News
September 25, 2012
Chris O’Leary
Edmonton Journal
It’s a strange formula for Jerome Messam.
The six-foot-three, 245-pound running back – the most outstanding Canadian player in the Canadian Football League last year – returned to the Edmonton Eskimos at the end of August after an unsuccessful tryout with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
He was embraced by the Eskimos and signed a new contract on Sept. 1.
So far, so good.
On Saturday, Messam was a healthy scratch for a game against his former CFL team, the BC Lions. The Brampton, Ont., product watched as Edmonton fell to its fourth loss in a row, this time a narrow 19-18 defeat. The go-to man on the ground last season, Messam is stuck in the Eskimo trifecta of running backs this year. Hugh Charles has been the starter, with Cory Boyd working his way into games since joining the Esks on Aug. 12.
Messam’s numbers – 15 carries for 48 yards and one touchdown over three games – haven’t been overwhelming. His absence Saturday can be tied to the Eskimos being forced to juggle their import/ non-import ratio because of an extensive injury situation.
“It was a ratio thing, it didn’t have anything to do with my performance,” Messam said after practice on Monday.
“I’d obviously like to be out there and help my team because I’m a competitor, but that’s not the way the coaches went, so I’ve just got to roll with the punches.”
The 27-year-old said it was a tough punch to take. He only missed games with Edmonton last year due to injury.
“We added another Canadian O-lineman and another kicker was on the roster,” Messam said. “We just have a different situation now and we’re trying to work with that. The main goal is for us to win as a team, so I’m not too worried about my individual efforts.”
Taking one for the team will happen, but he made it clear that he’d rather have been on the field last week.
“I want to play,” he said. “But it’s a team sport.”
Eskimo head coach Kavis Reed said he was glad that Messam wasn’t happy as a bystander.
“He better not be happy. If he’s happy, then we have the wrong person here,” Reed said. “He has to be a little bit disappointed. He has to want to be able to play football.
“Jerome is a very prideful individual who is also extremely talented. He should want to be on the field.”
Messam said he couldn’t speculate as to whether he’d get into the lineup on Friday against the Calgary Stampeders, but Reed took the suspense out of the situation, saying that he’d have Messam in the game.
“Jerome was very good” about being told he wouldn’t play and was “very receptive,” Reed said. “I saw him a lot in the locker room at halftime talking to Cory as for the things that he’s seeing and saw, as well as Hugh, while (Charles) was being taped up with his thumb.”
Charles left the game with a thumb injury in the second quarter on Saturday. He sat out Monday’s practice, but was in the locker room afterward.
coleary@edmontonjournal.com
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