Dave Campbell
CFL.ca
On a rainy, windy Friday night at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the Edmonton Eskimos fell 23-22 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. And with that, concluded the first audition for the many hopefuls on the Edmonton roster.
With management expected to submit their final rosters to the league tomorrow, tonight’s match-up against the visiting Calgary Stampeders will play a huge role in the decision making process for head coach Kavis Reed and general manager Eric Tillman.
With that, let’s take a look at the remaining position battles heading into the Eskimos’ final pre-season contest.
Quarterbacks:
Starter Rick Ray was on the sidelines during last week’s loss to the Riders, but it’s expected that he will play tonight. Ray will likely see at least one half of action at Commonwealth, as he tries to acclimate himself to offensive coordinator Marcus Crandell’s new playbook.
Backups Matt Nichols and Kerry Joseph will share playing time in the second half. Last week in Regina, Nichol’s had a solid outing, completing six of his 11 passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. Joseph, however, struggled throwing into very harsh winds in Regina, completing just three of his nine attempts for 32 yards.
It appears that Nichols now has the inside track to be Ray’s backup.
Running Backs:
Calvin McCarty once again reminded the coaching staff that he’s still in the mix for the starting tailback job. He led all running backs last Friday with 10 carries for 62 yards and scored one touchdown.
Second-year back Daniel Porter didn’t really impress while carrying the ball, rushing seven times for just 16 yards. Last season’s starter Arkee Whitlock is trying to get back into the mix, but a suspected hamstring injury is leaving his status as questionable.
Finally, the recently acquired Jerome Messam will also see some reps in the final pre-season tuneup. Picked up in a trade with the B.C. Lions earlier this week, Messam is trying to turn the page on a troubled experience in Vancouver.
Receivers:
This is where perhaps the most uncertainty exists on the football club. The one lock is Fred Stamps at slotback, but after that you might as well flip a coin.
Two Canadian spots are up for grabs with Andrew Nowacki, free-agent signing Chris Bauman, fifth overall draft draft pick Nathan Coehoorn, Tyler Scott, Nate Binder, and 2011 sixth-round pick Youssy Pierre all battling to crack the roster.
Judging by Nowacki’s camp so far, he should be a lock. Chris Bauman struggled early then suffered an injury and is working his way back into the mix. Coehoorn has exceeded expectations and has shown he can handle reps in the first team offence.
As far as imports go, the search for a big, speedy wide receiver continues. Adarius Bowman looked to be that man but he has now been moved to one of the slotback position. Marcus Henry is looking to take the starting boundary wideout position and utilize his 6’4”, 210 lbs. frame.
Brandon James, Ray Fisher, Larry Beavers and Jason Barnes are also all vying for a spot.
Offensive line:
When talking about the Eskimos front five, it’s a rarity to say that they’ll have two starting imports lining up. This year, however, it’s a different story as the Eskimos will have two imports as their tackles this season. Cliff Washburn, a free-agent signing was the projected starting left tackle but a finger injury has sidelined him for the next two weeks.
The Eskimos traded for Stefan Rodgers from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Jeremy Parquet is manning the right tackle spot. All of the import tackles are behemoths, standing in at around 6’5″ and tipping the scales at close to 330 lbs.
Inside, Patrick Kabongo has almost cemented a guard spot; losing close to 80 lbs. during the off-season. Aaron Fiacconi looks to be a lock at centre while Greg Wojt is battling the likes of 2011 second overall pick Scott Mitchell and Scott Ferguson for the other guard spot.
Defensive line:
Defensive coordinator Rich Stubler will go with the 3-4 alignment this season which means just three down linemen. Greg Peach and Julius Williams had the inside track for the end spots but a dislocated elbow has put Williams on the sidelines for the next two to three weeks.
Joe Sykes along with Matt Moss and Jermaine Reid will look to fill the void. Etienne Legare and Ted Laurent will battle for the nose guard spot.
Linebackers:
The linebacking crew for the Eskimos is arguably the most athletic group on the roster. Rod Davis, Will Harris, Damaso Munoz and Quinton Culberson are the projected starters, while the likes of J.C. Sherritt, Brian Bonner, Corbin Sharun, Mike Cornell and Mike Miller will look to lockup depth positions and special team spots.
Defensive backs:
T.J. Hill and Chris Thompson are locks. Roderick Williams and Donovan Alexander have the leg up on Brian Logan and Delroy Clarke for the cornerback spots although Logan and Clarke have both enjoyed excellent training camps.
Veteran Lenny Walls is back, he’ll look to fend off Wopamo Osaisai and Weldon Brown for the other halfback spot.
Special teams:
Damon Duval has proven so far throughout training camp that he has the better leg than Derek Schiavone. He kicked a 38-yard field goal last Friday in Regina, while Schiavone connected on just one of his three attempts. His last try, however, was a 55-yarder for the win into heavy wind conditions.
The return game will hope for better results and weather conditions against Calgary as neither Brandon James, Ray Fisher, nor Larry Beavers separated themselves last week in Regina. James comes in with the most hype following a stellar college career with Florida.
