Elks focus on Friday’s game in Winnipeg with the CBA hanging in the balance – Edmonton
The Edmonton Elks held their last follow on Wednesday earlier than their first scheduled pre-season recreation in Winnipeg on Friday towards the Gray Cup champion Blue Bombers.
Following follow, head coach Chris Jones expressed his frustration over a session that was to not his liking, saying if the day was indicative of the place they’re as a workforce, the gamers are “not very far alongside.”
“We didn’t do a great job teaching right this moment and we definitely didn’t do a ok job of getting on the sphere and ensuring we have been prepared mentally to do what is important to win a professional soccer recreation, and to guage fairly actually, it’s type of irritating at this juncture however I suppose that’s a part of professional soccer, it’s our job to educate them.”
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CFL delivers ‘last’ amended contract proposal to its gamers
The unlucky actuality of this coaching camp is there’s a cloud of uncertainty surrounding the tentative deal for a brand new collective bargaining settlement which was voted down by the gamers on Monday evening.
On Tuesday, the CFL submitted one other provide to the gamers which noticed changes made to the ratio and a ratification bonus of $1 million.
The league set a deadline of 10 p.m. MST on Thursday evening for the gamers to just accept the provide or threat coaching camps being shut down and video games being misplaced beginning on Friday.
Within the meantime, it’s enterprise as typical for all CFL groups. However is it straightforward for CFL participant to place away the distraction of CBA negotiation? Elks linebacker Adam Konar says in coaching camp, it’s really straightforward to only give attention to soccer.
“You could have sufficient stuff to give attention to. Simply making an attempt to make a workforce, focusing in your playbook, specializing in working onerous and making an attempt to do the precise issues,” Konar stated.
“It’s onerous to give attention to a couple of factor, particularly throughout coaching camp. A number of guys are usually not even occupied with the CBA, though it’s behind your thoughts, however you’ll be able to’t let it distract you from making an attempt to make a workforce and do your job.”
The Elks participant reps are David Beard and Aaron Grymes, their position is to tell the gamers on the newest in CBA negotiations. Jones says his job is to easily get out of the best way and let each gamers go about their enterprise.
“They’ve been wonderful to work with and are simply excellent people,” Jones stated. “I advised them, there’s nothing adversarial between the coaches and gamers. That is one thing that’s approach above us, so we’re similar to the gamers and are simply figuring what the method is of when we’re going to follow, once we’re not going to follow, once we’re going to play a recreation, and once we’re not going to play a recreation.
“We simply present up as coaches similar to the gamers do and put the blinders on. We’re hoping we will get this resolved so we will play some ball.”
The Elks and Bombers are scheduled to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. from IG Subject in Winnipeg. 630 CHED may have dwell protection beginning with Countdown to Kick-off at 5 p.m.
