Consequences finally strike in Edmonton, but will they end with head coach Kavis Reed’s firing?

A season-ending 30-26 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders Saturday wasn't enough to save the job of Edmonton Eskimos' head coach Kavis Reed, who the team fired Monday. Reed's dismissal wasn't unexpected after a 4-14 campaign that marked the Eskimos' lowest win total since they went 4-12 in 1964 and the second-lowest winning percentage (.222) in the franchise's history (the .125 mark they put up in a 2-14 1963 season is the only one worse) since their 1949 formation, and there had already been plenty of calls for substantial change in Edmonton. However, Reed's firing alone may not be enough to turn this team around, and the Eskimos and president/CEO Len Rhodes in particular should take a long, hard look at ditching general manager Ed Hervey as well.

Reed's dismissal does seem warranted, and it's notable that he was already talking like he knew this was coming in his final press conference at Sunday's locker-room cleanup day. However, his comments don't represent the whole story. Reed said "In this profession, you’re going to be judged on Ws (wins) and Ls (losses). There isn’t going to be that investigation as to whether or not you’re a good coach. It’s Ws and Ls." He's partly right there, as a coach's record definitely is one of the major factors in evaluating him. However, wins and losses aren't all about the head coach, and while Reed's 4-14 record this year (plus his 7-11 record in 2012) didn't impress, his firing should be about more than just the standings.

Reed consistently failed from a schematic standpoint, rarely putting his players in positions to succeed. In fact, there were notable times when he set them up to fail, such as his decision to use injured quarterback Mike Reilly in a no-running, one-read system. He didn't compensate for his team's personnel weaknesses, especially on the offensive line; emphasizing a quick-passing approach or additional use of play-action and deceptive elements might have done wonders for the Eskimos' offence, but Reed and offensive coordinator Doug Sams persisted with a traditional look that didn't really work. Beyond that, Reed created endless unnecessary sideshows that served as great distractions this season, including his infamous consequences rant and his fine for directly criticizing officials. While his record in the standings certainly wasn't good, there's more to this firing then that.

However, Reed shouldn't be the only one to go here, and the spotlight of responsibility should be shining brightly on Hervey. Yes, Hervey's only had one season in the top job, but he deserves to be evaluated on what he's done with it, and the results aren't good. Hervey has one notable accomplishment: acquiring Reilly, who went on to be one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal campaign and appears to have established himself as the signal-caller of the future. Beyond that, Hervey's tenure has been a failure on multiple levels. He couldn't build an offensive line that could protect Reilly and establish the run, and he created a completely unnecessary controversy around that line by publicly blasting lineman Simeon Rottier (but not cutting or trading him) and violating the CBA in the process. His jettisoning of kicker Brody McKnight for next to nothing completed a saga that might have been worse than the Ricky Ray trade. He didn't acquire much top talent at any position this year, and it's notable that every one of the team's award nominees outside of returner Eric Samuels was acquired by Hervey's predecessors.

It's Hervey's leadership that should be questioned most, though. His tenure has seen a lot of bluster about "The Eskimo Way," but it's mostly involved alternately hiding from and ranting to the media, pointing fingers, breaking league rules and establishing an atmosphere of unnecessary secrecy. Bringing in Reilly was a good move, and firing Reed is the right decision to make now. Beyond that, though, Hervey hasn't done much to help this franchise, and he's done an awful lot to hurt it. He's now sacrificed a head coach in an attempt to save his job. We'll see if that's enough to keep Hervey around, or if the Eskimos' organization realizes that the "Ego Empire" Hervey once blasted is more prevalent now than it ever was under his predecessor. Reed's departure may be one step in the right direction, but Hervey's actions thus far don't instill a lot of faith that he can turn this team around.