By losing 31-14 in their season finale to B.C., Edmonton suffered their 17th straight loss at Commonwealth Stadium and finished 4-14 overall to go along with a dubious mark of going two consecutive seasons without a home win.

With the loss to the Lions, it marked an 0-9 year at home in Chris Jones’ first year back with the green and gold. That goes along with the franchise as a whole going winless at 11000 Stadium Road for a second straight year. It’s a topic that Jones — once again — wanted nothing to do with.

“It’s something that I’m tired of talking about, quite honestly. We hit on that a few weeks ago the fact that regardless of where we play, our expectations are the same that’s to win a game,” said Jones.

“If the media wants to keep harping on it… again, I’m not going to answer questions on something that I put to bed two to three weeks ago. It’s unfortunate we didn’t play our best, regardless of which field we lose on, it’s still a loss.”

The final game of the year saw Tre Ford get the start at quarterback in place of an injured Taylor Cornelius, who sustained a spleen injury in the team’s Week 19 loss to Toronto. The rookie signal-caller showed there’s still a lot to work on in his game, but there were flashes of brilliance. Ford completed 22-of-36 passes for 242 yards with one touchdown and a pair of interceptions while leading the team in rushing eight times for 72 yards.

It was a challenging game for Ford, who wanted to get the ball into his receivers’ hands while trying to hold his own against one of the best teams in the West Division.

“I wanted to go out there and make my reads, try to get the ball to the playmakers on the field. I struggled with that a little bit earlier on, got the hang a little bit, but B.C. has a phenomenal defence,” said Ford.

Jones praised his team’s effort and character throughout the year but pointed out that in the loss, this team once again had glaring errors that must be cleaned up, one of the biggest being stopping the Lions’ rushing attack. B.C. running back James Butler rushed 24 times for 141 yards (5.9 yards per carry) with one major.

“In the first quarter, it looked like me out there tackling,” said Jones.

Figuring out how to put together a consistent effort to stop the run game for a full 60 minutes was one of the most significant points that the head coach emphasized that this team has to correct going forward.

The only thing left for the Elks to handle in 2022 is exit interviews and locker cleanout as Jones and his team enter one of the more critical off-seasons in franchise history.

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Saturday night’s 28-23 loss to the Toronto Argonauts was arguably the worst example of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. A solid first half and a 16-6 lead evaporated late as Edmonton managed only seven points in the second half and failed to slow down a Toronto offence that scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.

To head coach Chris Jones, it was a repeat of many times his team has been unable to close out a game this season and let a possible victory slip away.

“It’s amazing, we find ways all year long to give games away. Unfortunately, it was the same song, the same verse tonight. I was proud of their effort. Unfortunately, we didn’t do enough things in the second half on the offensive side or the defensive side either to secure this win. I just feel for the guys because they did play hard, and I feel for the fans,” he said.

When it comes to the team’s home losing streak extending to 16 games, Jones continues to say as little about it as possible.

“Again, that’s something I refuse to talk about anymore. It’s just we got to win a game. That’s our focus,” Jones said. Unless the Elks win the season finale at Commonwealth Stadium against the B.C. Lions next week, he’ll continue to face questions regarding the streak.

The loss also put a damper on a terrific outing from running back Kevin Brown, who ended the night with 121 rushing yards and recorded his first CFL touchdown. Derel Walker was also impressive as he caught seven passes for 114 yards to lead the way among Edmonton’s receivers.

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Stopping the run has been a major problem all year long as the Elks have allowed a league-worst 116.8 rushing yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks have had plenty of success through the air as well with a 72.5 completion percentage, which is also league-worst defensively.

Head coach and general manager Chris Jones stressed that his team needs to improve in the first half as part of putting together a 60-minute effort. The lack of consistency and inability to stop big plays on the defensive side of the ball has cost the Elks greatly in the West Division and crossover standings.

“We’ve got to do better in the first half — too many drops, not protecting the quarterback, giving up too many plays defensively. It’s the same thing as the Winnipeg game, previously, it’s the same thing as the Saskatchewan game,” said Jones. “We’ve got to figure that out as a football team. I’ve got to do a better job coaching.”

The one stable element of this team once again was Kenny Lawler, who posted a stat line of three catches for 146 yards. He made two big grabs when called upon and Taylor Cornelius made it clear postgame how important his contributions have been.

“He’s the best receiver in this league. That guy was getting double-teamed, in man coverage and he still finds a way to get open and make plays. He’s unbelievable.”

Seven more games await Edmonton with two straight meetings against Calgary next on the schedule. For Jones, this point of the season is about focusing on the games Edmonton can take care of and not paying attention to what is happening with the rest of the league.

“We’ve got seven ball games left and like I told them, anything can happen. You can’t sit there and look at what anybody else is doing, you just gotta worry about you. If things happen for you, they’re meant to happen. We can’t worry about what we don’t control.”

As it stands, Edmonton is not officially out of the playoff race. The Elks can catch the fourth-place Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-5) as well as the third-place Stampeders (6-4).

But none of that will matter if Edmonton remains unable to clean up the elements that have hurt the Elks throughout the 2022 season so far.

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Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

QB Michael Reilly (2013-18)

There shouldn’t even be a debate as to whether or not Reilly deserves to be on the Wall of Honour — it’s only a matter of how soon his name will be inducted.

In his six seasons in green and gold, Reilly led the CFL in passing yards three times, was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player in 2017, and led Edmonton to a Grey Cup title in 2015, the team’s first in a decade. He sits top-three in team history in completions, passing yards, and touchdown passes.

When Edmonton was trying to find its next franchise quarterback, Reilly stepped up when the team was in need in 2013 and endeared himself to the fanbase as one of the most consistent and toughest signal-callers the franchise has ever had.

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

DL Jed Roberts (1990-2002)

Jed Roberts is one of the more visible members of the Elks alumni group — it’s hard to go to a game without running into him or hearing his voice in one of the Elks promotional videos. He also had a playing career that deserves the franchise’s highest distinction.

One of the pillars of Edmonton’s special teams units and a member of the 1993 Grey Cup team, Roberts left his mark on the franchise as one of the best Canadian-born special teams players to ever play.

In his 13-year career in an Edmonton uniform, he holds the team record for special team tackles with 163 and sits fourth all-time in CFL history in that category. Roberts also holds the single-game records for special team tackles in both the regular season and playoffs.

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

REC Ed Hervey (1999-2006)

When you needed a big catch, No. 81 was one of the most reliable options ever to wear the green and gold.

Hervey was a two-time Grey Cup champion who was twice named a West Division all-star. He recorded two seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards, peaking in 2001 when he had 77 receptions for 1,447 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Off the field, his work should also be honoured as the general manager that saw Edmonton improve from 4-14 in 2013 to having three-straight seasons of 10 -plus wins, along with a Grey Cup victory over the Ottawa Redblacks.

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

QB Damon Allen (1985-88, 1993-94)

Yes — it’s 2022 and Damon Allen is not on the Wall of Honour at Commonwealth Stadium. The sooner that is corrected, the better.

In his six seasons with the franchise, Allen won two Grey Cups, was named Grey Cup MVP twice, and threw for 76 touchdowns. He still sits third all-time in rushing yards among Edmonton quarterbacks and top-ten in passing yards.

Allen received almost every accolade there is over his 23-year CFL career. Having a night to honour his days at Commonwealth Stadium and a plaque permanently placed inside the stadium to commemorate it is something that needs to happen sooner than later.

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

REC Fred Stamps (2006-14)

Stamps retired as a member of the Edmonton Football in 2019 when he signed a one-day contract, but now it’s time for one of the franchise’s biggest star receivers to have one more honour.

In his eight seasons with Edmonton, Stamps had five-straight seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards and 49 touchdown receptions. He currently sits third all-time in franchise history in receptions and was named a West Division all-star for five consecutive years from 2009-13.

He may have finishes his career with the Montreal Alouettes, but Stamps became synonymous with Edmonton football and remains an icon worth celebrating.

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After coming off the six-game injured list earlier in the week, former all-star receiver Duron Carter saw a healthy amount of snaps at defensive back in the 24-10 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It was a return to a role he briefly played under the tutelage of head coach Chris Jones in Regina back in 2017 and 2018, but his debut showed that there are elements of his play that must be cleaned up.

It looked like Carter had the angle on Bombers’ receiver Dalton Schoen on a big catch late in the second quarter and had a chance to prevent six more points from being scored. Instead, Schoen shoved off Carter’s high attempt at a tackle on his way to an 81-yard touchdown reception, giving Winnipeg a 17-6 lead at the break.

The score was a letdown after Edmonton contained Winnipeg for most of the first half and simply should not have happened. The underwhelming effort by Carter on the tackle resulted in considerable mockery on social media, as people poked fun at the pass catcher’s attempt to play defence.

Carter was able to make up for his second-quarter play by picking off a poorly thrown ball from Zach Collaros to stop Winnipeg’s momentum early in the fourth quarter. However, head coach Chris Jones wasn’t offering compliments on Carter’s play, even with the interception.

“He didn’t play great; he needs to get in better shape,” Jones told the media post-game. “I’ve got to do a better job when the guy comes off the six-game, having him physically ready to play”.

Carter also handled return duties, an aspect of the game he’s more familiar with. The Elks badly needed help in that phase and the multi-threat athlete was viewed as someone who could finally jump-start the special teams unit. He managed just 88 yards on six returns with a long of 24.

It will be interesting to see if Carter gets the start coming out of the bye week and how Jones plans to get him better prepared. It was only one game, but the early results left something to be desired.

Of course, Carter wasn’t the only player guilty of a lack of execution. Over on his natural side of the football, the Elks’ offence failed to score a touchdown despite having eight drives of five plays or more.

For receiver Kenny Lawler, who put up 98 yards against his former team, the failure to score majors is a glaring problem.

“We just have to finish. We have to finish the drives, finish the game. If we do that, we put ourselves in a better position,” he said. “Our mood is better, our faces are different in that locker room; we’re in there celebrating. When we don’t do that against the best team in the league, it’s going to be hard to win.”

Getting the ball in the endzone is still the weakest point for the Elks, as they’ve scored just one touchdown at home in 2022. Too many drives have ended in field goals or rouges — when the Elks have scored at all — and Coach Jones was blunt about the team’s inability to get six points.

“You have to stick the ball in the endzone; it’s no secret,” he said. “They’re (Winnipeg) able to scramble around and throw deep and find a way to get in the endzone. They get a turnover and throw a corner route, and are able to get in the endzone. It’s no secret that touchdowns are what we need, and we’ve struggled with that all year, and that’s something we have to get better at also.” 

The upcoming bye gives the Elks time to re-think their strategy in all three phases, as the battle to keep pace with the rest of the West Division continues to become more challenging.

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Edmonton’s victory also further showcased the ongoing problem with how the CFL standings work. With the Elks moving to 2-4 and the Alouettes falling to 1-4, the league’s standings tilt heavily in favour of the West Division.

Edmonton is the only sub .500 team in the West, while there is not a single team in the East above the .500 mark through six weeks of the season. Montreal has a better shot at being a playoff team than Edmonton. Hamilton has one win over Ottawa and if things don’t change, B.C. would be travelling to play someone from the East that would most likely have a worse record than the Lions.

It’s long overdue for the CFL to either move to a format that sees the two divisions scrapped or the six best teams in the league make the playoffs, regardless of division. At the very least, the crossover team with the better record should not be going on the road, while the team with the worse record gets to enjoy a home-field advantage.

If this results in only one or two teams from a certain division in the playoffs, then so be it. There are not enough teams in the league to try and consistently achieve a balance of even or a close-to-even number of teams in the postseason. The league will be better for it by ensuring the best teams are playing for the Grey Cup.

Taylor Cornelius and Kai Locksley stepped up in La Belle Province

The most significant question coming into Week 6 for the Elks was how would the quarterback play hold up? With all of the changes, ranging from Tre Ford’s injury to Nick Arbuckle being traded to Ottawa, it’s been the least stable element of Edmonton’s roster.

In his first start of the season, Taylor Cornelius completed 19-of-31 passes for 230 yards with one touchdown and one interception. At times he held onto the ball for too long, but he was able to do enough to help put the Elks in a position to win.

Cornelius was able to find Derel Walker deep, and his long balls were able to draw pass interference calls on Montreal. The game-winning touchdown pass was an absolute strike to Kenny Lawler right as he was taking a hit with Montreal sending pressure on him.

If Cornelius can find some consistency, he might be able to keep the Elks in the West Division playoff picture. It’s going to be vital that he’s able to put together consistent drives and not just in the second half with Winnipeg coming to Commonwealth Stadium in Week 7.

Full credit to Kai Locksley for being able to move past being unable to bring down a Cornelius pass that resulted in the one interception that nearly resulted in Montreal’s Marc-Antoine Dequoy almost bringing it back to the house for six points. When needed in short-yardage situations under centre even after playing injured, he scored twice and was able to make four receptions for 36 yards in his dual role.

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Carolina Panthers’ running back and Sherwood Park, Alta. native Chuba Hubbard held a free three-day football camp for youth players at the University of Alberta’s Foote Field. Hubbard wasn’t the only pro at the camp.

Fellow players such as Baltimore Ravens’ running back Justice Hill, Dallas Cowboys’ linebacker Devin Harper, and Edmonton Elks’ running back James Wilder Jr. also made an appearance.

Kids of all ages and positions took part in the event and seeing the number of participants who turned out to the camp was something Hubbard appreciated in his efforts to help young athletes wanting to make the jump to the next level.

“It shows you how many kids are seeking an opportunity to be great and how many kids really want to make it to the CFL or the NFL or be a professional athlete. For us to be able to do this and be successful, it was amazing,” said Hubbard.

The 23-year-old knows what it means to be a role model for so many kids in Alberta as he is one of the few Edmonton-area players to ever make it to the NFL. He understands his role as a mentor and believes it’s important to ensure he gives back to the community.

Photo courtesy: 1912 Studios/Twitter and Instagram @1912Studios

“It’s special, not too many guys have come out of the Edmonton area, especially in the NFL, so I know that the platform and everything that I’ve got with it comes with great privilege and a great blessing,” said Hubbard.

“I hold it highly where I’m at, I know that I have a duty to give back to the community and help these kids get to where they want to be, so I’m going to do the best I can to do that.”

To have fellow NFL players take a few days out of their offseason to come up to Edmonton was something that meant a lot to Hubbard. It was the first time some had been to Canada, which led to funny situations.

“Some guys didn’t even have a passport. It was their first time using a passport,” said Hubbard. “The fact that I had those guys come out just shows you the great people I have around me. I’m so fortunate to have friends like that, that want to come back and help support my community and give back, I’m just really lucky.”

There are plans to bring the camp back for 2023 Hubbard said and accommodate more kids, and it might eventually expand beyond the Alberta capital.

“Next year we’ll be in Edmonton again for sure, an even bigger camp and hopefully we can go to another city, maybe Calgary, and then Toronto, and then maybe B.C. We’ll definitely keep expanding it.”

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