Edmonton Elks hoping for 1st home-opening win in 4 years

John Korobanik · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 18, 2025 1:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs erstwhile said: "don't fto the sound of others' opinions drown retired your ain interior voice."

A catchy dependable wound that's easier said than done, but that's what the Edmonton Elks are hoping to execute this week successful mentation for their CFL location opener Thursday against the Montreal Alouettes. 

The Elks are anxious to erase the memories of their horrendous starts the past 3 seasons (0-5, 0-8, 0-7) and looking to rebound from their season-opening 31-14 roadworthy nonaccomplishment to the B.C. Lions.

Winning their location opener for the archetypal clip successful 4 seasons is the No. 1 priority, said centre David Beard.

"We're trying to artifact retired each the remainder of the noise," helium said aft different upbeat practice. "We, arsenic players, person to trim it down to simply winning the adjacent game.

"As overmuch arsenic we recognize and admit the value of winning, and we privation to get disconnected to a blistery start, we person to trim it down to conscionable winning the adjacent shot game. So we're trying to artifact retired the other noise, the unit and conscionable trying to bash our occupation the champion we can."

The Elks started good successful B.C., but a second-half illness sent them backmost into the movie and gathering rooms to marque important changes.

"In each 3 phases determination are things we needed to cleanable up," said caput manager Mark Kilam. "Offensively we person to enactment connected the field, we person to prolong immoderate drives, we've got to beryllium much productive connected archetypal downs. Game 1 shows you what you request to get amended at."

One of those things is to trim costly penalties, an contented that has plagued the squad for respective seasons.

"We didn't person a ton of penalties, we had operational penalties that are sidesplitting our momentum connected offence," said Kilam. "Those are each preventable penalties, worldly we request to chopped out."

The Elks person had 12 days to marque immoderate changes they deemed necessary, the 1 vantage of having a bye week aft conscionable 1 crippled played.

"We had the bye week, a accidental to reset," said moving backmost Justin Rankin, held to conscionable 24 yards successful 7 carries against the Lions.

"I deliberation everybody's coming backmost hungry. We privation to enactment connected a amusement for the fans truthful we're excited to get retired determination and get aft it."

Rankin said determination person been a batch of changes made successful mentation for Thursday's crippled and 1 of the keys is getting the moving crippled backmost to what it was past play erstwhile the squad led the league successful rushing yards.

"It's ace important," helium said. "We're a carnal team, that's benignant of our motto, what we privation to be. That starts with the moving game. We'll get that together. One week doesn't specify who we are."

Success for the moving crippled starts with the violative enactment and its quality to unfastened holes, thing they weren't overly palmy astatine against the Lions.

"We were not blessed with that result," said Beard. "First and foremost, for our group, we privation to marque the tally crippled better. I consciousness similar we've identified a batch of issues.

"We've corrected them successful the gathering room, we've brought them onto the field, made the corrections. Now it's a substance of making definite we execute connected crippled day."

On the wounded front, 2 of the 3 players wounded successful the play opener — violative lineman Brett Boyko (hamstring) and wide receiver Arkell Smith (head) — are questionable for Thursday.

Left tackle Martez Ivey (hamstring) is acceptable to play.

The Alouettes participate the crippled astatine 2-0, including a 39-18 roadworthy triumph astatine Ottawa past week. They won some their meetings with Edmonton successful 2024, including a 23-20 triumph astatine Commonwealth Stadium successful Week 2.