Dave Campbell
ESKS.com
During the off-season, the Ricky Ray trade was the most debated off-season transaction. No doubt fans were concerned about the loss of the Ray. Coming in a close second was running back Jerome Messam. Messam was the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Canadian Player after rushing for 1,057 yards and six touchdowns. He became just the third Canadian in CFL history to rush for 1,000 yards. Jerome injured his knee in the West Semi-Final against the Calgary Stampeders. He had surgery, rehabbed and then signed a contract with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. It wasn’t a long stay in South Beach, playing just two pre-season games for the Dolphins. He didn’t carry but caught two passes for just 9 yards. A week ago, Messam was released.
The 27-year-old made his way back to Edmonton and officially made his return to the Eskimos on Thursday. On Saturday, Messam decided to sign on the dotted line and remain an Eskimo through the end of the 2014 season.
“Oh, I love the city, I love the fan support, I love my teammates,” Messam said. “It’s a world class organization and I just feel comfortable here. It feels like home.”
So no more tries at cracking an NFL roster, Jerome Messam is now a member of the green and gold through and through. Head coach Kavis Reed says he’s happy Messam is making a commitment to the organization and the City of Edmonton.
“Something that’s very important in an athlete’s decision is wanting to be someplace and feeling comfortable in a certain place,” Reed explained. “Jerome had an advantage; he could have finished the season out and tested the (free-agent) market, but his commitment to the organization is evident by the fact that he quickly re-sign.”
Messam’s path to CFL stardom has been a roller coaster ride. He was once the top rated college football prospect in the United States. He was removed from a division one school in North Dakota because he was deemed academically ineligible to attend a division one school. He was undrafted in both NFL and CFL drafts before signing as a free agent with the BC Lions in 2010. A couple of off-field incidents led to Messam being traded to the Edmonton Eskimos during training camp in 2011.
The idea of a dominant Canadian running back was considered “pie in the sky” in the past, but now the league boasts Messam, the Stampeders’ Jon Cornish, and the Lions’ Andrew Harris. What a Canadian running back does is give a team ratio flexibility. You can play four imports in your receiving corps. With Messam back, the Eskimos have that option.
However, it’s not as simple this year compared to last year. The reality is Messam left for his NFL shot. The Eskimos were forced to move on, and they did. They anointed Hugh Charles as the number one running back and so far he hasn’t disappointed. He’s third in the CFL in rushing yards (504), and fourth in the CFL in yards from scrimmage (788). The Esks added Cory Boyd to the mix three weeks ago. He looked good with Charles in the Eskimos’ 26-17 win over the Toronto Argonauts a week ago. Include Calvin McCarty and Edmonton has a lot horses in the stable and they all want to run wild and free.
Often when a player comes back to the CFL from an NFL tryout, they’re not the same player. They tend to be not in the best physical shape because they don’t get the required number of reps down south. They also have a tendency to have some negative emotions because of the disappointment of not making an NFL roster. Messam has come back and looks leaner, has no visible effects from off-season knee surgery, and has a positive aura around him. He seems very happy to be an Eskimo again and to play in a city where football matters.
Messam won’t have to wait long; he’ll play today in the Labour Day Classic in Calgary. As far as how much he’ll be used remains to be seen.
One thing is for sure, however. Messam is back with the Eskimos and is here to stay…..for awhile.
Defenses take note.
NOTES: Kerry Joseph will start at quarterback today for Steven Jyles. Jyles is dealing with a leg injury which has caused him to leave the last two football games early. It’ll be the first start for Joseph as an Eskimo and his first start in nearly three years. Defensive end Marcus Howard will miss his fourth straight game with hamstring injury. He’ll likely return for Friday’s rematch game in Edmonton. Defensive lineman Ted Laurent will miss his third straight game with an ankle injury. Defensive back Weldon Brown will miss the game with a groin injury. Clint Kent will make his first start of the season playing at the short-side halfback spot. The Eskimos won last year’s Labour Day Classic by a score of 35-7.