Before the season, many CFL pundits saw the 2018 Edmonton Eskimos as legitimate Grey Cup contenders and many of them also picked the football team to be in the Grey Cup game being played in Alberta’s capital on Nov. 25.
The reality is the Eskimos’ final game on The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium will be this Saturday in the regular season finale against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Eskimos entered their bye week with slim playoff hopes and needed a win by the Calgary Stampeders over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last Friday to stay alive. That didn’t happen but on Monday, general manager Brock Sunderland said his team’s players have only themselves to blame.
Watch below: Some videos from Global News’ coverage of the Edmonton Eskimos in 2018.
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Maas says Eskimos’ Mike Reilly battling the flu -
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Edmonton Eskimos to help mark 50th anniversary of Cross Cancer Institute -
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Edmonton Eskimos player awaits news from North Carolina after Hurricane Florence rips through -
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Edmonton Eskimo Ryan King on Labour Day Classic rematch + free kid’s tickets -
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Eskimos get ready for Labour Day Classic against Stampeders -
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Edmonton Eskimos Grey Cup Greats: Ryan King -
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Meet Mike Reilly’s newest addition: baby Cadence -
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Edmonton Eskimos assist Food Bank -
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Edmonton Eskimos player Ryan King previews upcoming game against Toronto Argonauts -
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Global News All In: The Edmonton Eskimos game-day experience from the fans’ perspective -
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A look at the making of All In
“We’re here to play to get into the playoffs and ultimately, to try to compete for a championship.,” he said. “Heading into the season, we had high hopes and aspirations and we all thought we would be in a much better position right now, but that’s the reality of it.
“The truth is anytime you have to depend on somebody else, this is what can happen. We need to look ourselves in the mirror. I’m not going to blame Calgary or that game — there’s a whole season worth of things that we could have done better. We need to own that, we need to address it and we need to get better to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Listen below: Eskimos general manager Brock Sunderland says his team needs to “look in the mirror.”
As disappointing as the circumstance is, Eskimos head coach Jason Maas says the best thing for his club to do is prepare like they always do and try their best to win a game on Saturday.
“There’s two choices: you just give in or you keep going,” Maas said. “The human spirit is definitely dampened when you get something taken away from you and you can’t go on and try to win a championship, but at the end of the day, our job is to keep going and rally these guys and get them to play as well as they can to get a win and finish the year on a strong note.”
Listen below: Eskimos head coach Jason Maas says his team showed up to work on Monday despite the disappointment of not having a post-season to look forward to.
The Eskimos have a 3-7 record in their last 10 games including a six-game losing streak on the road.
Many questions have surrounded the team regarding the coaching staff led by Maas, who is also the club’s offensive co-ordinator.
Sunderland said to the media that he won’t talk about the coaching staff until after Saturday’s game.
Quarterback Mike Reilly was asked to comments on reports suggesting that Maas has lost the locker-room.
“That’s bull****,” Reilly said. “Whoever said that didn’t come out of that locker-room. How our guys came out and practised today, if he had lost that room, you wouldn’t have seen what I saw out there on the field today.
“Guys know how hard our staff works, guys know how hard their teammates work and it’s pro football. You’re not going to win every game and we didn’t win enough of them this year, but we’ve got an opportunity to win one more and that’s what the guys are focused on.”
Listen below: Eskimos QB Mike Reilly says it’s important for his team to finish the season on a positive note.
The Eskimos host the Bombers on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. 630 CHED will have live coverage at 12:30 p.m. with Countdown to Kickoff.
Saturday’s game also features Toys on the Turf, presented by 630 CHED Santas Anonymous. Fans are encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy to the game and place them on the field following the game. Tickets for kids 12 and under will be on sale for just $6.30.
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