Global Game Preview | Elks vs. Lions

Nearly a month after they assembled for training camp, the moment has finally arrived for the Edmonton Elks: it’s game time.

The Elks kick off their 2022 CFL regular season schedule in Vancouver on Saturday at B.C. Place, where Edmonton takes on the B.C. Lions in a West Division clash.

For all the long days of practices, meetings, watching film and reading playbooks, then going to bed, waking up and doing it all over again, this is what makes it worth it.

“I’m just excited to finally get it going,” says veteran receiver Manny Arceneaux. “Last year is last year, the past is in the past, we’re all about moving forward. The word is culture and that’s something that we’re trying to build and bring back.”

The game marks the beginning of head coach and general manager Chris Jones’ second tenure on the Edmonton sidelines. Jones was hired in the offseason and tasked with bringing the Elks back to prominence following last season’s 3-11 record.

Before two pre-season contests this year, Jones’ last time coaching the Green and Gold was at the 2015 Grey Cup, where he guided Edmonton to its most recent championship.

“It’s exciting because it’s first game of the year, and we’ve got something that we’ve got to prove,” says Jones. “Nobody expects us to do anything, and the only people that really matter are the people in this room and I just hope we’re in the right frame of mind to go do what we need to do.”

Jones has put his stamp on the Elks, with many new faces in the EE locker room. Despite being new to one another, they’ve gelled quickly.

“The locker room is very tight, and that’s something that’s special, because you’re only as good as the relationship of the game that are in that locker room,” says Arceneaux.

“From the looks of it we don’t have a lot of ‘me’ guys. It’s ‘we’ guys, and guys that are trying to help in every aspect that they can, no matter where they’re put on the roster, no matter what position they’re in … no one cares who gets the credit, as long as we can get in the win column.”

The Elks players that were around last season have long memories of the way their 2021 season ended, with a 43-10 loss to the Lions in Edmonton’s final game. Now they can start fresh for 2022 while at the same time getting a little payback for 2021.

“They’re a good football program,” says Jones. “(Lions head coach) Rick Campbell’s won a lot of games and comes from CFL pedigree and it’s tough any time when you go over to Vancouver to play in the dome, so they’ve got a lot of things in their favour. We’ve got to get on an airplane and go over there with one thing in mind and that’s to win the damn game.”