Dave Campbell
CFL.ca
The bye week is a chance for the players to get away from the grind of football both mentally and physically. It’s a chance to clear your mind from the game for a few days and heal those nagging injuries. For the coaches, it’s usually a time for them as well to get a break from the regular football routine. But when you’re a 1-6 football, there’s no rest for the coaching staff which saw some renovating.
First, linebackers coach Dan Kepley resigned after eight years with the team. Rumours persisted that he and middle linebacker Maurice Lloyd didn’t see eye-to-eye on a number of issues. Kepley was also a strong supporter and a close friend with former general manager Danny Maciocia who was dismissed back on July 31st.
With their offensive line struggling to give their quarterbacks any kind of protection, offensive line coach Jeff Bleamer was issued his walking papers after just one full season with the Green and Gold.
To fill the holes, Coach Hall reached into the team’s past to bring back Mark Nelson as the new linebackers coach. Nelson coached in Edmonton previously on the 1993 championship staff and his father Bill suited up for the Green and Gold. Former centre Tim Prinsen, a two-time Grey Cup winner including 2003 with the Eskimos, is the new offensive line coach.
The new mindset for the Eskimos according to Richie Hall is it’s now an 11-game regular season which begins Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The new additions appear to be buying in to the concept.
“Right now we’re undefeated, the players and Coach Hall have decided that were starting our season now,” said Nelson. “The kids have had a short off-season, not a long off-season but a short one and we’re undefeated right now. We have eleven games to go to make the playoffs.”
For Prinsen, it feels like the start of the CFL for him.
“It’s all new to me. The guys are new, the coaching staff is new, the system and terminology is new. To me is does feel like a new season stepping in”.
The Eskimos have only surrendered 12 quarterback sacks which is the second lowest mark in the Canadian Football League. The league doesn’t count hits and hurries as stats, but ask Ricky Ray, Jason Maas and Jared Zabransky and they’ve had their fair share of both. Hall desires a meaner, more physical offensive line. Prinsen played on a nasty line in 2003 with Bruce Beaton, Dan Comiskey, Kevin Lefsrud, and Chris Morris. Prinsen says toughness is simply an attitude.
“Toughness is a lot of confidence too, just confidence in the techniques you’re using, confidence in the system, and confidence in knowing your assignments,” Prinsen explained. “When you have confidence in all that stuff then you can play tough. You can just play with reckless abandon and get after people and that’s what we’re trying to get to here.”
There’s only so much you change part way through the season and Prinsen says he’s not trying to re-invent the wheel, only tweak a few areas.
“I don’t have enough time to overhaul for one and I wouldn’t,” Prinsen said. “The systems in place, I just have to adapt to their calls but I can change their footwork, I can change their hand placement, and how they see things. That’s the stuff I’m trying to effect right now.”
Mark Nelson served as the defensive coordinator for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last season during the turmoil of the Mike Kelly era. He was at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma coaching at a high school football camp when he received the call from Eskimos. He’s very familiar with the Canadian Football League having played five years for the Calgary Stampeders (1980-1985) and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1986). His relationship with Hall is a big factor to why he came back to Edmonton.
“Shoot, I know Richie from playing with him,” said Nelson. “Richie and I have kept contact over the years. Richie is a good person and besides being a really good person, he’s a good coach.”
11 games remain for the Eskimos to salvage what has been a dismal season. The impact of two new coaches remains to be seen. Ultimately, as it always comes down to, it’s up to the players to write the script for the 2010 season.
For head coach Richie Hall, it’s simple.
“Just shut-up and play.”
Note: Ricky Ray suffered a bruised sternum in the second quarter of the Eskimos 56-15 loss to the Calgary Stampeders on August 15th. He along with backups Jason Maas and Jared Zabransky took equal amount of starting reps in practice this week. There’s no structural damage, but Ray has to deal with nagging soreness. He expects to be the starting pivot on Saturday versus the Riders.