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Football at any level is a game that is based on intensity and emotion.
Players practice more than they play and when game day rolls around, it’s a chance to let a week’s worth of nervous energy be unleashed on the opposition.
The Edmonton Eskimos have been left scratching their collective heads in the three of their first four games. In those three games, the Eskimos have allowed consecutive touchdowns to start the second half and have been outscored 42-12 in the third quarter so far this season.
It’s obvious you need execution to go along with the intensity to work in harmony.
Head coach Kavis Reed feels he’s seeing a pattern as to why his team is starting the second half slowly.
“The glaring thing that we (coaching staff) are starting to see is that we are going into halftime right in the games,” Reed said. “We start to deviate on both sides of the ball (in the third quarter) in terms of our technique. From a visual perspective, we are doing things by the numbers fairly similar but then you look at the actual plays, our technique tends to be a little bit different (in the third quarter). “
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In the Eskimos last two losses to the B.C. Lions; they held a 3-1 lead at the half at Commonwealth Stadium only to get behind 15-3 in the third quarter. Last week in Vancouver, the game was tied 10-10. Out come the Lions in the third quarter and score two touchdowns to take a 24-10 lead. Even in the first game of the season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders scored two touchdowns to start the second half to take a 36-1 lead. Only in Guelph were the Eskimos able to hang on to their halftime lead as the beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 30-20 after holding a 16-13 lead at the half.
Reed says for some reason his players are not sticking to the game plan in the third quarter. Several players have said publically that they feel the Eskimos are coming out “flat” from an intensity standpoint.
Reed is noted for his famous inspirational speeches. He admits that perhaps he might have to change the message to his players.
“You tend to try at halftime from a coaches perspective to let it be more cerebral and not bring them down emotionally but don’t ask for a spike,” Reed explained. “Because they are going to make adjustments and you want the adjustments to soak in mentally. I will look at it. Hey, maybe it’s time to say something different to them to hopefully get them over the emotional edge.”
When asked about whether he felt the coaching staff is making the proper adjustments at the halftime, Reed says he’s very pleased with the way his staff have handled their adjustments. Reed is putting the onus squarely on his players to execute better.
The Lions seemed to have the better energy after halftime; they do a great job of rotating their defensive lineman for example and had great success against the Eskimos offensive line. Let’s face reality as well, the Lions are no slouches. They are not even close to being where the Eskimos are, they are a Grey Cup caliber team, not a re-building team.
For a young team, the tendency at times is they want things to happen the easy way. Veteran teams like the Lions know how to manufacture their high level of intensity. Those teams also know that its execution and understanding of what coaches call your “keys” that allow players to play the game with a certain edge and tenacity. You want a nasty offensive line? If they understand what the techniques, fundamentals, and their keys are, you’ll get a nasty offensive line because the execution part of the game is already in place.
Young football teams like the Eskimos need teaching moments and the hope is the club will get better as the season gets longer.
The path to success can be filled with painful moments.
Notes:The only change to the Eskimos roster this week is the addition of offensive lineman Branden Curry from the practice roster to the active roster. He’s listed as the backup to starting right tackle Cliff Louis. Punter Burkes Dales comes off the roster; he was released on Monday by the Eskimos. The last time the Eskimos won a game in Montreal was back in 2007.
