It's change for the sake of change. And the Edmonton Eskimos don't mind admitting it.
They're changing everything for the West Division semifinal Sunday in Calgary against the 2008 Grey Cup champion and 2009 Grey Cup host Stampeders.
When you've traveled down to Calgary twice already this season and lost 32-8 and 30-7, you want the players to feel that everything is different this time, no matter how trivial – some might say silly – they may seem from the outside looking in.
“Actually, it's been part of Richie Hall's plan since the start of the season,” said defensive coordinator Jim Daley.
“Some coaches want things to stay as close to being the same as they were all season, but coach Hall believes they should be different because they are different.”
And in this case it needs to feel decidedly different.
In the regular season the Eskimos were 0-2 in the Delta Bow Valley Hotel.
They're moving to the Marriott.
That's where they stayed last year and won 37-16 on Labour Day. They also stayed there and won 33-26 in the West Division semi-final enroute to winning the Grey Cup in 2005. And if you want to go back far enough they stayed in that hotel, under a different name, when they won the Grey Cup in 1993.
You've got a “winning” hotel, you stay in it.
It's like the green pants.
The Eskimos will wear green pants Sunday.
Edmonton won nine games this year. Five of them were wearing green pants, three in gold and one in white.
“One thing you knew is that we weren't going to be wearing those retro uniforms,” said equipment manager Dwayne Mandrusiak.
The Eskimos were 0-3 in their 1965 uniforms this year.
Mandrusiak keeps track of this sort of stuff.
In 2005 when the Eskimos won their 13th Grey Cup and first one in history with all three post season wins on the road. They're trying to repeat the feat again this year.
They wore the green pants in all three post-season games in 2005.
You have winning pants you wear them.
The Eskimos are also traveling down to Calgary two days early instead of the day before the game.
“We're going down Friday,” says Hall. “It provides players more rest time. And it's a day game. It's not like it's a night game. You get up and you go to the stadium,” he said of the 2:30 p.m. start.
There's all sorts of stuff the Eskimos are doing different this week. But the best thing is that Hall isn't talking to the team when they begin each day as he's done all season.
It's been something Hall told himself he'd do when he became a head coach and it's been a huge hit.
“Players have been listening to me for six months,” he said. “Every day this week a different position coach is talking to the team as a whole.”
Offensive line coach Jeff Bleamer spoke to them on the first day followed by Daley and Kevin Strasser so far.
“They're taking turns telling them what's in their hearts.
“Only the offensive line guys are used to Bleamer talking in meetings. Only the defensive guys are used to hearing Daley. It's something different.”
Daley says this idea of Hall's is exceptional.
“This one surprised me. I've never heard of this idea before. The players have been very receptive. They've been unbelievably attentive. It's only been for a few minutes but it's been really, really good.”
Ricky Ray says the hotel, travel plans, green pants, etc. don't do much for him one way or the other but the coaches thing is a different story.
“It's been awesome,” he said. “I've never been around something like that. These guys have all had some great things to say that I've never heard before. It's been a great experience. It's been a great way to help make it feel like it's like the great time of year it is for everybody. It's helped bring us all together a little bit more and get all of us a little more excited together.”
Switching hotels. Going in a day early. Wearing the green pants. Having different coaches address the team to start each day. It's all part of changing the game plan.
Ah, somebody did think about changing the actual game plan, too, didn't they?
