UPDATE: SUNDERLAND TO BE NAMED ESKS GM
The Edmonton Journal’s Gerry Moddejonge published a list of the top five candidates for the vacant Edmonton Eskimos General Manager position and at the top of it is Roughriders front office man Jeremy O’Day.
Here’s a snippet of Gerry’s article. The rest can be found here.
1. a) Jeremy O’Day supposedly interviewed very well when the Eskimos hired Ed Hervey in 2012. The Saskatchewan Roughriders assistant vice-president of football operations has three Grey Cup rings: Two as an offensive lineman during a 14-year playing career spent mostly in Regina; and one as an assistant GM. He also acted as the Roughriders interim GM and v-p of football ops after the club got off to an 0-9 start in 2015.
1. b) Jim Barker would be a natural choice if experience has anything to say, given his coaching career began in 1978 and includes two Grey Cups as an offensive co-ordinator. He added two more championships as an administrator: in 2008 as a vice-president and director of player personnel with the Calgary Stampeders and 2012 as Toronto Argonauts GM. It was that season in Toronto when current Eskimos head coach Jason Maas first joined the CFL’s coaching ranks and the two have a good relationship with each other.
3. Tom Higgins spent 11 seasons as either assistant GM or GM in Edmonton. In 2003, he was GM and head coach of an Eskimos squad that won the Grey Cup. He posted a 44-28 record as Eskimos head coach, finishing first in the West Divison three out of four seasons. Higgins was the CFL director of officiating from 2008-13. Interestingly, it was reported Thursday that Higgins will be stepping down as defensive co-ordinator of the University of Calgary Dinos.
4. Brock Sunderland is an intriguing choice a just 37 years old. As assistant GM with an emphasis on U.S. scouting, he played a role in building the Ottawa RedBlacks into a Grey Cup champion, although the club was built with far more CFL veterans than rookies. He already has a relationship with Maas from their time together in Ottawa. Sunderland grew up in Montana and is the son Marv Sunderland, who recently retired after a 40 year NFL scouting career.
5. Brendan Taman is a two-time CFL GM who has been to three Grey Cups, winning one in 2013 with the Roughriders. He has recruited several great players to the league, such as all-time receiving yards leader Geroy Simon and perennial all-star running back Charles Roberts.
DARK HORSE SELECTION: Danny McManus has played a big role in the turnaround in Winnipeg as the Blue Bombers assistant GM and director of U.S. scouting. A former Eskimos quarterback, he is one of the more well liked people in the CFL.
