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July 10, 2012

Reed promises change following dreadful offensive performance

Dale MacMillan

Chris O’Leary
Edmonton Journal

It promises to be a week of change for the Edmonton Eskimos.

Eskimo Head Coach Kavis Reed acknowledged that there was a lot of work to do after an offensive collapse in Sunday’s 17-1 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
 
Edmonton, 1-1, will attempt to bounce back against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday at Commonwealth Stadium.

“Obviously a lot has to change,” said Reed. “We have a very short period of time, but a lot has to change.

“There’s a lot of evaluation we have to have take place in order for us to have a chance of competing against Winnipeg and that’s the reality.”

Reality wasn’t kind to Edmonton’s offence against the Riders. Quarterback Steven Jyles completed 10 of 19 passes for 91 yards. Backup pivot Kerry Joseph got into the game, as well, and was good on just four of eight passes for 34 yards. Both men were sacked three times.

The Esks have scored just one touchdown in their first two games, tailback Hugh Charles‘ short dash into the end zone in Week 1 against the Toronto Argonauts.
 
“We have to flush this football game,” Reed said on Sunday night outside the visitors’ locker room at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. “It was not a good performance in any aspect and (we have to) make sure we prepare diligently for that football team.”

Standing at the sideline, Reed had something in common with everyone else watching the Eskimos falter with the ball in their hands. He was frustrated.

“It was very difficult, just watching the game from the sidelines it was very difficult,” Reed said.

“(The QBs) didn’t have the opportunity to stand in and make their reads and that goes back to me and the way that we’re preparing to coach the football game.

“It’s solely on me. I didn’t do my job and it was a poor effort on my behalf.”

Reed said, eventually, his evaluations would include the starting quarterback position.

“Right now, we’re going to have to evaluate it. There’s no question that we’ll have to evaluate the situation, but the most important evaluation is going to come in what we’re doing with them,” Reed said.

“I don’t want to create a quarterback controversy, but the situation is right now that I made the decision to go with Kerry for part of the game and, obviously, that creates a bit of a controversy.”

“Our biggest decision as a coaching staff is what we’re going to do to give those guys an opportunity to succeed.”

In two games as an Eskimo, Jyles hasn’t been able to play his style of game. The 29-year-old has been held in the pocket, playing a pass-heavy game. Looking long for his receivers in both Eskimo games so far, Jyles has struggled to hit his targets. Known as a mobile, rushing pivot, he has a total of 24 yards under his cleats this season.

“We had some miscommunications again,” Jyles said. “(Saskatchewan’s) defence played great, they played a solid ball game, they got a few sacks out of us and we have to execute better offensively.”
 
“We just didn’t execute,” Joseph added. “They were the better team and they made the plays and they just beat us and our defence played well. They gave us a chance to stay in the game and we just didn’t execute offensively and put points up.”

The possibilities for a quarterback extend beyond Jyles and Joseph. Third-stringer Matt Nichols is on the bench, ready to get into the game. Of course, a raw 25-year-old who has never played a CFL regular-season game can’t be expected to pull the nose of the plane up before it hits the tarmac.

While Eskimo General Manager Eric Tillman sought the criticism for the loss on Sunday night, Reed was trying to pull some of it his way, too.

“The biggest thing is that we lost this game as a team,” he said. “I will always go back to the opportunities that I allowed (Jyles) to have or did not allow him to have.

“You cannot direct this at the quarterbacks. This one is solely on me.”

coleary@edmontonjournal.com
Twitter.com/olearychris