Family and football.
Sometimes it can happen. Other times it can be a lonely existence.
When Edmonton Eskimos head coach Jason Maas’s playing days were done in 2010 and a budding coaching career started in 2012 with the Toronto Argos, Maas had to pursue the next phase of his life alone.
During football season, his daughter Makeala, son Garyn and wife Marjean kept the family home going in Arizona.
In three years in Toronto and one year in Ottawa as an assistant coach, Maas had plenty of time to think about how he would treat his players if he ever became a head coach.
Maas had to overcome plenty of adversity during his playing career and those life experiences helped him gain his own unique perspective on the game.
Talk to any of his players and the phrase Eskimo Way seems to pop up more often than not. In a way, it’s a homecoming with more responsibility and much more expectation than the final three years of his career he spend here after a couple of seasons away.
“I’ve had a lot of different coaches in my career, from high school to now that have influenced me as a coach now and as a player as well,” said Maas. “I’ve felt fortunate to have learned different systems, understand how football was meant to be played, how it was meant to be coached. I learned a little bit from all of them.
“Once you get into coaching, you learn from the coaches you’re coaching with. They teach you how to install, make a plan and stick with it, run a practise. Coaches are very influential on players and other coaches as well.”
As a former player, Maas has a certain amount of empathy for what the players are going through at this time of the year.
Part of the art of coaching is getting beyond the Xs and Os.
“If you’re played football growing up and I did from peewee to pro, you have a different understanding of what the players do go through,” said Maas. “What it takes to make it at the professional level. You understand how hard it is to, how mentally and physically draining it is and how tough you have to be to play this sport. I do empathize with the players because I understand how hard it is.
“I also understand that if you’re committed to something and you don’t give up on something, you’re capable of anything as well. That’s what I want these guys to understand. I have a huge belief in this organization and us as players here. They have to have that same belief to make it work.”
Having his family with him during football season for the first time since 2010, finally bringing family and football together after four difficult off-field seasons will complete the return to their home.
At the annual Eskimos Women’s Dinner, presented by MacLab Enterprises, last month, Marjean spoke about how happy she was to finally reunite the family in Edmonton.
Marjean has spent nine of her husband’s 11 pro seasons here, had a business in Sherwood Park and Edmonton was a place their daughter was familiar with.
“I’ve spent years doing something I wanted to do … away from my family,” Maas said. “My family was a sacrifice for a while. I’m very thankful that they realize how important Edmonton is to me and how important it is to them.
“I’ve always said I’m thankful to be back here. Nobody will work harder because of that.”
“I get my support at home in a community I feel very strong about.”
To become a head coach of a football team in a city that meant so much to him during his playing career was something that was always in the back of his mind.
“Edmonton has always held a special place in my heart,” Maas said. “This is the first place I played professionally, enjoyed success winning two Grey Cups here. Even when I left for other places (Hamilton in 2006-07 and Montreal in 2007), Edmonton was always a plan down the road.
“I never knew when it would happen, but I was always hoping it would happen. I’m must thankful it did arise and I was able to take advantage of that opportunity.”