THE CANADIAN PRESS
At the start of the season, the team which brought the most intrigue was the Edmonton Eskimos. Pundits had a hard time figuring out where the Eskimos would finish.
Some had the Eskimos finishing as high as first and some had the team finishing out of the playoffs. For the record, this pundit said 9-9 and third place in the Western Division. It wasn’t easy to figure out with a new coaching staff led by a first time head coach in Chris Jones.
Fast forward to late September and the Eskimos are sitting with an 8-4 record and third place in what has been an extremely competitive West Division. The first 12 games of the season saw the Eskimos finish with a 5-1 record in the first third, 3-3 in the second third. The final third begins on Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium with a matchup against the Saskatchewan Roughriders — also, the first of three meetings between the two teams.
Eskimos general manager Ed Hervey has seen his team improve greatly in less than a full season played and says his team will be tested over the next six games starting on Friday.
“I think the guys are ready and are excited about the oppourtunity to see how they stack up to some of the teams in the West,” Hervey said. “It’s another oppourtunity to move up into position so I’m looking forward to seeing how we stack up.”
| A deep subject |
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The mark of a good football team is often its depth, an area the Eskimos were tested in this season due to a rash of injuries at almost every position. With players like Kendial Lawrence and Dexter McCoil stepping up, though, it’s been a non-issue for the Green and Gold. |
What’s been missing for the most part this season is the off-field sideshow that has weighed this team down over the previous two seasons. The focus has been on the field and turning the franchise around.
New head coach Chris Jones has brought in a higher level of expectation and has stayed true to that right from the first day of training camp. The Eskimos took advantage of their schedule early on and built a 7-1 record.
The Eskimos have lost three of their last four games which has hurt their chances for first place. However second place is still very much in play. Heck, a playoff spot is very much in play, which is where you want to be at this point in the season.
The club has been bit by the injury bug and the team has been able to weather those injuries. Players like Dexter McCoil, Willie Jefferson, Kendial Lawrence, Tyler Thomas, Cam Sheffield, D’Anthony Batiste and others have filled in well. Even though he lost both of his starts, backup quarterback Matt Nichols received valuable playing time which should help him and the club if he’s needed again this season.
Soon the Eskimos will be getting some of their injured players back as running back John White, defensive end Marcus Howard, defensive back Joe Burnett, and left tackle Tony Washington will be suiting up again.
Hervey says his team saw up close and personal how an elite team in the CFL handles itself and what home field advantage can do for a football team.
“You play a pretty good Calgary team and the game over the weekend was a hard-fought game on the road in Hamilton,” Hervey explained. “I think we have to keep in mind that everyone is getting better and you can’t have penalties. You have to capitalize on your drives and when you do get turnovers you have to put points on the board.”
“I think we have played some pretty good teams and given the oppourtunity to play those teams again I think our team will be more prepared,” he continued. “Honestly, you can’t shoot yourself in the foot.”
The Eskimos’ best two phases this season have been defense and special teams. On offence it’s been hit or miss. The team is third in the CFL in average yards per game and average points scored on offence per game, but it’s only scored in bunches. The Eskimos have either been a good first-half team offensively or a good second-half team.
Hervey feels the offence will get better with more experience with franchise quarterback Mike Reilly at the helm, while having both Fred Stamps and Adarius Bowman on the field together will lead to more production. Simply the plays are there to be made — those plays simply have to be made.
Last season was the start of the rebuild for the Eskimos and the process has been accelerated this season. The team is not at the level of the Stampeders or of the Roughriders yet but Hervey feels it is close to taking that next step.
“You have to keep building and what we want is to build a level of consistency, which will replace the era of rebuilding, and that takes time,” Hervey said. “I’m very confident in what we’re doing and very pleased with everyone — our coaches, players, our scouts, and just our entire process.”
“We’re heading in the right direction.”
Friday will be the Eskimos’ biggest test of the season.
