Esks.com
Do you remember what the last week of school felt like? Writing your last exam, seeing all the banners being taken down, no more dances, sporting events, and saying goodbye to your friends.
For the Eskimos, the reality of their season ending on Saturday in Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders has set in. Head coach Kavis Reed called this week “strange.” This is not the season the organization, the players, and their fans had expected.
Wednesday marked the last official practice of the season for the Green and Gold. Defensive end Marcus Howard, the Eskimos nominee for the Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award, says playing the final game on Saturday will be a hard pill to swallow.
“To be honest with you, the last four games have been hard to play,” Howard said. “It’s been hard to come out and play, and it’s been hard to come out here and practice but at the end of the day, you are a man and this is your job and you have to go out there and do it.”
The character of this 2013 Eskimos has never been in question. This team, despite only producing three wins, has fought hard in most games this season. They have been a very professional group even though their season has been extremely disappointing. Quarterback Mike Reilly says the mood of the team remains very positive.
“The mood is light, you know guys are excited to play but I think we understand it’s a long off-season until we get to get back out onto the field,” Reilly said.
“We have an opportunity to leave with a good taste in our mouth. So we are just going to go out and play hard and make sure we leave everything out on the field. Six months is a long time to rest up and get your body healed. There’s no reason not to go out and play with everything you got.”
It’s the fourth time in the last eight years the Eskimos will miss the CFL post-season and the first time since the 2010 season.
Their best chance to get themselves in the post-season came after back-to-back wins over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Eskimos found themselves on the heels of the Montreal Alouettes for third in the Eastern Division.
However, they couldn’t hold a 22-1 lead over the Toronto Argonauts at home, losing 34-22 in what has since proven to be the final nail in their coffin.
Poof, there went the team’s playoff chances, and they knew it too. The Eskimos looked like their spirits were crushed in a home loss a week later 
against the Alouettes. The team was officially eliminated in Regina three weeks ago by the Riders.
So the last three games and really four have been played under the “meaningless” category. Receiver Shamawd Chambers, the Eskimos nominee for the Most Outstanding Canadian award, says the team has tried to keep their focus as best as they can.
“We have a great locker room filled with young guys and very good veterans that keep us level-headed and keep us above water,” Chambers explained.
“I want to try and approach the game the same way that I was approaching it when we were still in the playoffs. I think that’s the most important thing of being a pro is when times are tough and things aren’t going the way you want it to go; you have to approach it the same way.”
The phrase “meaningless game” is a very harsh term. Is there such a thing as a meaningless game? Fred Stamps, the CFL’s leader in receiving yards (1,259) and the Eskimos nominee for Most Outstanding Player says there is no such thing.
“We are all men and we want to win,” he said. “That’s how this whole football team feels. Coach Kavis has kept us focused for the whole season and for the last few games. We’ve been eliminated early but we have to build momentum. Try to get a victory to carry us over to next year.”
Here are a few items which should provide the team some motivation for Saturday. One, the Eskimos haven’t beaten a Western opponent yet this season. Two, there are jobs on the line for 2014. Three, another loss and the Eskimos set a new franchise record in losses in a season with 15.
Four wins is better than 15 losses.
NOTES: Matt O’Donnell is the Eskimos nominee for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. Defensive back Eric Samuels is the team nominee for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player and Rookie. Mike Reilly is expected start the game at quarterback for the Eskimos and head coach Kavis Reed expects to give playing time to both Jonathon Crompton and Kerry Joseph. If slotback Adarius Bowman records 95 yards or more, he’ll surpass Fred Stamps on a yards per game basis. Stamps finished the year with an 89.3 yards per game average. Stamps revealed this week that he suffered a bone bruise during the first week in training camp which affected him all season.
