June 23, 2011
Esks.com
Dave Campbell
The Edmonton Eskimos’ first impression of the 2011 season is in the books. On a rainy, windy night at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the Eskimos fell 23-22 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
This coming Friday will be the last time the hopefuls on the Eskimo training camp roster can make an impression with the coaching staff. The Calgary Stampeders will provide the opposition from Commonwealth Stadium. The weather forecast, well it might not be as cooperative again. Light rain, 18 degrees, and 25 kilometre winds. All things considered, much improved from last week.
Let’s take a look at the remaining battles position-wise heading in the Friday’s contest:
Quarterbacks:
Starter Ricky Ray missed last week’s game in Regina but will play Friday. He’s expected to see at least a half of action as he tries to become more comfortable running a new offense courtesy of new offensive coordinator Marcus Crandell. Matt Nichols and Kerry Joseph will see playing time in the second half. Nichols showed well in Regina going 6 of 11 for 53 yards and a touchdown. Joseph struggled in completing throws against the wind in the first half. He completed just three passes on nine attempts for 32 yards. Nichols, at the moment, appears to have the inside track on the backup job.
Running Backs:
Calvin McCarty once again reminded the coaching staff that he’s still in the mix for the starting tailback spot. He led all running backs last Friday with 10 carries for 62 yards and scored one touchdown. Second-year back Daniel Porter didn’t impress carrying the ball seven times for 16 yards. Arkee Whitlock is trying to get back into the mix, but a suspected hamstring injury is leaving his status as questionable. Newly-acquired Jerome Messam from the BC Lions will see some reps as well. Messam will look to turn the page from his troubled experience on the West Coast.
Receivers:
This is where perhaps the most uncertainty exists on the football club. The one lock is Fred Stamps at slotback, after that flip a coin. Two Canadian spots are up for grabs between eight-year Eskimo Andrew Nowacki, free-agent signing Chris Bauman, fifth overall draft pick Nathan Coehoorn, Tyler Scott, Nate Binder, and 2011 sixth round pick Youssy Pierre. Judging on Nowacki’s camp so far, he should be a lock. Chris Bauman struggled early then suffered an injury and is working his way back into the mix. Coehoorn has exceeded expectations and has shown he can handle reps in the first team offense. As far as imports go, the search for a big, speedy wide receiver continues. Adarius Bowman looked to be that man but he’s now been moved to a slotback position. Marcus Henry out of Kansas is looking to take the starting boundary wideout position and utilize his 6’4, 210 pound frame. Brandon James, Ray Fisher, Larry Beavers and Jason Barnes are all vying for a spot.
Offensive line:
You don’t usually say two imports and offensive line in the same sentence when talking about the Eskimo front five. This year, it’s a different story. The Eskimos will have two imports as their tackles this season. Cliff Washburn, a free-agent signing was the projected starting left tackle but a finger injury has sidelined him for the next two weeks. The Eskimos traded for Stefan Rodgers from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Jeremy Parquet is manning the right tackle spot. All of the import tackles are behemoths, standing at around 6’5 and tipping the scales at close to 330 pounds. Inside, Patrick Kabongo has almost cemented a guard spot; he lost close to 80 pounds in the off-season. Aaron Fiacconi looks to be a lock at centre while Greg Wojt is battling the likes of 2011 second overall pick Scott Mitchell and Scott Ferguson for the other guard spot.
Defensive line:
Defensive coordinator Rich Stubler will use of 3-4 alignment this season which means just three down lineman. Greg Peach and Julius Williams had the inside track for the end spots but a dislocated elbow has put Williams on the sidelines for the next two to three weeks. Joe Sykes, along with Matt Moss and Jermaine Reid, will look to fill the void. Étienne Légaré and Ted Laurent will battle for the nose guard spot.
Linebackers:
Perhaps the best athletic group on the team and the only competition will be for backup spots. Rod Davis, Will Harris, Damaso Munoz, and Quinton Culberson are the projected starters. The likes of JC Sherritt, Brian Bonner, Corbin Sharun, Mike Cornell and Mike Miller will look to lockup depth positions and special team spots.
Defensive backs:
T.J. Hill and Chris Thompson are locks. Rod Williams and Donovan Alexander have the leg up on Brian Logan and Delroy Clarke for the cornerback spots although Logan and Clarke have enjoyed excellent training camps. Veteran Lenny Walls is back, he’ll look to fend off Wopamo Osaisai and Weldon Brown for the other halfback spot.
Special teams:
Damon Duval has proven so far in training camp that he has the better leg than Derek Schiavone; he kicked a 38-yard field goal last Friday in Regina. Schiavone was 1 for 3 but his last missed attempt was a 55-yarder for the win in windy conditions. The return game will hope for better results and weather conditions on Friday as Brandon James, Ray Fisher, nor Larry Beavers separated themselves last week in Regina. James comes in with the most hype following a stellar college career with Florida.
The final cuts will have to made on Saturday.