5 THINGS: Time to start laying blame for this Edmonton Elks mess - Edmonton Sun | Canada News Media
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5 THINGS: Time to start laying blame for this Edmonton Elks mess – Edmonton Sun

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‘Once we’ve got down to a certain point, we’ve got to look at anything. All our processes. We’ve certainly got to take the next week and take a good hard look at everything. From everything in our locker-room, everything in our coaching, everything from A-Z.’

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You could say the Edmonton Elks are on a well-deserved break.

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But it’s more like the broken Edmonton Elks are on a bye week.

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Top to bottom and everything in between, nothing is working. Not properly. Not at all.

Here’s what we’ve learned following Saturday’s 27-0 loss, making for eight straight scoreless quarters against the B.C. Lions this season, with one more meeting still to come:

SOMEONE MUST ANSWER

The season’s done. All the shadows of Green and Gold legends and duct tape in the world couldn’t piece things back together. They’d have to miraculously run the table the rest of the way to salvage a winning record.

But this season hasn’t been about winning. Right now, it is about what they can salvage.

Do they blow it all up and name a new head coach and general manager, which would mark their fifth different head man in as many years? The combination of Chris Jones and his assistant GM, Geroy Simon, on the player personnel side obviously isn’t working. And if it is, Jones’ other role as head coach has completely failed in maximizing the talent on the roster.

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  1. Edmonton Elks set North American record with 21st straight home loss


  2. Photos: Edmonton Elks lose 27-0 to B.C. Lions at Commonwealth Stadium

Or is Jones’s loyalty to his coaching staff the downfall here, and he’s been either too stubborn or afraid to alter course on the offensive side of things when it comes to the play-calling of long-time friend and ally Stephen McAdoo? (Previous players have called it the McADon’t Offence.)

If that may even remotely be the case, then it fell on club president and CEO Victor Cui to be more demanding of results. He needed to refuse to allow the on-field product to remain status quo to the point where what fans actually remain in the building have begun voicing their displeasure with seeing the same-old thing happen over and over, booing their offence back to the sidelines.

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THE ULTIMATE CULPRITS

The water began swirling long before any of the club’s current executive and football ops management became part of the problem.

The sole finger of blame for what’s being flushed onto the field on a weekly basis points straight at the Elks board of directors for laying the leaky foundation that got things to this point.

Crap runs uphill in this case, and they’re going to pay for it with a fifth consecutive year of registering financial losses in the millions.

BROKEN RECORD

One way to take the heat off an embarrassing 21-game home losing streak that has plagued the Elks since last winning at Commonwealth Stadium — a 19-6 result over the same Lions organization on Oct. 12, 2019 — has been to bury it under a heap more misery.

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Suffering two shutouts in the same season, to the same opponent, no less, is unheard of considering the previous time they failed to put points on the board dates all the way back to 1976. (Lions head coach and GM Rick Campbell is now calling his defence the Donut Boys.)

But beyond that, Edmonton’s current 12-game losing streak — home or away — now sits one shy of a club record of 13 back in 1964.

So, coming into sole possession of the North American major pro sports record for consecutive home losses registers low on the list of priorities at the moment.

STARTING QB SITUATION

Taylor Cornelius has started all but one game for the Elks this year, going 0-7 on the way to a miserable 4-23 during his three years with the club.

While it’s unfair to pin an entire loss all on a quarterback, Cornelius hasn’t helped his situation any. While the victories have been few and far between, the same can’t be said for all the overthrows, underthrows, missed open receivers and entirely untimely interceptions that have contributed to the ages-long losing streaks and shutouts the likes of which have never been seen before.

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Following the loss, Jones was asked about the length of leash Cornelius has been given before a change at the position is considered.

“Once we’ve got down to a certain point, we’ve got to look at anything. All our processes,” he said. “We’ve certainly got to take the next week and take a good hard look at everything. From everything in our locker-room, everything in our coaching, everything from A-Z.”

CH-CH-CHANGES?

Jones has been around the league long enough to recognize mid-season changes are often made over bye weeks.

With Edmonton’s next game set for Aug. 10 against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers, does he expect to make or see any moves in the roster, coaching staff or beyond before the next kickoff?

“I don’t ever try to control stuff I can’t control,” he said about his own job, which is currently in the second year of a four-year contract. “All I can do is show up every day and work as hard as I possibly can, and if there are decisions that are above me, that’s above me.

“So, I just know that we’ve got some good people in the building, we just haven’t found the right ingredients to win games.”

But they have certainly stumbled upon the recipe for disaster.

E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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Jays reliever Green and Canadian slugger O’Neill nominated for comeback player award

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NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.

Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.

The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.

Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.

The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.

O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.

After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Duke’s Cooper Flagg makes preseason AP All-America team as ACC, Big 12, SEC each place 2 players

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Alabama’s Mark Sears and North Carolina‘s RJ Davis looked into the possibility of leaving for the NBA before deciding to return for another college season.

Their decisions helped their teams earn top-10 rankings in the AP Top 25 and earned both players some preseason honors, too.

Sears was a near-unanimous selection for The Associated Press preseason All-America men’s basketball team released Monday, earning all but one vote from a 55-person national media panel. Davis was right behind him, nabbing 51 votes.

They were joined by Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson, Auburn forward Johni Broome, Arizona guard Caleb Love and Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. Love and Flagg tied for the final spot, creating a six-man team that includes only the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.

Alabama twin bill

Sears was a key cog in the Crimson Tide’s first trip to the Final Four a year ago, orchestrating one of college basketball’s highest-scoring teams.

The 6-foot-1 guard was named a second-team AP All-America after averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was the first Division I player in 31 years to have 795 points, 150 rebounds, 145 assists and 95 three-pointers in a single season while breaking the Alabama single-season record with 26 games with at least 20 points.

Sears worked out for NBA scouts during the offseason before deciding to return to Alabama, earning the Crimson Tide a No. 2 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25.

“I saw the team that we had and I wanted to be a part of it, and bring home Alabama’s first national championship in basketball,” Sears said.

Across the state at rival Auburn, Broome made a quick decision about his future, announcing in April that he would be back for a fifth season.

The 6-10 forward was a third-team AP All-American last season after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 55% from the floor. With an eye on an NBA future, Broome worked hard on his perimeter shooting during the offseason and his return earned Auburn a No. 11 preseason ranking.

“My main goal is a team goal, which is to win the national championship, to make it as far as I can in March Madness,” Broome said. “When a team shines, everyone shines individually.”

Along Tobacco Road

Like Sears, Davis has similar aspirations after opting to return for his fifth season at North Carolina.

The 6-foot guard was an AP All-American last season and the ACC player of the year after averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists on a team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Davis enters this year within reach of former North Carolina big man Tyler Hansbrough’s all-time ACC scoring record.

“I know there’s more work to be done,” Davis said. “I know my jersey’s not going up until I leave. So there’s some more records to break and some more work to be done. I’m satisfied but I’m not satisfied, if that makes sense.”

Up the road at Duke, Flagg was the only underclassman on the preseason All-America team after arriving with tons of hype. The 6-9 swingman was the No. 1-rated high school recruit out of Newport, Maine and has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.

Flagg has the skills of a guard, but can also play inside and has worked hard on his perimeter shooting, giving him the potential to be one of college basketball’s most versatile players. He’s part of a stellar recruiting class that has No. 7 Duke eyeing a deep March run.

Big 12 duo

Dickinson was the biggest move in the transfer portal last spring after leaving Michigan for Kansas. The 7-2 center lived up to the billing, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds while leading the Jayhawks back to the NCAA Tournament.

With Dickinson’s return and an influx of talented transfers, Kansas is ranked No. 1 going into the season that begins Nov. 4.

Love’s decision to return for a second season at No. 10 Arizona has ratcheted up expectations in the desert for the Big 12 rival of Kansas.

The athletic 6-4 guard had a high-scoring career at North Carolina and continued it after transferring to Arizona last season. He was the Pac-12 player of the year and a third-team All-American after averaging 18 points per game and making 92 3-pointers.

Love tested the NBA waters this summer before deciding to return.

“He’s had a very successful college career thus far,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He’s kind of this last generation of player that’s going to get better with this extra year, and so I just encourage him to take advantage of it.”

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Browns QB Deshaun Watson ruptured his Achilles tendon and is out for the season, AP source says

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of Cleveland‘s season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Sunday against Cincinnati, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.

Watson was injured on a non-contact play in the second quarter of Cleveland’s 21-14 loss to the Bengals.

Watson will soon undergo surgery, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the results of imaging tests taken on his leg.

It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year.

The 29-year-old Watson went down without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson collapsed to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.

As he laid on the ground, there was cheering by some Cleveland fans, leading to some of Watson’s teammates criticizing that behavior during the team’s fifth straight loss.

The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s divisive stay with the Browns.

Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks to Houston and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million in 2022. The deal came amid Watson being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions. He settled civil lawsuits in all but one of those cases.

Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games with the Browns and then made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.

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