CALGARY, Alta. — I am at the Grey Cup in Calgary.
Nov. 11 was the day the opposing Head Coaches have a joint media session with the Grey Cup behind them.
I asked about when and why they became head coaches. Mark Kilam of the Edmonton Elks said coaches aspire to move up to co-ordinator positions and then head coach. Jason Maas of the Montreal Alouettes said a coach never gets to decide if he will be a head coach.
Later in the conference Kilam spoke of unsuccessfully applying for five head coaching positions. He said during his interview for the six position with the Elks he felt five minutes into the interview with General Manager Ed Hervey, and others he felt aligned with the Elks.
I asked if they rely on an advisor in making decisions during the last three minutes of games. Maas said he is talking to co-ordinators and players and trying to be a step ahead of the action. He said there is a rolodex in his mind from past experiences. I was surprised there were that many voices giving advice in situations where decisions need to be made in seconds.
Kilam was told by a media member that Cody Fajardo had said that he told Kilam after last season that Kilam needed to spend more time with team units other than special teams.
Kilam replied that he always wants to know what he can do better. He said he co-ordinated special teams last year as he wanted to set the standard for the unit. He gave up that responsibility for 2026 so he could spend more time with the rest of the team. He said staffs are stronger by empowering them.
Maas said he knew it was the right time to let Anthony Calvillo make the play calls as offensive co-ordinator. Calvillo had put in the hard work preparing himself.
Maas continued that in his fourth season he has streamlined by giving up some responsibility. He said he is now in an overseer role. He is “just there”.
I thought of Chris Jones. When he was with the Riders he was GM, Head Coach and offensive co-ordinator. It did not work well.
Maas said after his first spring training camp practice with the Alouettes in 2023 he knew he had guys who knew how to work hard. They spent that training camp in Quebec City in crappy weather. When they finished that camp without complaining he realized they could be a special group.
You often remember well your first opportunity. Maas said his favourite memory of McMahon Stadium was in 2000. He got to play in the second half of a game and finished the game. It was the only game in which he played as quarterback that year.
On being released/fired as a coach, each spoke of perseverance.
Kilam said he had been fortunate to spend 20 years in Calgary before he was released. He had not been in the coaching roulette experienced by most professional coaches. He decided he was not to let the release define him and he would find another job. It turned out to be the Head Coach of the Elks.
Maas said anytime he has been let go he did some soul searching. He said he is a grinder person whose emotional side can get out of control. He realized he had to be better at handling his emotions. He needed to avoid getting too high or too low. He added that he needed to stop outbursts. I do not recall him having emotional outbursts the last couple of years.
On returning to Calgary for the Grey Cup Kilam said he has lots of connections in the city but he would like to see 20,000 Elks fans down from Edmonton for the game. Still he said if someone recognizes the curls on the sidelines and waves he will wave back.
Some traditions fade away. For decades Jim “Shaky” Hunt, a Toronto writer, would start this conference by asking the Head Coaches if they were going to allow the players to have sex before the game. Evasive and funny answers were the response. There was no such question this year.
