December 22, 2011
Rose Mary Phillip
ESKS.com
As the year comes to an end, ESKS.com takes a look back (holiday style) at the 2K11 season – filled with highs, lows and even a few blows at BC Place.
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On the first day of Christmas, the EE gave to me one classy coach named Kavis.
The rookie head coach vowed a return to “The Eskimo Way,” placing tradition, integrity and winning on list his of top priorities. Under Reed’s leadership, Edmonton landed its first home playoff game since 2004. |
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On the second day of Christmas, the EE gave to me two obvious outstanding player nominees.
Running back Jerome Messam and linebacker J.C. Sherritt earned nominations as CFL outstanding Players for their work on both sides of the ball. Messam took home the trophy for Most Outstanding Canadian of the Year after becoming the first Canadian-born player since 2004 to rush for 1,000+ yards. |
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On the third day of Christmas, the EE gave to me three vicious victories over Saskatchewan. The green and gold swept the season series against Rider Nation in 2011. The most punishing defeat came on October 10 at Commonwealth Stadium with a final score of 17-1. |
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On the fourth day of Christmas, the EE gave to me four fantastic finished quarters vs. Winnipeg. On October 15, the Eskimos led the Blue Bombers for four consecutive quarters, resulting in a 24-10 victory. It was redemption from the 28-16 loss in their previous match-up on August 5. |
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On the fifth day of Christmas, the EE gave to me five phenomenal finishes. 2K11 kicked off with a 5-0 record – the best start to an Eskimo season in over 30 years. |
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On the sixth day of Christmas, the EE gave to me six sensational All-Stars. Fred Stamps, Jerome Messam, Greg Wojt, Rod Williams, Rod Davis and Marcus Howard earned divisional All-Star honours for their outstanding performance. |
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On the seventh day of Christmas, the EE gave to me seven sacred points over Toronto. On October 21, the Eskimos toppled Toronto by seven points for a final score of 31 -24. It was the team’s third consecutive win after back-to-back losses on the road against Montreal and BC. |
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On the eighth day of Christmas, the EE gave to me, eight awesome pages. The Eskimos recently introduced an eight-page school activity booklet titled Playbook for Success as part of the community program of the same name. Through the program, players visited 58 schools in 2011 to stress the importance of education, goal setting and striving for your best. |
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On the ninth day of Christmas, the EE gave to me nine plus 30 touchdowns. Okay, this requires some math. But, it’s well worth the effort to figure out the Eskimos found themselves beyond the goal line with offensive touchdowns 39 times. |
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On the tenth day of Christmas, the EE gave to me 10 pleasing Player of the Week honours.
Jerome Messam racked up five of the 10 honors. The rest were earned by Jermaine Reid, Greg Peach, Damon Duval, Ricky Ray and Adarius Bowman. |
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On the eleventh day of Christmas, the EE gave to me 11 elating sacks from Marcus Howard. Despite not donning an Eskimo jersey until week six, Howard finished the season with a team-leading 11 quarterback sacks, ranking him third in the league for that category. |
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On the twelfth day of Christmas, the EE gave to me 12 terrific players on field at all times. The Eskimos strived to give the Empire 12 solid players on field at all times. They weren’t afraid to play with ratios, placing an American at kicker and Canadian at running back. The result was an 11-7 record and a spot in the West Final. |
For a full season review, complete with stats, scores and more, click here.