Grey Cup coaches tell players to soak in moment but focus on game
Staying focused is difficult when so many camera flashes are constantly going off, coach says
It's a delicate balance that coaches must find on the eve of a championship match — keeping their players' minds focused while letting them enjoy some glory before the big game.
"I told them you assume when you're young that a lot of things are going to happen over and over and over, but there's no guarantee you're ever going to be back at this moment," Edmonton Eskimos head coach Chris Jones told a room full of reporters Wednesday morning in Winnipeg.
"So enjoy the moment but … [remember] we flew in on a plane and there are planes going out. If you act the wrong way, we'll fly you home."
His Eskimos face the Ottawa Redblacks in Sunday's 103rd CFL Grey Cup at Winnipeg's Investors Group Field.
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Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell's approach is to tap into the players' emotions — particularly those evoked by watching the opposing team celebrate with the trophy.
"If you win the Grey Cup, you're a Grey Cup champion forever, and you'll remember it forever," he said, implying things aren't so great on the losing side of the score.
"We're not going to discourage our guys from interacting with fans and enjoying the process" but they need to be fully prepared and focused, he said. The team has enough veteran coaches and players to help the newer guys recognize "there's a big difference in the feeling of winning the Grey Cup and losing the Grey Cup," he added.
"Like Chris said, these opportunities don't come around very often. Sometimes a rookie guy might say, 'This was easy, I'm going to play in the Grey Cup every year.' But the older guys let them know that you want to make the most of this opportunity."
Coaches of the year
It's not just a matter of the players maintaining their concentration, though. Both Campbell, 44, and Jones, 48, are in the second year of coaching their respective teams and some of the story lines being chased by media can also be a distraction for them.
Keeping the blinders on and staying focused is difficult when so many camera flashes are constantly going off that it feels as though you're in a car bracing for a head-on collision, Campbell said.
He has led his team from the CFL basement in their inaugural season in 2014, when they won two games, to finishing third overall in the league — first in the West Division — this season. That has earned him a coach of the year award nomination.
"When the locker room's right and the coaches and the players are all on the same page, good things can happen, and that's what we've got going on right now," Campbell said.
Jones is the other name on that ballot after leading his team to first place in the league. He was also up for the award last season, losing to Calgary's John Hufnagel.
The award will be handed out Thursday night.
Like father, like son
Aside from being in the championship game against the Eskimos and sharing the coaching award nomination with Jones, Campbell is inextricably linked to Edmonton.
He has built up the Redblacks but his roots run deep with the Eskimos — he grew up around the team. His dad, Hugh Campbell, was head coach of the Eskimos from 1977 through 1982. The team was in the Grey Cup every one of those years, losing the first but winning the next five.
Hugh went on to coach in the NFL but returned to the Eskimos in 1986 to become the team's general manager, then later the president and CEO.
"I'm proud of who my dad is … obviously a great guy you could learn from. At the same time, I'm just trying to be my own guy and be my own coach," Campbell told reporters.
Asked if his dad is providing any advice, Campbell said he's been told to "just keep working and grinding away and be yourself. Find a way to get it done."
Who's ready
In their hour-long press conference, Campbell and Jones fielded questions about their statistics, the buzz surrounding the Grey Cup, their role models, their experience, how they deal with the media on a regular basis and of course, family ties.
But in the end, none of that matters, said Jones.
"This is a big game. It's not about me, it's not about Rick, it's not about Rick's dad and what he did. It's about this game, it's about our players," Jones said.
"All the history's all fine and good, but it really comes down to how well prepared we both are."