2008 Edmonton Eskimos season


The Edmonton Eskimos season was the 51st season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 60th overall. The Eskimos finished 4th in the West Division, but made the playoffs because of the "crossover" rule. Edmonton became the first West team to win the East Semi-Final. The Eskimos attempted to win their 14th Grey Cup championship, but they lost the East Final to the Montreal Alouettes.

Offseason

CFL Draft

In the 2008 CFL Draft, 48 players were chosen from among 752 eligible players from Canadian universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. The first two rounds were broadcast on TSN.ca with host Rod Black.
RoundPickPlayerPositionSchool/club team
211 Greg WojtOLCentral Michigan
319 Tim St. PierreLBSaint Mary's
323 Justin CooperDLManitoba
425 Sammy OkproDBConcordia
426Jonathan HoodDBSt.FX
534Dante LucianiRECLaurier

Transactions

Schedule

Regular season

Roster

Season standings

Season schedule

Total attendance: 336,449
Average attendance: 37,383

Ron Lancaster

On Thursday, September 18, Ron Lancaster, 69, died from an apparent heart attack, less than two months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Despite working in television, Lancaster returned to football as the Eskimos' head coach in 1991. During his seven-season tenure as Edmonton's head coach, the Eskimos won the 1993 Grey Cup. Lancaster resigned as the Eskimos' head coach after the 1997 season to become the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' head coach and director of football operations.

Player stats

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Defence

Kickoffs

Kicking

Punting

Returning

Awards and records

Playoffs

The Eskimos advanced to the East Division playoffs as "crossover" being that they had a better record than Toronto. By defeating Winnipeg, Edmonton became the first crossover team from the West to win an Eastern semi-final.
WeekDateVisitorScoreHomeOTAttendance
Division Semi-FinalNov 8Edmonton Eskimos29–21Winnipeg Blue Bombers27,493
Division FinalNov 15Edmonton Eskimos26–36Montreal Alouettes38,132

[Canadian [Football League East Division|East]] semi-final

Date and time: Saturday, November 8, 12:00 PM Central Standard Time
Venue: Canad Inns Stadium, Winnipeg, Manitoba
TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4Total
Edmonton Eskimos3188029
Winnipeg Blue Bombers870621

East final

Date and time: Saturday, November 15, 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4Total
Edmonton Eskimos7601326
Montreal Alouettes31610736