Dave Campbell
ESKS.com
Ding-dong, the streak is over. After going oh-for-September, a nasty five-game losing streak ended for the Eskimos. A 35-20 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats vaulted the Esks back into a playoff spot as the crossover team in the East Division.
Much of the kudos went to the performance of the offense.. and why not? They haven’t been very potent this season, but last Friday they were. Four offensive touchdowns, 472 yards of net offense, a quarterback with a 300-yard passing game, and Fred Stamps becoming unleashed for 204 yards and a touchdown.
As the offense received most of the attention, the defense needed a bounce back game and they rose up in a big way. During the Eskimo five-game losing streak, the defense was averaging 32 points allowed per game. At one point the defense was tops in the Canadian Football League in both total points allowed and average points allowed per game. Now they’re in the middle of the pack. They’re currently the worst defense in the CFL defending the run and close to the bottom against the pass and total yards.
Against the Tiger-Cats, the Eskimos allowed 384 net yards of offense; they average 417 yards per game. A defense that gives up 308 passing yards per game held the CFL’s leading passer Henry Burris to 284 yards. The only blemish was 130 yards surrendered on the ground. Most importantly, the Eskimo D allowed just 20 points. Defensive back Joe Burnett says the defense redeemed themselves from their earlier poor performances.
“It feels real good to get the monkey off our back. We needed that performance, we needed that (kind of) play,” Burnett said. “You know, a lot of guys were banged up and hurt and a lot of guys stepped up for us. We wanted to have a chip on our shoulders. We got a lot riding on this game as far as our playoff berth (is concerned) and getting to where we want to be.”
Defensive back Chris Thompson picked up two interceptions, tying him for the CFL lead with five picks and drawing himself even with Joe Burnett. Thompson picked up CFL Defensive Player of the Week honours. It was part of a six turnover night for the defense. Newcomer Brandon Lang picked up his first CFL interception. Clint Kent and Shawn Lemon recovered a fumble each. The unsung hero of the defense might have been defensive lineman Jermaine Reid. He sat on the nine-game injured list at the start of the season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He returned to the lineup last month. His stat line will only say one quarterback sack and two defensive tackles, but his last tackle had the biggest impact as he stuffed Tiger-Cat running back Avon Cobourne on a third and one gamble late in the fourth quarter.
The Eskimo defense has been a unit based on creating turnovers. They lead the CFL with 40 takeaways and also lead in points scored off turnovers with 102. They have mastered the art of making you pay, according to Joe Burnett.
“It’s all about takeaways. You gotta have a knack for creating turnovers, making the offenses get off the field real quick and putting our offense in a great position as far as field position and giving the ball back to score points.” Burnett said.
What the defense did better in last week’s game was, first of all, tackle better. This team let too many second and longs turn into first downs recently because the defense simply used poor tackling fundamentals. Secondly, the Esks finally got pressure on the quarterback, and finally the front seven and the secondary didn’t give up the big play nearly as much on the ground or through the air.
What also helped was the time of possession from the offense. They held close to a five minute advantage. The defense had time to sit on the bench and receive a rest.
The defense is the heart and soul of the Green and Gold. The straw that stirs the drink.
It must return to the old saying “bend but don’t break.” Except only to break the heart of the opposing offense.
NOTES: The Eskimos will have the services of middle linebacker J.C. Sherritt against the Roughriders. He missed last week’s game with a knee injury. Slotback Cary Koch will return to the lineup Saturday after missing two games with a collarbone injury. Koch is the team’s fourth leading receiver catching 27 passes for 427 yards and four touchdowns. Fullback Calvin McCarty will make his return after missing the last four games with a high-ankle sprain. The team is hoping next week vs. Lions will see the return of fullback Mathieu Bertrand. He’s missed 11 games with a groin injury. The Eskimos have a five-game home winning streak against the Roughriders.
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