It’s the most optimistic time of the year for head coaches around the Canadian Football League. Every team has been put through the rigors of training camp, the two-a-days, the scrimmages, and the two exhibition games. In total, 55 players survived final cut down day and it’s time now for the regular season, where every team sits at 0-0 to start.
Little known fact because not much is taken from a pre-season game, however, Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed won his first pre-season game in six tries last Friday night in Vancouver. The Eskimos prevailed 27-22 over the B.C. Lions.
Still, it was only a pre-season game and Reed says he saw something in his squad that gives him some early confidence heading into Week 1.
“I feel that we have been battle tested,” Reed said. 
“We have guys who have exhibited the poise and confidence in these last two pre-season games based on experience. Typically, although it’s pre-season, we wouldn’t have won (in previous years). We would have found a way not to execute the plays we needed to execute.”
The Eskimos gave up a touchdown on the Lions’ opening drive. That would be the only time the Green and Gold would trail in the game.
Once again, it’s only a pre-season game. But as anyone will tell you, it’s at this time of the season that you set your identity as a team. Last year, the Eskimos likely wouldn’t have recovered from being down early.
The team even survived a late surge by the Lions last week to win the football game. That likely doesn’t happen last season either.
The Eskimos passed an early test but it was the pre-season. The real season begins for the Eskimos this Saturday afternoon at Commonwealth Stadium as they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Esks don’t have a lot of veteran flavour on their roster. In fact, the average time spent in the CFL among the entire roster is two-and-a-half years.
Reed says it’s realistic to expect some growing pains in the early going of the 2013 season, but hopes he and the coaching did enough in the off-season to counter act the potential stumbles.
“You would expect there is going to be that but we took steps in the off-season,” Reed explained.
“Off-season is critically important in the development of a football team being that we have an abbreviated training camp. For us, we took steps in the off-season to make certain our guys (coaching staff) were speaking to the players on a constant basis, so the player could get used to their personality, to their teaching style, and also be indoctrinated into their systems.”
The Eskimos have a new offensive coordinator in Doug Sams, while Greg Marshall is the new defensive coordinator. Terry Eisler, a longtime assistant coach with the Eskimos is the team’s special team’s coordinator.
Kris Sweet is the offensive line coach, Travis Moore the receivers coach, David Kelly the running backs coach, and Brad Miller is the defensive backs coach. All are new to the team but have plenty of football experience.
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How much will their teaching and coaching style rub off onto the players when the games roll around? Of course the best form of teaching is by experience and the Eskimos don’t have an abundance of experience.
New leaders will have to develop. On offence, quarterback Mike Reilly has no hesitation about having his voice heard. Kerry Joseph is still around to help lead the young quarterbacks.
Receivers Nate Coehoorn and Shamawd Chambers are still young but are not rookies anymore, they’ll need to take on more responsibility. On the offensive line, can Gord Hinse, Matt O’Donnell, and Simeon Rottier step up?
On defence, the heart and soul is middle linebacker J.C. Sherritt. They still have veterans in T.J. Hill and Chris Thompson in their starting 12.
This team will have eight new starters and their depth will have a young look to it.
When you compare this team to the Roughriders, both went about their reload in a different way. The Riders chose to add more veteran experience while the Eskimos chose the youth movement. The Riders want to win now while the Eskimos might not win now but perhaps are looking more to one or two years down the road.
The B.C. Lions are doing the same thing with their receiving corps. They are a much younger group but the hope is that group will stay together for a number of years.
Business will pick up starting on Saturday.
NOTES: After missing most of training camp with a lower body injury, slotback Fred Stamps will play vs. the Riders. Safety and 2012 Western Division All-Star Donovan Alexander won’t play due to an undisclosed injury. Mike Miller will take him place, its Miller’s first career start. The Eskimos have won their last two season openers, the only team in the CFL to accomplish that feat.
