Eskimos – Campbell: Let the rebuilding begin

Edmonton Eskimos President and C.E.O. Rick Lelacheur spoke out last Monday about the team’s dismal 0-4 start to the season. Threatening to make changes if the club didn’t start winning. On Friday, the Eskimos squeaked out a hard fought 28-25 win over the B.C. Lions giving the team their first win of the season.

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Everybody’s safe for now, right?

Wrong!

A day after the win, Rick Lelacheur announced Danny Maciocia is no longer the general manager of the football team.

“My job as President is to look over the entire organization,” LeLacheur explained. “As I’ve been preparing a long-term plan for the Eskimos in both the business operations and football operations, it became clear in my mind that by the end of this year it would not be in the organization’s best interests to offer Danny a new contract.”

The move ends Maciocia’s eight years with the team. He came over from the Montreal Alouettes in 2002 to become the team’s new offensive coordinator. The Eskimos made a Grey Cup appearance in 2002 in Edmonton but lost to the Montreal Alouettes.

In 2003, the Eskimos won the Grey Cup beating the Alouettes at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. Maciocia was then named head coach of the team following a 9-9 season in 2004 under Tom Higgins. Maciocia won the Grey Cup over Montreal in his rookie season in 2005. In 2006, the team missed the CFL post-season for the first time in 35 years. In 2007, he was named director of football operations and the team missed the playoffs again with a 5-12-1 mark. His final year as coach came in 2008, leading the team to a 10-8 record and to the Eastern Final.

He stepped away from his head coaching duties late in 2008 to focus on his general manager duties giving the sideline duties to Richie Hall. The team finished with a 9-9 record, falling to the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Semi-Final.

This season has had a nightmare beginning, a 1-4 start plagued by mental errors on the football field, and a lack of desire and emotion.

Lelacheur said he actually made the decision to relieve Maciocia of his duties a week ago. He kept the move away from the players and coaching staff because he wanted them to focus on preparing for the B.C. Lions. Lelacheur also revealed his meeting with the team’s board of directors on Wednesday.

“I laid out for them an action plan that included this action,” said Lelacheur. “After my presentation and discussion, the board accepted the action plan and now we’re executing it.”

At the moment there’s no replacement and there’s no timetable for one. For now, head scout Ed Hervey, assistant general manager and director of player personnel Paul Jones (the team’s former GM), and manager of football operations and Canadian scouting Dan Mackinnon will take care of running the football side of the organization.

“I’m going to find the best football person that we can possibly can,” LeLacheur said. “Whether that’s next week, next month, or after the season. I don’t know the time frame because there is no time frame as far as I’m concerned right now.”

The move was an instant hit with the fan base who have been wanting Maciocia’s head on a stick for years. Rick LeLacheur admitted he did take the fan reaction into consideration in making the move.

Attendance has slowly been declining since 2005 when 45,000 fans would be considered a normal crowd. Now the Eskimos average about 30,000 to 33,000 a game. LeLacheur also feels Maciocia took too much of the blame for the team’s demise from fans and media.

Dave Campbell
CFL.ca