't really think about the game tomorrow, but right now i'm really starting to get fired up thinking about the game. I'm happy it's against the Stumps. I don't think i would be this excited if it was against the Green plague. Fcuk Cowgary!!!!
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