Kavis Reed's Emotional Comments, Assistants on Gag Order

[Hambone]

At least Reed owns his mistakes in game management this time, especially with the last-minute field-goal botch-up, but he has had far too many sideline meltdowns and clock-mismagement issues for the Esks this year. He just can't handle pressure, and head coaches need to handle pressure.

This has been the most glaring deficiency in Reed's HC history. There seems to constantly be indecision and confusion when it comes to situational decision making. Usually the confusion is the fallout from the indecision. Let's not forget it was Kavis Reed who was Saskatchewan's ST Coordinator for the infamous 13th man episode that cost the Riders the 2009 Grey Cup.

[TheLionKing]

At least Reed owns his mistakes in game management this time, especially with the last-minute field-goal botch-up, but he has had far too many sideline meltdowns and clock-mismagement issues for the Esks this year. He just can't handle pressure, and head coaches need to handle pressure.

This has been the most glaring deficiency in Reed's HC history. There seems to constantly be indecision and confusion when it comes to situational decision making. Usually the confusion is the fallout from the indecision. Let's not forget it was Kavis Reed who was Saskatchewan's ST Coordinator for the infamous 13th man episode that cost the Riders the 2009 Grey Cup.

Excellent point. Forgot about that.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://video.tsn.ca/?dl=cfl-latest/late ... 1/clip/727

Toppy mentioned this rant on the CFL Week thread.

Seems like Kavis still thinks he is a good orator.

I agree with Toppy in that Hufnagel keeps it short and sweet. Two or three ideas, max. I've done a few hundred pre game speeches in various sports. You can lose the audience fast. You can tell if they get the message. You don't really want the eyes down that Kavis gets. (See the eyes on Hufnagel as he talks.) Kavis goes on way too long. Then he storms out of the dressing room. What message do the players take away? Not sure about anything useful. Ummmm ... Mike, what did Coach say there? Dunno, but he was sure fired up.

[B.C.FAN]

http://video.tsn.ca/?dl=cfl-latest/late ... 1/clip/727

Toppy mentioned this rant on the CFL Week thread.

Seems like Kavis still thinks he is a good orator.

I agree with Toppy in that Hufnagel keeps it short and sweet. Two or three ideas, max. I've done a few hundred pre game speeches in various sports. You can lose the audience fast. You can tell if they get the message. You don't really want the eyes down that Kavis gets. He goes on way too long. Then he storms out of the dressing room. What message do the players take away? Not sure about anything useful. Ummmm ... Mike, what did Coach say there? Dunno, but he was sure fired up.

I guess he'll keep doing this as long as it's working.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://video.tsn.ca/?dl=cfl-latest/late ... 1/clip/727

Toppy mentioned this rant on the CFL Week thread.

Seems like Kavis still thinks he is a good orator.

I agree with Toppy in that Hufnagel keeps it short and sweet. Two or three ideas, max. I've done a few hundred pre game speeches in various sports. You can lose the audience fast. You can tell if they get the message. You don't really want the eyes down that Kavis gets. He goes on way too long. Then he storms out of the dressing room. What message do the players take away? Not sure about anything useful. Ummmm ... Mike, what did Coach say there? Dunno, but he was sure fired up.

I guess he'll keep doing this as long as it's working.

Thanks for the chuckle.

[DanoT]

Mike Reilly seemed to be deep in thought and completely blocking out Reed's Rah, Rah nonsense.

[WestCoastJoe]

Jimmy Johnson kept it short:

"We've gotta protect the football."

"And we've gotta make plays."

"How 'bout them Cowboys!"
........

I can picture college defensive lineman Jimmy Johnson, listening in the lockerroom to Kavis. Eyes down, smirking, sneaking looks around at teammates when Kavis is on the other side of the room. Like a kid in the classroom, snickering at the strangeness of the teacher, trying to stop from laughing out loud.

[Big Time]

Honestly, I'm surprised the Eskimos kept Kavis after his bizarre outburst earlier in the season. To me, that was the tipping point where he lost all credibility as a coach. You can't have a coach losing his mind like that after a game. He was hyperventilating like he had just lost a Super Bowl. In fact, he had just lost a game under horrible weather conditions and by only two touchdowns. It was absolutely ridiculous.

Some people made issue with the fact that Benevides didn't have a meltdown after the Montreal gut punch last week. Well, you need to look no further than this video to see why. As a head coach, you never, ever want to enter Kavis Reed country. You will lose the team, and the season will be toast. The players will always say they are behind their coach, and yada yada yada, but when a coach looks like he has no answers and is spent emotionally, it will resonate for the rest of his tenure. The fact that people are still referring to it as the Kavis Reed zone is just embarassing. Have the Esks even won a game since then? They look far worse to me these days than they did back then.

I'm fine with a coach showing some emotion but you have to be able to balance that with some perspective. Kavis may be a good coach but I will be shocked if he's still around after this year.

[Big Time]

Sure enough, I just checked TSN and read the following article. Does this look like a team that is going places? My guess is a total clean house by the end of November.

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=431094


ESKIMOS GM PUBLICLY RIPS TEAM, SINGLES OUT OL ROTTIER

Despite a near-comeback victory against the Calgary Stampeders in the Labour Day Classic, Ed Hervey is none too pleased with his Edmonton Eskimos.

Edmonton's general manager held court with the media on Tuesday, angrily calling out Simeon Rottier and saying the veteran lineman may have played his last game with the team this season.

"Simeon Rottier will not start on Friday," he said flatly. While offence wasn't an issue for the Eskimos down the stretch, Calgary's defence went through Edmonton's offensive line for seven sacks on Monday in a 37-34 loss.

"Our first priority is to protect our quarterback," Hervey continued. "We will make some changes on our O-line. There comes a point where we have to be honest with our team, players and the fans. It's obvious we need to protect our quarterback better."

Hervey was also frustrated with Edmonton's offensive play, particularly in short yardage situations and said changes will be made on that front beginning with offensive co-ordinator Doug Sams no longer calling the plays. "I will improve this team," he vowed. "I don't care who I have to go though to do it."

With a 1-8 record through the first half of the season, Hervey added that he felt the season wasn't lost and said there will be personnel moves coming. He stopped short, however, on changing up his head coach.

"Kavis will coach the rest of the season," said Hervey, adding that he had a candid conversation with Reed following the loss. "Then we will evaluate."

[WestCoastJoe]

Edmonton's general manager held court with the media on Tuesday, angrily calling out Simeon Rottier and saying the veteran lineman may have played his last game with the team this season.

"Simeon Rottier will not start on Friday," he said flatly. While offence wasn't an issue for the Eskimos down the stretch, Calgary's defence went through Edmonton's offensive line for seven sacks on Monday in a 37-34 loss.

Calling out a player publicly like this? I don't like it. It is self serving. Hervey has avoided the media. Now he feels he needs to show leadership. And he calls out a player. Ugly. Near Bedlam.

"Our first priority is to protect our quarterback," Hervey continued. "We will make some changes on our O-line. There comes a point where we have to be honest with our team, players and the fans. It's obvious we need to protect our quarterback better."

Rottier was deemed the best guy in his spot for 9 games. Now he is being publicly cast out. Easy to replace? No. An upgrade available? I doubt it.

Hervey was also frustrated with Edmonton's offensive play, particularly in short yardage situations and said changes will be made on that front beginning with offensive co-ordinator Doug Sams no longer calling the plays. "I will improve this team," he vowed. "I don't care who I have to go though to do it."

"Kavis will coach the rest of the season," said Hervey, adding that he had a candid conversation with Reed following the loss. "Then we will evaluate."

So much for the extension. Hervey looks to be in over his head. First weak decision? Keeping Kavis.

[TheLionKing]

Hervey was also frustrated with Edmonton's offensive play, particularly in short yardage situations and said changes will be made on that front beginning with offensive co-ordinator Doug Sams no longer calling the plays. "I will improve this team," he vowed. "I don't care who I have to go though to do it."

What ever happened to "we" ?

[DanoT]

The GM publicly throwing an active player under the bus is a huge mistake and can really paint the GM and team into a corner. Far better to first replace a player and then go with the "we want to go in a different direction" line. How does Hervey expect to sign future free agents when he trashes his own so readily?

Is Hervey as emotional as his HC?

As fans we get to see a coach on the sidelines and in pre and post game speeches/interviews. For the most part we don't get to see the far more important day to day coaching and interaction with players so I am willing to give K. Reed a pass for now as with only a few breaks here or there, the Esks could have a far better record.

[Sir Purrcival]

IIRC, Hervey tended to the emotional as a player and I'm not really surprised now with all the pressure of a 1-8 season, that he is reverting to form. Having said that, players take note of stuff like this and not just on the Schmoes. How much harder does it make it to sign free agents when you have publicly thrown players under the bus, when your coach has moments of emotional lapses and so on. Imagine, you are a free agent looking over different offers and you see the Coach/GM duo of Reed and Hervey vs say a Toronto Coach/GM combo or Montreal and so on. It doesn't make the job easier. How are other players going to feel if they have a so-so game next week. Are they going to be on the field thinking about how to do it better the next play or if they going to be called out in the press the next day? Unprofessional.

Sorry, don't usually get this black and white about stuff but I think Reed and Hervey are both over their heads. Reed has too much baggage from the previous era and Hervey is just too new and perhaps ill suited temperament wise to be a GM at this time. I don't envy players who are on that team right now.

[Heathcliff]

I'm no fan of the Eskimos, nor do I have any great affection for any Eskimos players, but even I was uncomfortable hearing a professional athlete get publicly beat down by his GM like that. How about quietly benching him instead of publicly humiliating him, THEN benching him? If he was playing so badly, why didn't they replace him at his position? If a guy is struggling that badly, it's the responsibility of the coach and GM to deal with it, behind closed doors. How this is going to help the team I have no idea... Besides, the offence for Edmonton seems to be showing up a lot more than the defensive side. Why not call the defense out publicly - as a unit - and see if they respond?

[Toppy Vann]

This has gone on all year from Hervey espec. calling out his OL. He did the night before TC and then cut 3 OL incl. the starting C but then qualified it by blaming the vets on the OL. He came into that role with a chip on his shoulder the size of a sitka spruce and has a rage on about Tillman.

Hervey is a joke as a GM - right from the opening rants about Tillman, the Eskimo way and how the Esks will be best off field and the scouting comments which were silly as it doesn't matter how you scout if you get talent. Wally doesn't ask Roy Shivers if has it all in his computer when Shivers calls and says - hey Wally, give this guy a look - but apparently Hervey does. I thought his opening statements were bizarre. Best offfield -yep files an FA signing seconds after it opens and then leaves his media dangling on filing his roster this year after TC cutdowns. He is another guy out of his depth.

Reed might have the makings of a very good HC but lacks direction and if media and Hervey are to be believed he didn't get it from Tillman as Austin got it in his first year at SASK when ET was his GM and friend. Reed needs a GM who is not just like him - too mouthy and unfocused. If not, he'll be another promising coaching casualty.

If not for the gong show in WPG this one would be the winner for the decade.

Another coach casualty. Crandell got this same treatment from Kavis.

Hervey was also frustrated with Edmonton's offensive play, particularly in short yardage situations and said changes will be made on that front beginning with offensive co-ordinator Doug Sams no longer calling the plays. "I will improve this team," he vowed. "I don't care who I have to go though to do it."

Here he also tosses his HC out the window of the bus and says he's making the decisions.

Sort of like what's happening in WPG now. Not much stability.

I have the soluton for the ESKS. Let this blowhard, loud mouth coach the team. What a completely out of his depth foolish GM this clown is.

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/foot ... story.html

Video of a guy who has no clue as to how be a GM or coach:

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/09/03/t ... f-the-sand

"EVERYONE IS ON NOTICE" including REED.

What he should have said is -
"EVERYONE IS ON NOTICE" and I'm so mad I put myself on notice!