Arden Zwelling
CFL.ca
Friendly fire is simply a reality of battle.
That’s why you can’t get too angry at Edmonton Eskimos safety Saleem Borhot for possibly ending Mark Restelli’s season last Sunday evening.
Restelli, an Eskimos linebacker, was caught in the crossfire of one of Borhot’s bone-rattling hits in the second quarter of Edmonton’s 33-23 loss to the Montreal Alouettes. The result — ligament damage in Restelli’s knee and a trip to the nine-game injured list.
Of course, the Eskimos coaching staff would rather have a healthy Restelli in the lineup, but at least now they know just what kind of fire power their 25-year-old rookie free safety has in his arsenal.
“[The hit] really showed you how physical [Borhot] is — unfortunately he got our guy too,” Eskimos special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach Noel Thorpe said.
The jarring hit Borhot laid on Montreal running back Avon Cobourne was indicative of the six-foot-three, 196-pounder’s game. Fast, physical and mean.
“I really wanted to make that hit. I was trying to show some of the physicality that I bring to the table,” Borhot said of the collision. “Unfortunately I ended up hurting my teammate but it comes with the speed of the game. Hopefully he’s not out for too long.”
For the Eskimos coaching staff, having a defender in the secondary that can make those kinds of momentum-killing, open field tackles was a luxury they did not enjoy in their week one loss to the BC Lions.
“We struggled making open field tackles the week before against BC from that position, so I was very happy that [Borhot] did a good job of that,” Thorpe said. “He’s a very good open field tackler. He didn’t miss a tackle.”
That’s impressive considering the 25-year-old was making his first career start in the CFL on Sunday night. After injuries sidelined both Edmonton safeties Elliott Richardson and Jason Nugent, Borhot was the only hand the Eskimos coaching staff had left to play.
No one would have been upset if Borhot stumbled in his first taste of CFL action — rookies are expected to make mistakes.
But Borhot was solid throughout, getting involved early and often, and contributing to a defence that held Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo to just 237 yards passing.
“The best thing for me was to get involved right away. It helped me gain some confidence and believe that I belonged on that field,” Borhot said. “All the distractions went away right there and it just felt like normal football all over again.”
If Borhot’s performance on Sunday was normal football, the Eskimos’ coaching staff can’t wait to see good football.
“I thought he handled himself very well in his first game. I was very happy with his performance,” Thorpe said. “Considering it’s the second game of the year against the Grey Cup champions and a hall of fame quarterback with some hall of fame receivers — I thought he did a really good job.
“It’s great because he’s only going to get better with time.”
After a standout year playing junior football for the Okanagan Suns, Borhot cut his teeth at St. Mary’s University in Halifax where he piled up 71 tackles and five interceptions over 31 games.
The Calgary native finished his four-year career at St. Mary’s with an underwhelming 2009 season that saw him contribute 19 tackles and two interceptions — numbers that weren’t good enough to earn Borhot an invitation to the CFL’s evaluation camp in March.
But numbers can be deceiving. St. Mary’s head coach Steve Sumarah lamented during TSN’s broadcast of the 2010 CFL draft that opposition quarterbacks were refusing to throw up the middle against his team in 2009, thus hurting Borhot’s numbers.
Of course, there isn’t a stat for offensive intimidation, so Borhot was out of luck there. Considering he was never selected as an all star in four years at St. Mary’s, Borhot’s evaluation camp snub could have been damaging to his young career.
But any CFL player will tell you a bit of chance is required to make it to the big show. For Borhot, it came in the form of an unexpected invitation from CFL veteran and TSN broadcaster Duane Ford to his private combine the weekend of the evaluation camp.
“That’s really where I found the biggest change in my life,” Borhot said of Ford’s invitation-only combine. “I was just excited to be able to perform in front of CFL coaches and, really, I got drafted from that combine.”
Clearly, things have a funny way of working out for Borhot. He was the first defensive back off the board at the draft, selected 12th overall and now ¬— just two games into his rookie season — he’s the Eskimos’ starting free safety. The kid who wasn’t even a blip on the CFL radar mere months ago is all of a sudden experiencing success beyond his dreams.
Not to say Borhot takes any of his good fortune for granted. The quietly confident rookie knows how to keep things in perspective.
“You know, after the Montreal game, that night I had a chance to sit down and think to myself: ‘wow — I just played in the CFL. I just started a game that so many people are watching and so many people are striving to get to. I just played in that game,’” Borhot said.
“I’m extremely fortunate to be where I am today.”
