Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
The 2012 CFL schedule teaches a very simple but brutal lesson: there are no easy outs to be had in this league.
A week after contending with a tough Argonaut defence in Toronto, the Ticats return home on Saturday to welcome another stingy unit from Edmonton.
The Eskimos feature the CFL’s leading tackler – middle linebacker J.C. Sherritt – and a well-rounded and physically imposing defensive line that is tied for the league-lead in sacks with 24.
Add a backfield that averages nearly two interceptions per game (18 in 10 contests) and you have an Edmonton defence with talent across the board.
Ticat quarterback Henry Burris sees Edmonton’s defensive threat beginning with their front seven and extending naturally from there.
“These guys are relentless,” said Burris of the Eskimos box defenders. “With my history of playing against Kavis (Reed) and the guys – Coach Nelson and that defence – it all starts with that front.”
“Those guys bring it on each and every play and they don’t let up. There’s a reason why they lead the league in sacks, interceptions and stats like that, because that defensive line makes everybody else’s job easier.”
Offensive tackle Brian Simmons agrees that the foundation of the Eskimos strength is their line play, and he argues that the team’s belief in that area is shown by its play calling tendencies.
“When a team doesn’t blitz a lot, it says that they have faith that their four defensive linemen can get the job done,” said Simmons. “That lets me know already that they’re getting off the ball and making plays.”
Edmonton’s is not a defence that aims to confuse or overwhelm opponents with its complexity. Rather, the Eskimos present fairly straightforward looks and challenge other teams to beat what they can see.
“They’re like the B.C. Lions in that they’re pretty basic in the structure of what they do and they have a strong belief that that’s the best way to do it,” says Ticat Head Coach George Cortez of his Saturday opposition.
“Having said that, they play about seven or eight coverages so it’s not the same coverage every time. But their fronts are pretty much what you’d expect.”
So what can the Ticats do to overcome this front upon which so much hinges for the Eskimos defence?
Should Edmonton refrain from blitzing – as Simmons suggests they often do – the onus will be on him and his fellow linemen to hold back their counterparts in the trenches.
But if the Eskimos choose to send added pressure, the Ticats receivers and backs will need to be alert to the danger and quick to pick up blocking assignments. Because as Simmons points out, once numbers are no longer on their side, the offensive line is not in sole control of protection.
“There’s a lot that we can’t control, whether it’s a running back or a receiver coming in to block,” explains the tackle. “When someone sees a sack or pressure, they automatically think that it’s on the offensive line when it could really be so much more than that.”
In the passing game, Burris suggests that he and his receivers will have to use their recent experience against man defences – Toronto played man extensively in the past two games – to identify when the Eskimos move in that direction.
“Toronto ran a lot of man against us, and we’ll have to be effective when Edmonton throws that at us, because they have the guys who can make that happen,” says the Ticat pivot.
“With the pressure that they can get up front, they can definitely make it much tougher when they do that.”
The burden will be squarely on the shoulders of the Ticats offensive players to execute at their highest level on Saturday, but both Burris and Simmons are confident that their unit has the talent to succeed.
The quarterback knows, however, that his team has little leeway left as it searches for form. He is adamant that the Ticats comeback must begin on Saturday, in front of the home faithful at Ivor Wynne.
“This is the one place where it has to start,” says Burris. “If we can’t win at home, then we don’t deserve to go to the playoffs.”
“If we want to make amends and even this thing up record-wise – it’s not too late – then this is the time to make it happen.”
