When the Edmonton Elks let head coach and general manager Chris Jones go after the football team got off to an 0-5 start to the season, the CFL club’s president and CEO said the decision was made because there had to be “consequences.”
“The major thing is we have not given up on this year,” Rick LeLacheur said on July 15.
Under the leadership of Jones’ replacements — Geroy Simon as interim general manager and Jarious Jackson as interim head coach — the club has not only shown it has not given up, it is now a threat to make what some would have thought was an improbable run to get into the playoffs.
“I think the biggest thing is the players have confidence in themselves,” Simon said at a media availability during the Elks’ bye week on Tuesday. “I think the coaches are doing a great job in getting these guys ready to play each and every week.
“They’re coming to games fresh physically (and) they have a clear understanding of the game plan.”
Simon’s confidence in Jackson is not new. They have a longstanding relationship that goes back to when both were CFL players with the B.C. Lions. As a player, Jackson won three Grey Cup championships — two of them while Simon was his teammate.
“Jarious is a guy that I’ve always had confidence in,” Simon said.
“I spent time in the huddle with him. He was my roommate for six years.”
Since Jackson took over as head coach, the Elks have compiled a 5-3 record, with five of those victories coming in just the last six games.
While this season is the first time Jackson has worked as a head coach in the CFL, he has coached for more than a decade in the league.
“He doesn’t have the head coaching experience, but he’s been in a leadership role his entire football life,” Simon noted.
“(He has) been on the big stage his entire life.”
Edmonton now sits in fourth place in the CFL’s West Division with a 5-8 record. The divisional playoff race looks to be a very competitive one this season. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are just ahead of the Elks in the standings with a 5-7-1 record, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Lions have a less than guaranteed hold on first place with 7-6 records. The Calgary Stampeders are currently in last place in the division at 4-8.
As the Elks prepare to face the Bombers at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on Sept. 21 and to try to continue their ascent up the West Division standings, Simon praised Jackson’s skills and how they have served him well in his relatively new role.
“He’s always prepared,” Simon said. “He is very smart.
“He has a high football IQ. He has answers for anything that’s going on.”
Notes from the bye week
The Elks’ last game was a 37-16 win over the Stampeders at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday that saw the club sweep the home-and-home Labour Day series with Calgary for the first time in 20 years.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson got the start at quarterback even though fellow pivot Tre Ford had returned from injury. Ford was given some time on the field toward the end of the game and Jackson has since confirmed he plans to give Ford the start against Winnipeg next Saturday.
On Thursday, the Elks announced the club has released linebacker Woodly Appolon. The 28-year-old was acquired from the Ottawa Redblacks via a trade completed last year.