Article content

Based on the reaction in Edmonton and around the league, the departure of head coach Chris Jones to the Saskatchewan Roughriders will cripple the Eskimos.

Yes, Jones is an excellent head coach and losing him and his entire staff is not ideal, but he didn’t win the Grey Cup all by himself. Coaches need good players in order to win championships and Jones had great players on offence, defence and special teams. Plus, general manager Ed Hervey and head scout Paul Jones supplied those players.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Jason Gregor: Chris Jones not the only reason Eskimos were a great team in 2015 Back to video

The Eskimos will not flounder because they lost their head coach. If anything, it will motivate the many remaining talented players on the roster to prove they can win without him.

“We have a great front office, a great general manager who built this team and put it together, and I have all the faith that even though we will lose some pieces — that is inevitable — he will bring in some talented replacements,” said quarterback Mike Reilly, the Eskimos on-field leader who finished the season with 10 consecutive wins as a starter after recovering in early September from his knee injuries.