The Edmonton Eskimos are the most penalized team in the Canadian Football League and head coach Jason Maas put the blame on himself during his weekly coach’s show on 630 CHED.

“I’ll say this about penalties and I’ll say this about discipline. I haven’t done a good enough job since I’ve been here and that’s evident,” Maas said.

“We’ve been one of the worst teams in the league in penalties since I’ve been here. We’ve gotten better in stretches this season but not quite good enough. It’s my fault and I’m going to take the blame.”

According to CFL.ca, the Eskimos have been flagged 84 times for 895 yards this year. Last season, they were eighth in flags (158) and sixth in yardage (1,484). But Maas says those days are over.

“I can tell you from this day forward that things are changing in our organization. So, you know, it starts with me. The way I approach the game, the way I am, is going to change,” he said.

How? An added focus on discipline, says Maas.

“We’re going to start kicking guys out of practice for messing up or we’re going to start taking game time away from guys that continue to make penalties. They understand it. They know it,” Maas said. “It’s about holding ourselves accountable and it’s gotten to the point that we can’t tolerate it anymore. It will stop and if not we’ll find other people that can do it.”

The Eskimos sit at 5-3 entering Week 10, but Maas says the Eskimos can be better if they limit their mistakes. The Edmonton head coach pointed to an offensive penalty in the third quarter of last week’s matchup with the B.C. Lions that turned a second-and-five into a second-and-10 along with a defensive penalty that put the Lions in field goal range, eventually leading to a 53-yard field goal.

“We’re getting there. I like to think that if we figure it out, we’ll be a whole hell of a lot better and win the games that we should,” Maas said.

They will be back in action hosting the Montreal Alouettes (1-7) in Week 10 on Saturday night.