July 8, 2011

Eskimos explode offensively in season-opener

July 8, 2011

Dave Campbell
ESKS.com

Edmonton Eskimo General Manager Eric Tillman walked into the visitor’s broadcast booth ready to do his pre-game interview with Morley Scott and me before the green and gold faced the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.  The biggest concern expressed by Tillman was the fact the offensive line had to be re-vamped during the week.  Projected left tackle Jeremy Parquet ruled himself out with a suspected concussion, another injury to an import tackle.  Junius Coston was the only import left.  Kyle Koch had to play right guard giving the line four Canadians, one more than the original plan.  Tillman announced on our pre-game show that the playbook was reduced by 30 to 40 percent, could the offensive line keep quarterback Ricky Ray upright.  The answer turned out to be a resounding yes.
 
The Eskimos scored 42 points which included five touchdowns, two field goals, and a punt single.  Ricky Ray threw for three touchdown passes, the first time he accomplished that feat since 2009.  Receiver Jason Barnes caught two touchdown passes; he along with Adarius Bowman cracked the 100-yard receiving mark.  The ground game rushed for 113 yards using Calvin McCarty, Jerome Messam and Daniel Porter.

Let’s not forget the defense, they allowed 28 point but only eight in the second half. 

Rod Williams knocks down a pass against the Riders last weekend.

So where did this come from?  Defenses are usually ahead of offenses at this time of year but the Eskimos didn’t follow the script.  Ricky Ray says he didn’t feel that good after a game in an awfully long time.

“Yeah, it feels like it’s been awhile,” said a very happy Ray.  “You know we just executed pretty darn well the whole game.  We had some big plays and that’s huge.  If you get both of those combinations good things are going to happen and we’re able to put up some points.”

You almost could have had the news organizations around the country send out a news alert bulleting saying: “THE ESKIMOS ARE ACTUALLY THROWING THE BALL DOWN THE FIELD, THE ESKIMOS ARE ACTAULLY THROWING THE BALL DOWN THE FIELD.  MORE AT 11PM.”  The first touchdown of the game happened in the first quarter, yes the first quarter.  A 35-yard Ricky Ray strike to Jason Barnes during the Eskimos’ second possession.  Barnes would score again and the Eskimos held a 14-7 lead after the first quarter.  Last year the Eskimos scored just 62 points in the opening quarter.

Jason Barnes catches his 2nd TD of the game

 
Centre Aaron Fiacconi says jumping out to an early lead helped the team’s confidence. “We’ve had a tradition of starting slow here in the last couple of years and that’s something we want to kind of break away from,” explained Fiacconi.  “When we got that first touchdown on the board in the first quarter, we were up 7-0.  Felt good, felt like we were in control, we felt like we knew what we were doing.”

The game did feature some adverse moments for the Eskimos.  Damon Duval shanked a punt late in second quarter which led to the Riders scoring a touchdown in the final minute of the first half to cut the Eskimo lead to 27-20.  The offense struggled for about 7 to 8 minutes before righting the ship and cruising to their first win.  Last year, the Eskimos simply would lose that game.
 
One game does not a season make. It’s a good start but the Eskimos need to build off their season-opening performance.  The Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensively will bring the fight to the Eskimos much more than the Riders, who looked like they were attending a tea party and not a football game. 

For now, the Eskimos are 1-0 and feeling good.  Head Coach Kavis Reed likes seeing the happy faces in the locker room and says he wants his team to play with a sense of confidence.

“I think enthusiasm is a good thing and I hope the guys weren’t feeling any pressure after pre-season (0-2 record),” said Reed.  “I thought the guys had progressed very well in pre-season.  We were very satisfied as a coaching staff towards the progression those guys were making towards the regular season starting.  They (the coaching staff) went out and they did a good job.”

It’s early but the Eskimos have a winning record. You couldn’t say that at any point last season.

Notes: Kavis Reed says he expects to use the tandem of Jerome Messam, Calvin McCarty, and Daniel Porter once again in the ground attack.  Arkee Whitlock is still out nursing a hamstring injury.  Kavis Reed says even if Whitlock was healthy he’s not in game condition and would need to sit out an extra game.  Offensive lineman Cliff Washburn (finger) and Brian Ramsay (knee) both returned to practice but are not expected to suit up Saturday.  The Eskimos are 6-3-1 in their last 10 home openers.