2024 Elks Season

Any thoughts of the new president hire

I’m not familiar with him or what kind of business accumen he has. Definitely well connected with the football community there so wish him the best of luck to him.

One big box checked. Is the interim tag coming of Geroy and Jarious coming soon?

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I’m not familiar either, but this experience sounds to me like a huge positive before we get to the rest.

Morris, 56, currently serves as the University of Alberta’s head football coach, a position he’s held since December of 2012.

This is a guy who has invaluable LOCAL experience coaching young men and would know the local scene quite well, including all the invaluable LOCAL connections and professional contacts locally and beyond for support of a team.

I’d like to hear more too, including as usual from locals.

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Chris Morris was named the Head Coach of the Golden Bears football program on December 4, 2012.

Morris, originally from Scarborough, Ont., holds two degrees (bachelor of physical and health education – University of Toronto 1995 and bachelor of education – University of Alberta 1997), is a two-time CIS all-Canadian while playing for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, and he won the J.P. Metras Trophy as the most outstanding down lineman in the country in 1990. He also played in the East-West Shrine Bowl before getting drafted in the first round (8th overall) of the 1992 Canadian Football League draft by the Edmonton Eskimos. He started in his rookie season, and played an additional 14 seasons, or 237 games for the Eskimos. He was a team captain, and he played in five Grey Cup games with the Esks, winning three (1993, 2003, and 2005), and was given a plaque on the Eskimos’ Wall of Honour in Commonwealth Stadium in 2008.

While still playing in the CFL, Morris became a full-time teacher within Edmonton Public Schools in 1997, earning a provincial teacher of excellence nomination during that time. He ascended to principal in 2009, and as principal of Spruce Avenue Junior High, he turned around the school’s historical Provincial Achievement success rate from 50% to close to 90%, the highest in the history of the school. Morris has also been extremely active with Edmonton and area charities and communities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, since his arrival in 1992.

He has also served as the offensive coordinator of the Harry Ainlay Titans football program, helping the Titans to three city championships, two Northern championships, and one provincial championship title over the past four seasons.

…a very good choice if you ask me. I was hoping maybe as a coach but this is pretty good.
Plus he has some green and gold pride…

Maybe Geroy, but doubtfully for JJ. Geroy has been good and has brought in a ton of talent - even signing guys like Rankin after Jones left.

JJ - 0-7 and still saying your QB is the best option to win? I remember a smart guy saying “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result”.

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Chris Morris’ first press conference as the Edmonton Elks President + CEO

…so now you know why I thought he would make a good coach…

On a different note - I want that player backdrop on my desktop,lets see Ray, Kelly, Wilkenson, Boone, Germany, Moon, Dunnigan, Highbaugh, Bass, Gizmo, Cutler, Ham, Stamps, McGowan, Pless, Bell…

Too bad Bob Howes didn’t make it…because his dead on long snapping won the GC in 1975.

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I think this is a great sign of things to come for Edmonton. Continuity is soooo important in this league, for the fans and for the winning record.

Watching free agency each year makes my head spin, and I can’t imagine what it would’ve felt like as a fan of the EE when 3/4 of the team gets dumped for a new set of players.

Also dumping icons to the community such as Dwayne Mandrusiak and Joey Moss was a terrible move to alienate fans.

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Let me correct you as I know Dwayne. He resigned and retired. There was a personal reason and it had nothing to do with the team or coaches or personnel.

Same with Joey. There were things going on with his health and his mental health that prevented him from continuing with the Elks and Oilers.

But yes continuity is needed. You cant change everything every year and be successful.

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yup!!!

Simon and JJ will not be back.

They’ll have a brand new QB next season… Ford won’t be back.

Ah but you did not hedge your initial comment, and I was not holding my breath correctly and neither was anybody else, so guess what?

You welched and can sort that out on your own. You simply don’t like Ford, I get it!

You had this comment prepared weeks ago now didn’t you? And as this is a team thread, I am going to remind you now before you bash Ford again just to bash him again, given that you have contradicted yourself already.

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THIS is what you stated with zero qualification or hedging or conditions. You didn’t make good, so there are the facts for all to see now.

As a Riders fan he’s hoping Ford won’t be back…

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It wasn’t just that, the Elks gave away prospects, traded a QB for winning (Harris), embarrassed the community the way they treated Maas, and basically all that was left when Jones and Co got here was the players on the field. We had no development guys left. We had no experienced QB, no running back and a team that went a whole season coached by a tennis coach.

As much as others run down Jones - he rebuilt a team, he just let some dumb reason for refusing to play a guy who got the team winning keep him from a winning record and keeping his job.

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Not to mention how they treated the season ticket holders, people who paid the bills and their salaries.

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