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CBC
2 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Edmonton Elks hoping for 1st home-opening win in 4 years
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once said: "don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice." A catchy sound bite that's easier said than done, but that's what the Edmonton Elks are hoping to achieve this week in preparation for their CFL home opener Thursday against the Montreal Alouettes. The Elks are eager to erase the memories of their horrendous starts the last three seasons (0-5, 0-8, 0-7) and looking to rebound from their season-opening 31-14 road loss to the B.C. Lions. Winning their home opener for the first time in four seasons is the No. 1 priority, said centre David Beard. "We're trying to block out all the rest of the noise," he said after another upbeat practice. "We, as players, have to reduce it down to simply winning the next game. "As much as we understand and recognize the importance of winning, and we want to get off to a hot start, we have to reduce it down to just winning the next football game. So we're trying to block out the extra noise, the pressure and just trying to do our job the best we can." The Elks started well in B.C., but a second-half collapse sent them back into the film and meeting rooms to make substantial changes. "In all three phases there are things we needed to clean up," said head coach Mark Kilam. "Offensively we have to stay on the field, we have to sustain some drives, we've got to be more productive on first downs. Game 1 shows you what you need to get better at." One of those things is to reduce costly penalties, an issue that has plagued the team for several seasons. "We didn't have a ton of penalties, we had operational penalties that are killing our momentum on offence," said Kilam. "Those are all preventable penalties, stuff we need to cut out." The Elks have had 12 days to make whatever changes they deemed necessary, the one advantage of having a bye week after just one game played. "We had the bye week, a chance to reset," said running back Justin Rankin, held to just 24 yards in seven carries against the Lions. "I think everybody's coming back hungry. We want to put on a show for the fans so we're excited to get out there and get after it." Rankin said there have been a lot of changes made in preparation for Thursday's game and one of the keys is getting the running game back to what it was last season when the team led the league in rushing yards. "It's super important," he said. "We're a physical team, that's kind of our motto, what we want to be. That starts with the running game. We'll get that together. One week doesn't define who we are." Success for the running game starts with the offensive line and its ability to open holes, something they weren't overly successful at against the Lions. "We were not happy with that result," said Beard. "First and foremost, for our group, we want to make the run game better. I feel like we've identified a lot of issues. "We've corrected them in the meeting room, we've brought them onto the field, made the corrections. Now it's a matter of making sure we execute on game day." On the injury front, two of the three players hurt in the season opener — offensive lineman Brett Boyko (hamstring) and wide receiver Arkell Smith (head) — are questionable for Thursday. Left tackle Martez Ivey (hamstring) is ready to play. The Alouettes enter the game at 2-0, including a 39-18 road win at Ottawa last week. They won both their meetings with Edmonton in 2024, including a 23-20 win at Commonwealth Stadium in Week 2.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Elks look for first home-opening win in four years as Alouettes roll into Edmonton
Edmonton Elks' Justin Rankin (5) is tackled by B.C. Lions' Deontai Williams (9) during the first half of a CFL football game in Vancouver, on Saturday, June 7, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once said: 'don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.' A catchy sound bite that's easier said than done, but that's what the Edmonton Elks are hoping to achieve this week in preparation for their CFL home opener Thursday against the Montreal Alouettes. The Elks are eager to erase the memories of their horrendous starts the last three seasons (0-5, 0-8, 0-7) and looking to rebound from their season-opening 31-14 road loss to the B.C. Lions. Winning their home opener for the first time in four seasons is the No. 1 priority, said centre David Beard. 'We're trying to block out all the rest of the noise,' he said after another upbeat practice. 'We, as players, have to reduce it down to simply winning the next game. 'As much as we understand and recognize the importance of winning, and we want to get off to a hot start, we have to reduce it down to just winning the next football game. So we're trying to block out the extra noise, the pressure and just trying to do our job the best we can.' The Elks started well in B.C., but a second-half collapse sent them back into the film and meeting rooms to make substantial changes. 'In all three phases there are things we needed to clean up,' said head coach Mark Kilam. 'Offensively we have to stay on the field, we have to sustain some drives, we've got to be more productive on first downs. Game 1 shows you what you need to get better at.' One of those things is to reduce costly penalties, an issue that has plagued the team for several seasons. 'We didn't have a ton of penalties, we had operational penalties that are killing our momentum on offence,' said Kilam. 'Those are all preventable penalties, stuff we need to cut out.' The Elks have had 12 days to make whatever changes they deemed necessary, the one advantage of having a bye week after just one game played. 'We had the bye week, a chance to reset,' said running back Justin Rankin, held to just 24 yards in seven carries against the Lions. 'I think everybody's coming back hungry. We want to put on a show for the fans so we're excited to get out there and get after it.' Rankin said there have been a lot of changes made in preparation for Thursday's game and one of the keys is getting the running game back to what it was last season when the team led the league in rushing yards. 'It's super important,' he said. 'We're a physical team, that's kind of our motto, what we want to be. That starts with the running game. We'll get that together. One week doesn't define who we are.' Success for the running game starts with the offensive line and its ability to open holes, something they weren't overly successful at against the Lions. 'We were not happy with that result,' said Beard. 'First and foremost, for our group, we want to make the run game better. I feel like we've identified a lot of issues. 'We've corrected them in the meeting room, we've brought them onto the field, made the corrections. Now it's a matter of making sure we execute on game day.' On the injury front, two of the three players hurt in the season opener — offensive lineman Brett Boyko (hamstring) and wide receiver Arkell Smith (head) — are questionable for Thursday. Left tackle Martez Ivey (hamstring) is ready to play. The Alouettes enter the game at 2-0, including a 39-18 road win at Ottawa last week. They won both their meetings with Edmonton in 2024, including a 23-20 win at Commonwealth Stadium in Week 2. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025. John Korobanik, The Canadian Press
Global News
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Global News
B.C. Lions dump visiting Edmonton Elks 31-14 in season opener
Nathan Rourke threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, and the B.C. Lions opened their CFL season with a 31-14 win over the Edmonton Elks on Saturday. 'They had some answers, definitely, for what we were doing,' Elks head coach Mark Kilam said after the loss. 'I thought we gassed out a little bit on defence. We need to maintain a few more drives on offence to help those guys out. But really there were errors in all three phases, and we are a three phase football team, so there's definitely things we need to get better at in all three phases.' The Canadian quarterback went 27-for-36 on his passing attempts, linking up with Stanley Berryhill III twice in the end zone. Justin McInnis caught his first TD of the year and James Butler drove in another major. Veteran kicked Sean Whyte contributed a 22-yard field goal for the Lions, who played their first game under rookie head coach Buck Pierce. Story continues below advertisement Elks quarterback Tre Ford put up 178 passing yards, connecting on 17 of his 27 attempts and throwing one interception. He was sacked twice. 'I don't think we did fantastic offensively,' Tre said. 'I think we were stuck in a lot of second and longs, which isn't a good situation for offence, so we've got to do better on first down. But a lot of that stuff comes back on me, right, I'm the quarterback. I have to make some more things happen out there for us.' Cody Fajardo chalked up two short-yardage rushing majors for Edmonton, who also have a first-year head coach in Mark Kilam. Rapper Snoop Dogg performed for the announced crowd of 52,837 fans before kickoff. The game got off to a promising start for the Lions with Rourke and his teammates steadily working the ball up the field to give B.C. a first down at Edmonton's two-yard line. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Chase Brice came in for short yardage duty and appeared to stretch the ball into the end zone on third down. A review by the command centre, though, determined the QB went down before getting the ball across the line. Ford struggled early, going 0-for-3 on his first attempts of the game before connecting with Zach Mathias for a six-yard gain on his fourth attempt of the night. Story continues below advertisement Edmonton got on the board with just over three minutes left in the first quarter when Cody Grace sent a 66-yard punt into the end zone for a rouge. B.C. again came within inches of a touchdown early in the second frame when Rourke threaded a crisp pass to Jevon Cottoy directly under the uprights. The Canadian receiver fumbled the ball, then stared at his gloves in apparent disbelief. Whyte posted the home side's first points of the night, booting a 22-yard field goal to give the Lions a 3-1 lead. The Elks took control again midway through the second quarter when Fajardo muscled his way through traffic for a one-yard rushing major. Vincent Blanchard missed the convert and Edmonton went up 7-3. The score stood at the end of the first half after the Elks kicker sent a 49-yard field goal attempt wide in the final seconds of the frame. B.C. came alive early in the second half, stringing together a possession that ended with Rourke escaping the pocket, taking a few steps and sailing a 34-yard pass to Stanley Berryhill in the end zone. Whyte made the convert and the Lions jumped out to a 10-7 advantage. Edmonton had an opportunity to level the score minutes later when Blanchard lined up for a 45-yard field goal, but the kick again went wide. Story continues below advertisement Rourke proved on the next possession that he's a dual threat, rushing for 13 yards on one play and 22 on another. He capped the drive with a 37-yard lob to Berryhill under the uprights and another convert from Whyte increased the Lions' lead to 17-7 midway through the third quarter. Ford responded with some fast feet of his own in the dying seconds of the third quarter. The 27-year-old Canadian deftly darted around midfield to avoid multiple sack attempts and got a 37-yard pass off to Justin Rankin, who similarly snuck past several B.C. defenders before being felled at the three-yard line. Edmonton opened the fourth with Fajardo powering through traffic for his second touchdown of the night. Blanchard sent the convert through the uprights to cut the Elks' deficit to three points. B.C. kept pressing and launched a seven-play, 86-yard scoring drive, capped by a 17-yard pass from Rourke to McInnis in the end zone. McInnis, who hails from Pierrefonds, Que., led the CFL in receiving yards last season with 1,469. The Lions defence got to work next with linebacker Ben Hladik picking off Ford's pass and dashing 61 yards to put his team back in prime scoring position. B.C. capitalized with Rourke handing off to running back Butler, who sprinted into the end zone for the home side's fourth touchdown of the night. Another convert from Whyte put the Lions ahead 31-14. Story continues below advertisement A massive 92-yard kickoff return by Javon Leake looked to cut Edmonton's deficit midway through the fourth, but Elks linebacker Josiah Schakel was called for an illegal block on the play. NOTES Lions linebacker Jeremy Lewis (hamstring) and defensive lineman Deshawn Stevens (foot) did not return for the second half. … The game marked the first time two Canadian quarterbacks have started and gone head to head in a CFL season opener. UP NEXT Elks: Host the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday, June 19. Lions: Visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday.
Global News
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Elks open regular season against Lions in Vancouver on Saturday
The beginning of a season is filled with hope and optimism for all nine CFL clubs. The Edmonton Elks, who haven't seen the post-season since the 2019 season, are hoping they have the right pieces in place to get back to the playoffs. The Elks will begin their 2025 campaign on Saturday night when they play their opening game in Vancouver against the Lions at B.C. Place Stadium. The Elks, led by vice-president of football operations and general manager Ed Hervey, have a new head coach in Mark Kilam, along with a new coaching staff and a number of new players. 2:19 Edmonton Elks name Mark Kilam as football team's new head coach The Elks will dress 15 new starters from last season, eight on defence and six on offence. Kilam, who will make his CFL debut as a head coach on Saturday, is excited to begin the season. Story continues below advertisement 'First of all, it's not about me. It's about our football team,' Kilam said. 'I'm excited for the group that we brought out here to go and show what they are all about. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'The game counts in the standings. Week 1 always has a little bit of mystery behind it, but we're excited to get going.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The game counts in the standings. Week 1 always has a little bit of mystery behind it, but we're excited to get going." Getting off to a better start is a focus for the Elks in 2025. In the last few seasons, the Elks have started 0-3, 0-9, and 0-7 before picking up their first win. Saturday night marks the first time two Canadian quarterbacks will oppose each other since 1968 when Tre Ford starts for the Elks with Nathan Rourke is under centre for the Lions. 2:42 Tre Ford speaks at news conference after re-signing with the Elks The only injury concern for the Elks is starting right tackle Brett Boyko who is listed as a game-time decision after tweaking his hamstring on Thursday. Story continues below advertisement Defensive tackle Jared Brinkman will play after suffering a lower-body injury early in training camp. The following are the projected offensive and defensive starters for the Elks: Offence Related News Edmonton Elks sign linebacker Nick Anderson to 1-year extension Quarterback: Tre Ford Running back: Justin Rankin (Fullback: Tanner Green) Offensive line: Martez Ivey, Mark Korte, David Beard, Gregor MacKellar, Brett Boyko (game-time decision) Receivers: Steven Dunbar, Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Arkell Smith, Kaion Julien-Grant, Zach Mathis Defence Defensive line: Brandon Barlow, Jared Brinkman, Jake Ceresna, Robbie Smith Linebackers: Nick Anderson, Nyles Morgan, Kordell Jackson Defensive backs: Devodric Bynum, Manny Rugamba, Royce Metchie, Kobe Williams, Tyrell Ford You can hear Saturday's season-opener between the Elks and Lions on 880 CHED starting with Countdown to Kickoff with Courtney Theriault at 6:30 p.m. The opening kickoff from B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver will be at 8 p.m. with Morley Scott and Dave Campbell calling all of the live action. Hear analysis from former Edmonton Football Team offensive lineman and two-time Grey Cup champion Blake Dermott.
CBC
06-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Edmonton Elks look to future by embracing past, including former team name
The winds of change blew through Commonwealth Stadium this winter, bringing in a new regime determined to return Edmonton's once-proud CFL franchise to its green-and-gold glory days. Part of that includes embracing the team's former name, Eskimos. The club rebranded as the Elks in 2021, following a broader movement among sports teams to move away from names considered racist or stereotypical, and amid pressure from sponsors who threatened to cut ties. The change proved divisive among Edmonton supporters. Regardless of which name Edmonton fans prefer, former players Chris Morris, now the team's president and CEO, and Ed Hervey, now general manager, have brought back the franchise motto: "Once an Eskimo, Always an Eskimo." A sign bearing the slogan has been restored above the entrance to the Elks' locker room. "Eskimos or Elks, it is the 'Double E' and we want our fans and the community to understand we are committed to winning and being a part of the community," Hervey said. And with that, both men are hoping the product on the field, headed by a new coaching staff led by Mark Kilam and an offence firmly in the hands of quarterback Tre Ford, will not only carry the team back into the playoffs but will lure missing fans into the stands. Despite the massive overhaul that began with the sale of the publicly-owned franchise to Larry Thompson, Kilam doesn't see any problems with all the new personnel meshing into a winning product. "It's not if you're vertically aligned, which we are, from ownership on down," he said. "When we have the same feelings about the way a professional football team should act, the way we think things should be run on a day-to-day basis, and the way we see things be played out on the field, it's pretty easy. "There's a fresh, new vibe," he continued. "There's been a lot of roster turnover; there's been a lot of turnover on the admin side; obviously the coaching staff has been turned over. So we are the new era of the Double E and we're looking forward to setting that standard." Doing that has to begin with a better start than the team has endured the last three years, when it began 0-5, 0-7 and 0-8 and suffered through a record 22-game home losing streak. "It's huge, it means everything," returning offensive lineman Jake Ceresna said of starting well. "But even if we stub our toe early, just have faith in us and have our backs because we're going to turn this ship around." The turnaround may have started last season when Ford got his chance at quarterback after the team started 0-7. The fourth-year Canadian sparked a dramatic turnaround that saw the Elks go 7-4 over their last 11 games. "We want to just keep going from where we stopped last year," said kick returner-running back Javon Leake. "We've got the players, we've got the coaches, now we just have to go out and play." The Elks are hoping Ford, 9-9 as a starter, will justify their faith in him, but traded for former Grey Cup MVP Cody Fajardo as a backup, just in case. Off-season roster changes have resulted in major revamping on both sides of the ball. Joining Ceresna on the defensive line are Robbie Smith and Jared Brinkman, members of Toronto's 2024 Grey Cup championship team. Behind them are linebackers Nyles Morgan and Nick Anderson along with a host of defensive backs led by Tyrell Ford and Royce Metchie. "From the top down, this is probably one of the best defences, talent-wise, that I've been around," said Ceresna. "We look fast; we look terrifying." But, he added, "it's all talk right now. Now it's up to us as players to go out and prove it." Offensively, Ford finds himself with a trio of top-notch receivers in Kurleigh Gittens, Jr., who led the team in receptions last year, newcomers Steven Dunbar Jr. and Kaion Julien-Grant and returnee Arkell Smith. "He's explosive," Kilam said of Smith. "His body, he looks like he's had a great off-season, he's put some time in, he has some familiarity with Tre." All-star centre Mark Korte returns and moves to left guard to make room for David Beard on an offensive line that allowed a league-low 29 sacks last season. The Elks led the CFL with 2,365 rushing yards in 2024 and are hoping the combination of Justin Rankin and Leake will offset the loss of Kevin Brown. With the number of major changes on and off the field, there was a high level of energy as the team prepared for its season opener June 7 in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions. "This is a whole new squad, a whole new era, a whole new tradition," said Leake. "Everything is new. I'm excited to finally get out there and show the rest of the CFL."
