A Tale Of Two Cities

The Current State of the Edmonton Eskimos


Edmonton: City of Champions. At least that’s what Edmonton likes to call itself. After winning championship after championship both on the ice and on the football field in the 1980s the moniker certainly fit. And there is no real harm in that nickname these days even if it doesn't fit so well anymore. Between 1978 and 1982, the Edmonton Eskimos captured 5 straight Grey Cups. The club also won again in 1987 and 1993 and appeared in the final game in 1986, 1990 and 1996. After a 10 year drought they won again in 2003 and 2005. It would seem that the Eskimos downfall came rather quickly after recent successes. In fact, the truth is that it is a long time coming, and those recent championships were the result of a massive stockpile of great talent that is no longer present. The rot has been building, and now the piper is being paid. When it comes to the current state of the Edmonton Eskimos, they are a far cry from the flagship franchise they once were. And to add salt to the wound, the franchise they need to take lessons from plays in Regina.

For many years the Eskimos organization was considered the flagship of the entire CFL. The steady rock while others struggled financially. It was the boat that floated and sent its crew to bail out other sinking vessels. The man who was responsible for so much of that glory was Hugh Campbell. But, while much of the credit deservedly belongs to Campbell, so does much of the blame for the current state of affairs at Commonwealth.

I don’t know why it happens to certain people, but some folks just stay on in their jobs too long, or get too comfortable. While Hugh Campbell ran a tight ship in Edmonton for many years, the comfort zone clearly got too great, and standards fell. The fan support in Edmonton, which has been tops in the league for two generations, was taken for granted. Things began to slide. Personal friendships and nepotism took the place of high standards, and doing what was best for the club ceased to be the golden rule.

The evidence was on display for everybody. When the Edmonton Eskimos needed an offensive coordinator five years ago instead of an exhaustive search for the best candidate possible, with interviews and the usual procedure, Campbell opted to hire his good friend Ron Lancaster’s son, Ron Lancaster jr. The junior Lancaster had just come off a terrible display of ineptness as coordinator in Winnipeg and had no real record of success. When the Eskimos had their last falling out with Don Matthews, nobody was allowed to say anything about it. Rumours still persist. Facts are not known except by a select few. And instead of an exhaustive search for a new coach, Campbell sent his manager, Tom Higgins, down to coach the team. When Higgins, a man with virtually no experience coaching a football team had finally made enough mistakes, Campbell showed him the door. Thanks for playing. The same thing happened to Lancaster. Once he was shown the door, the Eskimos hired Danny Maciocia as offensive coordinator. And in spite of lacklustre offensive schemes under Higgins, it was Maciocia who Campbell chose over the more experienced and respected Greg Marshall, who was running an excellent Eskimo defense.

And who did the Eskimos replace the jilted Marshall with when he left? Rick Campbell, Hugh’s son. Neither Maciocia nor Campbell have shown any great quality in their 3 years as coaches in Edmonton. Neither have the ability to properly adjust, neither have the ability to motivate players. Maciocia in particular is guilty. Current offensive Coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine currently languishes under Maciocia’s reign. Last year he was the coordinator of BC’s Grey Cup winning offense. Yet the success still eludes the team. One wonders how the team managed to fall from unlikely Champions in 2005 to missing the playoffs the next year. The team looks destined for a repeat this year.

Off the field the Eskimos fare no better. Several years of lackluster advertising, marketing and public relations have allowed many other teams in the CFL to catch up to the Eskimos in terms of both fan support and revenue. While the Eskimos annually release a few corny radio ads and come up with a forgettable catch phrase (Fight On!...groan) the BC Lions aggressively tackle their market with entertaining and sophisticated television and print ads. The Saskatchewan Roughriders actually advertise to their fans in other cities!

The Eskimos PR people can’t even get a gameday depth chart correct on their website. They can’t release a training camp schedule in a timely fashion for their die hard supporters. It all smacks of laziness and ingratitude. This is an organization that takes it’s fans for granted. But when High Campbell decided that it was time to vacate Edmonton for a cabin in the US, his hand picked successor was Rick LeLacheur, a respected local businessman who knows next to nothing about running a sports franchise. It shows.

When things get this bad off the field, things tend to go bad on the field. The on-field product that the Eskimos organization has put on display for the last couple of years has not just been sub-par, it’s been unentertaining. The squandering of player assets, the boring schemes, and the lack of creativity and innovation show a distinct lack of quality in terms of coaching and management. The Eskimos force out players who are legends and can still play, while never managing their roster to cope with the inevitable injuries that come with a contact sport like football.

There was another CFL franchise that told a familiar tale: The Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Riders under Roy Shivers were poorly managed, and seemed to be defined by the classless and uncouth actions of their GM and several players. The franchise and it’s fans that for years were the world’s #1 second favorite team were viewed with outright hostility by CFL fans who didn’t wear light green.

But, a massive turnaround has occurred in Regina. Gone are Shivers and his team. Under Eric Tillman, a new standard was quickly put in place and was enforced in no uncertain terms without delay. New coach, new attitude, new players. Even some players who were exceptionally talented were released because they did not conduct themselves in a manner that would be considered acceptable under a new, higher standard. The mouthy, “gangsta” player was embraced by Shivers; it would not be tolerated under Tillman. The organization was purged of it’s rot and renewed. Those who were worthy were kept. Those that were not, weren’t.

Currently the Edmonton Eskimos languish in the bottom of the CFL’s West Division and are actually getting worse as the season progresses. The Saskatchewan Roughriders lead the same division and have the best record in the CFL. Good luck getting a ticket in Regina.

There should be no doubt in the minds of Eskimo fans and the Eskimos Board of Directors what needs to be done.