It is the dawn of a new season of the Canadian Football League, and the areEdmonton Elks celebrating 75 years of Green and Gold greatness in 2024. With legends such as Tom Wilkinson, Warren Moon and Hugh Campbell on hand to witness the milestone event, the Elks desperately needed to win on Saturday night to finally tie the new EE name in with the glory of the old Esks moniker.

TAILGATE REPORT

With Game Day featuring a new-look Fan Park, Commonwealth Stadium saw fans arrive 3 hours early in order to cook and eat alongside each other. Unfortunately due to rain and wind, we weren't able to set up the SpEEkers Corner tablet but we were able to feed the masses with some BBQ Smoked Pork On-A-Bun. While this was happening, the Elks were hosting the largest gathering of EE Alumni ever for multiple events, including an autograph session with the biggest and best players from past decades. Luckily for myself, Katherine of Shotgun Sports Network and The Elks Herd was able to stand in line while I served fans smoked meats, and once the line started moving I jumped in with my family to meet some of my idols.

At the start of the table you had Jed Roberts and Henry "Gizmo" Williams, two of our favorite former players. As we worked our way down the line we were greeted by the likes of Sean Fleming and Grant Shaw, followed by the legendary Dave Cutler, all celebrated for their kicks and punts over the years. Damon Allen, Joe Hollimon, Greg Butler and even as far back as Bayne Norrie, the 75th Alumni Signing was a treat.

While we did try to get all of the autographs from all groups, unfortunately the line was too big by the time we finished Round 1, so we proceeded back to our Tailgate stall with our signed goodies, thankful for the experience. Not long after we braved a brief downpour, shut down our stall and ran to Gate 2 with our Herd.

GAME RECAP

THE FAN SIDE

To say this game was frustrating is an understatement. With so many legends on hand to witness a 75th Season "Rebirth", the Double E of the present is still associating the current name with losses. The Elks opened up the game with a field goal but Saskatchewan answered back quickly. Javon Leake almost had a return touchdown for the Elks but a penalty would bring the return back. Frustrating. Saskatchewan would also suffer the same scenario in the second quarter. Hergy Mayala looked good in this game, reeling in 2 touchdowns and 4 catches for 50 yards on the day. Upon Mayala's second touchdown, the team boasted a 17-8 lead over Saskatchewan in the third quarter, and then a 21-8 lead in the fourth quarter. So what happened?

To start, Javon Leake's fumble deep in the Elks' end didn't help. To make matters worse, the defense began to leak and MBT would also fumble the ball late in the fourth on a scramble, giving Saskatchewan the ball at the worst times of the game. On Special Teams, the Elks gave up plenty of return yardage, and a Boris Bede missed field goal did nothing but help Saskatchewan's momentum swing. 11 penalties for 101 yards lost is a repeat performance of Preseason Game 1 for the Elks, giving Saskatchewan many breaks and opportunities.

The two teams were very close in terms of statistics, the game coming down to critical moments and momentum. Unfortunately, Saskatchewan was the team with wind in their sails to finish the game, a devastating fourth-quarter loss to the Riders on such a monumental occasion. The 29-21 loss still stings, less than 24 hours since we've left Commonwealth Stadium.

As fans we stick with this team through thick and thin, but the latest defeat to start the 75th Chapter feels like a wasted opportunity for the entire organization. This might be just one game, but when you have so many legends in-house to witness the progression of the Edmonton Elks Football Club, a game lost on fumbles and turnovers in the fourth quarter in front of 20,000 fans is not the way you want to start the season. When you consider the start of the 2023 season, where the Elks opened up with a similar type of loss to Saskatchewan, the words Groundhog Day come to mind. Alas, the team has shown much improvement from this time last year.

STAYING POSITIVE

Even though the weather in Edmonton reflects the all-too familiar feeling after an Elks loss, we have to look at some positives as the team has shown visible improvement. Hergy Mayala has come in with a fantastic "next man up" effort. Additionally, MBT looked decent in his Regular Season return to the CFL, showing that he can still put up the numbers in the Canadian game. Reciever Dillon Mitchell led the recieving corps with 7 receptions for 93 yards. Offensively, this team does great things on the turf, but the lack of ball security is still an area of concern, luckily an issue that can be fixed via coaching.

The defensive line looked very good in this game, preventing AJ Ouellette and the Riders run game from making a major impact while registering sacks.

NEXT UP: EDMONTON ELKS VS MONTREAL ALOUETTES

The Edmonton Elks will be hosting the 2023 Grey Cup Champions, the Montreal Alouettes on Friday June 14th, a true David vs Goliath game at this point of the season already. With improvement showing but frustrations already growing after the first game, a win against the Alouettes would greatly help their quest in bringing glory back to the Double E.