Dave Campbell
CFL.ca
Trying to figure out your football team in training camp for the most part is as easy as moving a giant boulder.
Three weeks of grueling practices, meetings, and two pre-season games is a lot to fit in a very short amount of time. The Edmonton Eskimos played their two exhibition games and ended up being the only team in the West division not to win a game.
The Eskimos lost 23-22 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, a game where the Green and Gold fought back from a 15-0 deficit and almost came away victorious.
The Eskimos then shifted their focus to last Friday’s match-up with the Calgary Stampeders. Head coach Kavis Reed really wanted to win that game, wanting to send a message that his football team means business.
Fast forward to two minutes left in the first quarter, the Eskimos found themselves down 21-0. Yes, losing to the same team that kicked them in teeth twice in Calgary last season and then beat them back at home in the Labour Day rematch.
Not the message the Eskimos wanted to send.
“Down 21-0 in the first quarter was a difficult situation but it’s pre-season and it was an opportunity to see whether or not this team has the resiliency that we wanted to have”, Reed explained.
“In an 18-game season, you’re not going to be leading every game; you’re going to have come from behind. I was very pleased with the fact that the guys did not quit. They made every effort to get back into the ball game. “
Perhaps the growing pains are to be expected as the Eskimos are the youngest team in the Canadian Football League. On defence, there are as many as eight new starters, while the offence will feature four to six newcomers.
Sometimes a three week training camp isn’t enough time to properly assess your team and Reed says his team will need some more time to figure themselves out.
“We expect there to still be some competition in the 46 guys that we have and some of the guys that we’re keeping on the practice roster as well,” said Reed.
“There are a few spots that we still have to solidify and are not etched in stone yet. For the most part, we can field our team for Sunday.”
The linebacking corps is facing changes due to the departures of Will Harris and Quinton Culberson who were both released and after suffering through a horrendous first quarter against the Stampeders, veteran Lenny Walls was released after being signed by the club two weeks earlier.
He’s still applying Aloe Vera on himself for the number of times he was burnt by Henry Burris and the Calgary offence.
T.J. Hill was supposed to be the starting safety and I wonder how Reed can afford to keep the team’s reigning defensive player of the year away from his SAM linebacker spot.
The offensive line keeps losing import tackles and had trouble at times keeping Ricky Ray secure in the pocket last Friday.
The receiving corps is still trying to find weapons to compliment Fred Stamps. Will the running game feature imports or non-imports?
So many changes are usually followed up by too many questions.
The Eskimos are trying to build a championship team and the organization wants success this season.
Perhaps 2012 or 2013 is a more realistic goal, who really knows at this point? While preaching patience, fans in Edmonton want to see immediate results after watching the better part of five tough seasons.
General manager Eric Tillman says you need a balanced approach which includes respecting the fact that the Eskimos are in a very tough division.
“We understand what the challenge is but if you’re intimidated by challenges this is the wrong business to be in,”explained Tillman.
“This is a young team that I think will grow and develop. I think the key is that we’re going to have to win some close games early on, maybe win some ugly games and hang in the race. The season is remembered by how you play in October and November. It’ll be a process and we’re in the first stages of that process.”
The first test is a good one for the young Eskimos. Take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the meanest park in the country: Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
Baptism by fire.
