Tired of moral victories, Elks host Redblacks looking for first win of 2024

Chris Jones doesn’t judge successful civilized victories.

The coach and wide head of nan 0-4 Edmonton Elks is afloat alert that his squad has played 4 adjacent games done what has been a very reliable schedule.

Those 4 losses came against nan Saskatchewan Roughriders, Montreal Alouettes, Toronto Argonauts and B.C. Lions, teams that had a corporate grounds of 16-4 going into this weekend’s action.

All 4 of nan team’s losses were one-score games, and Jones is painfully alert that nan Elks’ 2 astir caller defeats came connected section goals correct astatine nan last gun.

But losses are losses. And, for an Elks squad that hasn’t been successful nan playoffs since 2019, it needs to commencement digging itself retired of its spread erstwhile nan Ottawa Redblacks (2-2) sojourn Commonwealth Stadium connected Sunday.

“You don’t get immoderate civilized victories. Other group play tight games and suffer them, too,” said Jones. “They support people for a reason. We’ve sewage to find ways to beryllium a winning shot team.”

Elks backmost McLeod Bethel-Thompson says nan squad “has nary mulligans left.”

“An 0-4 squad is what we are,” said McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who has racked up 1,225 yards done nan aerial successful his first 4 games pinch nan team.

“There’s nary constituent successful dwelling connected that, there’s besides nary constituent connected dwelling connected nan future. All we’ve sewage is this week. And we’re very assured successful our abilities. We’re assured we tin play pinch anyone successful this league. We should beryllium 4-0 against immoderate of nan champion teams successful this league.

The Elks tin thief toggle shape nan constrictive losses into wins by jump-starting their tally game. Last year, Kevin Brown vanished 2nd successful nan CFL rushing title pinch 1,141 yards.

Through 4 games this season, he’s sewage conscionable 140 yards. Ottawa’s Ryquell Armstead, meanwhile, is 4th successful nan CFL pinch 275 rushing yards.

So nan Elks request to unleash Brown and find ways to slow Armstead down.

“We’ve sewage to get KB going, that’s for sure. He’s a large weapon,” said Jones. “For america not to get him going would beryllium short-sighted. We’ve sewage to person clip of possession, we’ve sewage to tally nan shot much effectively.”

As for Armstead, Jones said: “That moving backmost is moving arsenic difficult arsenic anyone successful nan league.”

Redblacks coach Bob Dyce said nan betterment successful nan team’s moving crippled is each astir toughness.

“Since I’ve been successful this role, 1 of nan things we’ve talked astir is that we want to beryllium a very beingness team,” he told reporters. “We want to beryllium capable to tally nan ball, and that’s thing we person to proceed to thin on.

“One of nan positives retired of (last week’s) crippled is nan physicality that our violative statement played pinch and nan physicality that our backmost played with, and our receivers did a awesome occupation blocking.”

The Elks are getting it done done nan air, arsenic Bethel-Thompson is averaging much than 300 yards passing per game. His favourite target has been Dillon Mitchell.

After a disappointing sophomore season, Mitchell is presently sixth successful nan CFL pinch 355 yards. But he said “winning is nan biggest point for me”

“The restitution tin beryllium location from my performances, but nan astir important point is for america to commencement winning immoderate of our games,” he said.

“We person to go 1 of those teams that different teams are looking retired for, and don’t want to play.”

The Redblacks are coming disconnected a 25-16 nonaccomplishment to Winnipeg, but, astatine 2-2, are taking strides from past season, erstwhile they vanished 4-14 and missed nan playoffs. Their 2 wins this season, complete Winnipeg and Hamilton, were some one-score nailbiters.

Quarterback Dru Brown, who near past week’s crippled pinch a caput injury, appears bully to spell successful Edmonton. Dyce confirmed that nan signal-caller has cleared concussion protocol.

Sunday’s crippled is scheduled for 5 p.m. MT astatine Commonwealth Stadium. Fans tin perceive to nan crippled connected 630 CHED, starting pinch nan pregame show astatine 3:30 p.m. MT.