VICTORY OVER B.C. EMOTIONAL
Eskimos came through for Benevides
The Edmonton Eskimos won Friday night because it’s what they’re paid to do.
They won because they’re the defending champions and they needed to get themselves back in the playoff mix.
Also because it was their last time playing in front of their own fans until the regular-season finale on Nov. 5.
But as much as anything, they fought tooth and nail to get that win for Mike Benevides.
The underlying tone surrounding a 27-23 win over the visiting B.C. Lions was it was the first time the Eskimos assistant head coach and defensive co-ordinator has faced his former club since being fired from the last CFL job he held in 2014.
In his three years as head coach in B.C. since taking over the sideline duties from longtime mentor Wally Buono — who focused solely on being their GM following a 2011 Grey Cup championship — Benevides received the lion’s share of the blame for a steady decline in performance over 13-5, 11-7 and 9-9 seasons.
The nail in the coffin was the Lions went 0-3 in the playoffs. But one argument poses Buono hadn’t been nearly busy enough in free agency during that time — certainly nowhere near as much as he has this season, after resuming his dual role and becoming head coach once again following last year’s 7-11 result under Jeff Tedford.
After spending last year out of the spotlight — aside from a stint over the 2014 Grey Cup week as an analyst with TSN that saw a somewhat awkward return for Benevides to BC Place Stadium mere days after getting fired — he was coming up against Buono for the first time ever.
And that fact wasn’t lost on any of the Eskimos.
“No question. I got my start in B.C. and I still have a lot of friends and people that I respect and just love to see before and after the game,” said quarterback Mike Reilly, who came into the CFL with the Lions from 2010-12. “But when the ball’s kicked off, you want to beat your old team a little bit more than you want to win all the other games.
“And for coach Benny, certainly he spent a lot of time in that organization. He had a great run there as a D co-ordinator and as a head coach, so that’s always tough playing against your old team. I was a backup and a thirdstringer when I was there, he was basically the starting quarterback playing against his old team. Our defence played great, they stepped up and made some big plays when we needed it and I’m sure that feels good for him.”
Buono didn’t have much to say about Benevides’s past connection with the Lions. Or about Benevides coming up through the coaching ranks as a protege of his since their days with the Calgary Stampeders beginning in 2000.
“I could say that about a lot of people,” Buono said. “In sports, football especially, coaches are always moving and I don’t think too much about that because coaches don’t play, players play.
“All coaches do is develop game plans and hope players can go out there and execute them.”
But it turns out there was a little more to it Friday night for Benevides.
Especially after his team allowed two touchdowns to Lions receiver Emmanuel Arcenaux that had the Eskimos trailing 14-0 early on.
“There were a few things we needed to change; there was an error made and we made a few changes along the way,” Benevides said. “Manny’s a good player and he made some big plays on us. As we settled in, players bought into everything we wanted and played their hearts out.
“I can honestly tell you the fight on the field, the fight in the locker-room, I told the guys after the game, 'We’re just getting started.' I’m proud of them.”
For Benevides, it wasn’t about getting things back on track personally. It was about getting the Eskimos pointed in the right direction.
“It was a lot of emotion for me, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “But honestly, it’s not about me, it’s about our players, our organization, so I’m happy for them we got a win.
“We’ve got to continue to improve and get better and find a way to get it done.”