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“It gives us something to get better at. We understand that we haven’t been good enough, we demand more as an organization, as a city and we want to deliver, and that’s the mentality we’re taking it with.”

First things first, Gass has the unenviable task of making the return game look like it’s being held together by more than a roll of duct tape and the shadow of Gizmo Williams, his former teammate.

Special teams hasn’t held up its end of the bargain since the legendary Eskimos return man’s retirement in 2000, unable to keep up with offences led by franchise quarterbacks Ricky Ray and Mike Reilly, or a Chris Jones defence that led to Edmonton’s last Grey Cup championship.

And while those other phases of the game fit into the category of CFL excellence, Edmonton’s return game has been sub-par, at best, post-Gizmo.

Sure, there were flashes of brilliance from returners who showed great potential, such as Tony Tompkins in 2005 and Tristan Jackson in 2008. Winston October may be the closest thing they have had to a legitimate return man this century, with four punt-return touchdowns spread across four seasons here as Williams’s replacement.

Kendial Lawrence’s name may get brought up in the conversation, with two kick-return touchdowns and one punt-return touchdown in three seasons, but only because the bar was set so low by those who came before him.

“The first thing I did in our first return meeting is put up what I call The Returner’s Code: It’s about six or seven rules that they live and die by,” said Gass. “If they follow those, their lanes will get open, if they’re selfish-style returners that go where they want and not run within the scheme of the play called, they don’t get any yardage.