Esks believe they have special group
Coach lauds ‘vibe’ as CFL West champions prepare for Grey Cup
Adarius Bowman sat back in his locker after Sunday’s West Division final and reflected on the road the Edmonton Eskimos have travelled during the past year.
He still remembers the emptiness in the pit of his stomach after Edmonton decisively lost last year’s West final to the Calgary Stampeders, with quarterback Mike Reilly valiantly trying to play on one leg.
“I think we did a good job of taking those moments, taking those lessons we’ve learned, and came back and got better this year,” he said.
The 30-year-old receiver also thought about how Edmonton was initially dismissed as a contender this year after Reilly suffered three separate knee injuries in the season opener, causing him to miss half the season.
“I just feel like we deserve this,” Bowman said after the Eskimos qualified for their 25th Grey Cup appearance and first since 2005 by thumping the Stampeders 45-31 at Commonwealth Stadium.
“I’ve never wanted anything given to me, but our team has put in the work to be in the position we’re in now. Now we’ve got to continue to finish.”
The Eskimos, who travelled to Winnipeg on Tuesday, will begin preparations Wednesday for finishing the season on a positive note in Sunday’s championship game with the Ottawa Redblacks at Investors Group Field.
“I’m pretty sure that the league, the other (teams), counted us out,” Bowman said. “I remember early in the season Toronto was having a lot of success, Ottawa was doing its thing, Calgary, of course. I think we were kind of in the background at that time. We came together in this locker-room and we knew the talent and the success that we were capable of.”
Edmonton head coach Chris Jones has been talking about the Eskimos being “the best lockerroom I’ve ever been around,” including players and coaching staff, and he’s previously coached with six teams that played in the Grey Cup, winning three times.
“We’ve got a unique group, man,” Jones said once again after Sunday’s game. “They really enjoy being around each other, they’ve got great energy, it’s a positive vibe here in our locker-room.”