Dave Campbell
ESKS.com
One pre-season game is in the books for the Edmonton Eskimos. They led the game for 58 minutes before giving up 10 points in the final two minutes of the game to lose 20-17 to the Calgary Stampders last Friday night at McMahon Stadium.
Following the game, I sent this tweet:
“Analyzing the first pre-season game is like throwing Jell-O against the wall and trying to make sense of it.”
The first half of the game actually showed some flow and crispness. Heck, hardly any penalties were called even if a flag was deserved or not.
According to Head Coach Kavis Reed , the first pre-season game for the Eskimos was about giving the younger players a chance to shine. Only five projected starters on offense saw action, while seven suited up on defense. The defense looked solid and showed they have some players that will supply the Green and Gold with some much needed depth. Linebacker Simoni Lawrence and defensive back Joe Burnett were standouts. Burnett scored the only touchdown for the Esks on an 80 yard interception return for a touchdown. On offense, the Eskimos settled for too many field goals and quarterback Matt Nichols threw two interceptions, granted, he looked comfortable and poised playing his first game in year. Receivers Shamawd Chambers, Cary Koch, and Nate Coehoorn all performed well. It looks as though the Eskimos have the early signs of return game. The rest of the special teams performed well except for a few costly errors in the final two minutes.
Now the focus switches to Thursday’s final pre-season game as the Eskimos will host the Grey Cup Champion BC Lions at Commonwealth Stadium. The rookies won’t get the same amount of time to impress the coaching staff because the starters will see the field for at least a half to get their rhythm and timing back to where they should be heading into the regular season. Coach Reed says the game is important for the starters.
“We want them to get in there and get a good sweat, a good pace, a good tempo,” Reed said. “To understand they’re back in football again. The angles, the tackling, all those things are very important toward June 30th (the season opener vs. the Toronto Argonauts). Once we get that out of them and we’re confident those guys have that football timing back, we’ll take them out and move on with the game.”
J.C. Sherritt, Damaso Munoz, T.J. Hill, and Donovan Alexander will all suit up on defense. On offense, Fred Stamps, Greg Carr, Hugh Charles, and the man with the biggest spotlight on him, quarterback Steven Jyles will see the field.
Jyles is the key acquisition from the Ricky Ray trade with the Toronto Argonauts. His snaps on Thursday will be the moment Jyles has been waiting for.
“I’m excited about it. I have a great group of guys here who have surrounded me and I have the chance to just facilitate the ball to these guys and let these guys make plays,” Jyles explained. “I don’t have to do too much; we have a great team, great defense, and great special teams. I just have to go out and take care of what my job is and put the ball into the playmakers hands.”
Kavis Reed says he wants to see both Steven Jyles and backup Kerry Joseph play at least one quarter with the first-team offense. It remains to be seen how much playing time Matt Nichols or Jeremiah Masoli will see in the pre-season finale.
Jyles has been impressive with a very good training camp. He’s shown the ability to make all of the throws, to put the ball in the right spots and to use his best asset which is his feet. Kerry Joseph was supposed to come to training camp and push Jyles for the number one job, but he hasn’t come close to doing that. In fact, Nichols has been the one showing more consistency and is pushing for the backup role. Joseph will most likely need a good game Thursday to earn the spot behind Jyles.
Although it’s only pre-season, the offense will need to show their ability to move the ball and turn scoring chances into touchdowns. Jyles will need to show he can manage the game without trying to put the game on his shoulders. The defense will need to display their ability to rush the passer with a four-man front while the secondary will need prove they can cover receivers on a more regular basis than the 2011 season.
The Lions will provide a great litmus test for the Eskimos. The word is that Lions’ Head Coach Mike Benevides will consider playing his starters well into the third quarter.
How much can you take from a pre-season game? That’s the intriguing question. Last season the Esksfound themselves down 21-0 to the Stampeders in the first quarter of their pre-season finale and would up losing both pre-season games before racing out to a 5-0 start in the regular season.
Ricky Ray even threw two interceptions in the Argos’ second pre-season game on Tuesday.
So really… What can you take out of a pre-season game?
Oh look, more Jell-O!
NOTES: Edmonton will be without SB Adarius Bowman on Thursday due to a leg injury. The move is more precautionary than anything else and Bowman is expected to play in the season opener on June 30th vs. Toronto.
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