I never met Kavis Reed but from what I have seen of him over three years as the Eskimos head coach he seems like a knowledgeable coach and a nice man but anyone will tell you where nice men finish in sports most times.

He knew his time as a coach was coming to an end even if he didn’t say it out loud.

This was a team which won four games and only one of those was at home and in any sport if you don’t win at home you have a huge problem on your hands.

So when you are the lead dog on a sled which went 22 and 32 over the three years you were in charge then keeping your job is not an easy thing to do but before we blame Kavis for all that is wrong in the Eskimos locker room the players need to take a moment to reflect.

From the sidelines it seemed the same mistakes were made over and over by the same group of players according to GM Ed Hervey and so it’s easy to point at the coach but maybe, just maybe the players in those positions shouldn’t have been there and that falls in the lap of the GM – current and past.

You can’t send a NASCAR driver to Daytona with a Yugo and expect him to compete.

What Reed had to work with for the most part was a talented bunch but some of the surrounding cast were sorely lacking so even though a plowhorse is a strong worker there is no way it will ever win the Kentucky Derby.

Now Kavis should shoulder blame as well because there may have been flaws in the system he stood behind or the way he tried to get his message across.

Whatever the case maybe he’s the first CFL coach to get the ‘heave- ho’ this season and there is likely another in Winnipeg which may join him shortly but that of course is the way things work in a profession which is like walking a tightrope without a net.

One thing Eskimo fans might be concerned about though is how Ed Hervey announced he wants to bring in a coach which is more like him and if you recall his handling of a couple of issues this year the Eskimos may be looking towards another tough year.

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