"As long as the Esks still have a shot at a berth in the playoffs, Ricky Ray will continue to be the starting quarterback for the Green & Gold"

The Edmonton Eskimos will play the Saskatchewan Roughriders this weekend in what is the start of a pivotal three game series for not only the Esks season, but perhaps the direction of the franchise. If the team can truly turn their spiraling season on its ear and win at least two of the next three games, they will most likely continue with the players and staff that they have, making only minor adjustments. However, if they keep walking the same path that’s led them to stumble and fumble their way through what has been a forgettable start to the 2010 season, changes both on the football field and within the organization are all but guaranteed. And the changes might be quite drastic.

As mentioned on EsksNation.ca, as long as the Esks still have a shot at a berth in the playoffs, Ricky Ray will continue to be the starting quarterback for the Green & Gold. He is simply the team’s best option, and quite frankly, despite not finding the endzone much in 2010, is still one of the premier signal callers in the game. His completion percentage, yards per attempt average, and interception rate puts him right among the likes of Anthony Calvillo, Henry Burris, Kevin Glenn and Darian Durant. The only problem is that if the Eskimos come out of the next three games and their record drops to an unthinkable 1-9-0, the time for an organizational rebuild will have surely arrived. A team can’t be that bad without major changes occurring. If you want an example, the 2009 Toronto Argonauts come to mind as they purged their entire quarterback roster after going 3-15-0 last year.

The Esks don’t need to do anything as drastic as the Argos as Jared Zabransky appears to be a bonafided prospect that has shown enough in his limited appearances to have quite a few people believing that he could be a franchise quarterback in the CFL. If the playoffs become nothing more than mathematical equation based on the team going on an unforeseeable hot streak, the organization should start looking towards a new era in Eskimos football, and the change will need to start at quarterback. Sooner or later the organization needs to give Zabransky multiple starts to show what he can. If they need to sit down, and perhaps even part with Ricky Ray, then so be it.

Including players on the injured lists and practice squad, the Esks have 34 players who are 26-years-old or younger. The future of the football team is in the hands of these young players, and in addition to Zabransky, the club will need to evaluate who can realistically become a difference maker in the CFL and who should be thanked for their services before being turned loose. Most of these young players have not played a significant amount of snaps, but if the team is committed to regaining their footing next year, getting these guys in some games will only help the organization in the long run.

Playing the Roughriders followed by back-to-back games against the Calgary Stampeders is a tough assignment, irregardless of the team’s current record. Unfortunately for the Esks, the hand they have been dealt must be played. If they can start winning, we can forget about planning for the future and wait for the off-season before such considerations need to come into play. If they stay on the rails to nowhere, then using the final eight games of the season as a springboard to the 2011 might not be a bad idea.

Gizzie Willie is a popular CFL blogger, writing for the Edmonton Eskimos, as well as his blog, EsksNation.ca. You can follow EsksNation.ca on Twitter.

"Let's be clear about one thing right off the start, the Eskimos will not be sitting Ray as long as there is still hope for a playoff spot"

In this week’s CFL Point/Counterpoint, Chris Powell and Jonathan Hamelin debated whether or not the Eskimos should bench starting quarterback Ricky Ray in favour of second-year man Jared Zabransky, who has developed somewhat of a cult following in Edmonton. Zabransky is well known for quarterbacking the Boise State Broncos in one of the greatest college football games of all-time in the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and some fans believe that with the Eskimos starting the season with a record of 1-5-0, the time has come for a changing of the guard under centre.

Let’s be clear about one thing right off the start, the Eskimos will not be sitting Ray as long as there is still hope for a playoff spot. As one of the premier quarterbacks in the league over the past couple of seasons, the team needs to have their leader under centre. If the team falls out of contention for the playoffs the possibility of a change can be revisited, but for now, the Green & Gold will be going with Ray.

The quarterback issue aside, the Eskimos do need to make some changes. However, the first move should not be wholesale changes to the active roster. With the removal of Danny Maciocia as general manager, the team needs to find a football operations leader that can oversee the complete overhaul of the team’s on-field personnel. There have been at least a dozen candidates debated in both the media and fan forums around the league with no clear cut favourite emerging for the job. Without a leader to implement what amounts to a complete cultural change within the Eskimos organization, sitting a player here or there will have about as much impact as a mosquito crashing into the front of a car on a highway.

Looking at the Eskimos players today, there are only two spot that needs to be upgraded. Is it at the quarterback position? Certainly not with Ray continuing to play well and Zabransky waiting on the sidelines. Receiver? Not with talent like Fred Stamps and Kelly Campbell running routes. How about running back? Arkee Whitlock is second in the league in rushing yards so it’s not likely. If not offence, what about the defence? The Eskimos are fine on the defensive side of the ball with impact players such as Maurice Lloyd, Chris Thompson and Kenneth Pettway continuing to make their mark on opposing offences. Special teams? Nope. Noel Prefontaine and Tristan Jackson are both two of the best at their respective positions.

Ready to give up on what needs to be improved?

Okay, here’s the answer. The first item is non-import talent. The Eskimos have a strong group of non-imports on their team, but when injuries occur, the team’s depth of impact Canadians is lacking. The team has not properly managed their non-import assets over the past couple of years and the impact is starting to be noticeable. Most of the team’s younger prospects are not cut out to be impact starters in the CFL with perhaps the exception of safety Saleem Borhot. The changes needed to the team’s non-imports will not happen overnight, but getting a new general manager in place will put the team on the right track.

"(Edmonton) needs to find a football operations leader that can oversee the complete overhaul of the team's on-field personnel"

The second part of the equation is winners. Simply put, the Eskimos need to find players like Toronto’s Cory Boyd who care only for winning and will not be denied in their pursuit of this goal. Boyd finishes each run as if it might be his last and refuses to make it easy on those trying to defend against him. The current Eskimos roster simply does not have enough of these type of players. As pointed out earlier, the Green & Gold have plenty of talent, and if you don’t believe that, just check out the stats page on CFL.ca. That being said, when it comes to winning, the Eskimos are at the bottom of the CFL barrel for a reason. Dropped passes, fumbles and missed tackles at key moments in the game are all signs that the Eskimos don’t have enough winners on their team.

So should the Esks sit down Ricky Ray? Maurice Lloyd? Kelly Campbell, perhaps? Maybe, but the chance that it resurrects their season are slim to none. A new general manager with the vision and knowledge of what it takes to win in the CFL is needed first. Once that person is in place, the other changes will start to follow.

Gizzie Willie is a popular CFL blogger, writing for the Edmonton Eskimos, as well as his blog, EsksNation.ca. You can follow EsksNation.ca on Twitter.

We all understand that people have different opinions and we at CFL Daily Dose are no different, which is why we started CFL Point/Counterpoint. For each CFL Point/Counterpoint, two authors will present their cases and you decide who’s right.

After a dismal showing thus far for the Edmonton Eskimos, the firings have started. We ask: Is it time for the Eskimos to bench quarterback Ricky Ray?

Ray isn’t the problem in Edmonton

by Chris Powell

There are two very distinct problems in Edmonton, but Ricky Ray isn’t one of them. Even though the firings have started and the threat of being benched is always looming, benching one of the best quarterbacks the CFL has ever seen is not the answer.

Cory Boyd rushed for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Eskimos in Week 6.

Edmonton has two problems keeping them from winning, one of those problems is the offensive line.

It is impossible for a quarterback to succeed when he spends more time on his back than on his feet. He has been sacked a whopping 15 times in six games. That means that he gets sacked two to three times EVERY game. If that keeps up Ray will end up on IR.

The issue with the offensive line extends beyond protecting Ray. With a suspect line, Arkee Whitlock doesn’t have room to run, putting all of the pressure to win on Ray and the receivers.  Even though the CFL is a pass-heavy league, a team can’t win without some semblance of balance.

Despite the sack totals and the mediocre performance from Whitlock, Edmonton’s offence is one of the most explosive in the league, having racked up ,2391 yards, a 398.5 yard per game average, which is third in the league.

Ray himself has the second highest completion percentage in the league (68%), is fourth in passing yards (1701), and is fourth overall in QB Rating (93.2). Statistically, Ray is doing everything he can to help his team win.

The second problem is the rush defence. It’s rare to see the worst rush defence and the best pass defence on the the same team, but that’s what’s going on in Edmonton.

The Eskimos pass defence has allowed 1,386 yards (231 per game) and has the second highest interception total with seven on the year, while the rush defence is allowing an astonishingly high 164 yards per game. That is a 7.7 yard per carry average and is simply unacceptable.

It’s hard for a team to win when their defence can’t get off the field,and when teams can shred a defence for 160+ yards on the ground it’s no wonder the Esks are 1-5-0. It’s impossible for Ray, or any quarterback, to lead their offence from the sidelines.

Until the Eskimos have addressed the issues on the offencive line and learn how to stop a running back, there’s no logical reason to assume that benching Ray would lead to different results.

Benching Ray would be a knee jerk reaction and one that would lead to more losses than wins over the course of the season.

The Eskimos haven’t been winning enough games with Ray under centre

by Jonathan Hamelin

Ricky Ray has obviously had a successful career for the Edmonton Eskimos. He has routinely lead the league in many passing statistics.

The Eskimos should try starting a quarterback with more mobility than Ray.

However, a statistic I am more interested in is wins. TSN’s Glen Suitor made a good point last week when discussing the progression of Toronto Argonauts quarterback Cleo Lemon. He noted that while Lemon’s stats weren’t pretty, he had led the team to a 3-2-0 record.

Since their magical Grey Cup run in 2005, Edmonton has had its share of struggles. In 2006, they posted a record of 7-11-0 and missed the playoffs. The next year, the Eskimos posted an even worse record of 5-12-1 and missed the playoffs again. In 2008, they posted a record of 10-8-0 and crossed over to the East Division for the playoffs, where they eventually lost to Montreal in the East final. Last season, they managed to get in the playoffs with an 9-9-0 record, but fell to Calgary in the West Division semifinal. Flash forward to 2010 and the Eskimos have a record of 1-5-0 through six weeks.

For those keeping score at home, that is a total record of 32-45-1.

Since 2005, there have been changes to Edmonton’s offence. The receivers have changed, the running back has changed and the offensive lineman have changed. Ray has been the constant.

Can a quarterback be blamed entirely for a team’s struggles? No, but he is the player on offence that has to take on the responsibillity for helping his team improve. The simple fact is, with Ray under centre the Eskimos haven’t been winning enough games lately. Edmonton started to make slight improvements after missing the playoffs in both 2006 and 2007, but now find themselves poised to miss the playoffs again.

For a team that is hosting the Grey Cup, this is a huge disappointment. Something drastic needs to be done to shake things up and turn this season around. What better then benching the starting quarterback?

It’s not like Ray’s stats warrant him staying in. He has thrown for only six touchdowns (much less than Henry Burris, Anthony Calvillo, Kevin Glenn and Darian Durant) and five interceptions (tied for third). Ray’s completion percentage is not bad and his yardage total is nothing to complain about, but those turnovers really hurt.

Another problem is, Ray isn’t a mobile quarterback. Sure, he may surprise the defence on occasion and run for a first down, but he can’t really escape pressure to buy his receivers time. If a defensive lineman gets a clean run at Ray, it is usually a sack. Ray has been sacked 15 times this season. Only Calvillo has been sacked more times. Quarterbacks like Burris and Durant are good at buying more time for their receivers.

Not being mobile isn’t always a bad thing for a quarterback, as Calvillo himself is a pocket passer. However, the Montreal Alouettes are 5-1-0 and haven’t had the same struggles Edmonton has.

Edmonton should try backup quarterback Jared Zabransky for a game. As we saw in their 29-28 loss to Toronto this past week, he can run with the ball. Maybe the Eskimos need a more mobile quarterback at the helm? Optimistically, Zabransky could shine if he was just given a chance. The Eskimos didn’t realize Ray’s potential until Jason Maas got injured and Ray was shoved into action.

The move doesn’t have to be permanent. If Zabransky struggles, the Eskimos can go back to Ray. But, the move might light a fire under the team. The players would realize that if Ray can be benched, anyone can. It could make them want to prove themselves and raise their play.

The Eskimos need to win ball games and Ray isn’t getting the job done. Edmonton needs to try a change before its too late and they are watching the Grey Cup in the stands.

(Jonathan Hamelin is leading CFL Point/Counterpoint debates 3-1-1).

Off their 41-10 spanking at Montreal last weekend, the Toronto Argonauts travel west to Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton to battle Ricky Ray and the Eskimos.

Last week, the Eskimos notched their first win of the 2010 CFL betting campaign when they beat the British Columbia Lions 28-25 at home. This week, they’ll hope to open up their first winning streak of the year.

Throw out the record books when you see these two teams play each other. There is no way that the Argonauts are as good as their 3-2-0 record indicates and the Eskimos, though not a beast in the West by any stretch of the imagination, are certainly better than a 1-4-0 squad.

"Throw out the record books when you see these two teams play each other"

The Boatmen have been a wreck offensively this season. They’ve only scored 113 total points, dead last in the East and third to last in the CFL. Seven offensive majors in five games is tied for worst in the league. The real proof in the pudding comes in the form of the yards per game statistic. Toronto has racked up 220 fewer yards than any other team in the league and are averaging almost 180 yards per game less than the league leading Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The passing attack has been particularly woeful. Quarterback Cleo Lemon looks like a deer in headlights at times. Amongst starting quarterbacks in the league, Lemon still has the worst QB rating of the bunch at 73.6. His 57.6 completion percentage ranks him second to last, while a 2.3 percent touchdown ratio is tied for the second lowest in the CFL.

Last week, Lemon only went 8/17 for 143 yards before getting replaced. The Alouettes held Toronto to just 227 yards and racked up three sacks.

The man who has to be getting incredibly frustrated at this is wide receiver Jermaine Copeland. The former Calgary Stampeder only has 14 catches for 204 yards and one touchdown all season long. Since 2003, he has averaged 71 catches and 1,172 yards per season. Obviously, he isn’t on any sort of pace to reach those numbers this year.

The star for the Toronto offence remains running back Corey Boyd. Boyd is tops in the CFL in rushing at 484 yards, but he only has found the end zone one time all season.

The good news for the Argonauts is that they are running up against a rush defence that ranks dead last in the CFL at 160.8 YPG.

Defence has been a major concern all season long for the Eskimos. They are allowing a league worst 7.9 YPC and have given up the most points in the CFL at 154.

In spite of the fact that Edmonton won last week against the Lions, there has to be a lot of concern considering the fact that BC was playing without its starting quarterback. The Lions still averaged 8.6 YPC in the game and were kept in it thanks to the ground attack.

Quarterback Ricky Ray is coming off of what has probably amounted to be his best game of the season. He was 25/34 for 360 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Three receivers had at least 75 yards through the air and running back Arkee Whitlock added 102 yards on the ground for his best game of the season.

Whitlock has the second most carries in the league this year (74) and ranks third in yardage (430). His three scores puts him in a tie for third in the CFL.

Ray might only be averaging one touchdown pass per game, but he still ranks fourth in the CFL in passing with 1,450 yards for the year. He 68.0 completion percentage not only dwarfs that of Lemon, but it also leaves him in second place behind Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo in that category.

Ray loves to sling the ball all over the field, particularly to receiver’s Kelly Campbell and Fred Stamps. Both are in the Top 3 in the CFL in receptions and they are the only duo of receivers in the league to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark combined in the first five games of the year.

Last season, Edmonton swept the series by winning 22-19 at Rogers Centre and 36-10 at home. The team split the proceedings against the CFL odds.

On Friday night, the Eskimos have been lined as 5.5 point CFL betting favorites. The ‘total’ has been set at 51.5

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.

Ricky Ray and the Edmonton Eskimos are still in search of their first win of the CFL season. Will they get it as a pick ‘em on the road Saturday in Winnipeg?

Former West Division rivals duke it out at Canad Inns Stadium in the first half of a doubleheader of CFL betting action. This game will be shown live on the NFL Network.

The Eskimos are the last CFL team standing that is in search of its first win of the season. After losses to the British Columbia Lions, Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders to start the year, the Eskimos find themselves ranking dead last offensively in the league with just 53 total points scored. The defence hasn’t been significantly better, as the 82 points allowed is just third in the West.

Quarterback Ricky Ray is averaging 296.0 passing-yards-per-game, which ranks him third in the CFL amongst starting signal callers. Should he keep up at this pace for the rest of the season, Ray would have yet another 5,000+ yard season, a number in which he has gotten to three times in his career.

The problem Ray has right now is that he isn’t throwing touchdown passes. Only one in three games is absolutely inexcusable for an offence that has this many weapons. Coming into this week, Ray had the two best wide receivers statistically in the CFL. Though Kelly Campbell has a very impressive 21 receptions for 301 yards, it is Fred Stamps that is really stealing the show. He leads all receivers in the league with 24 catches and 399 yards. He 16.6 yards-per-carry average ranks him eighth in the league.

Running back Arkee Whitlock has the second most carries amongst running backs in the CFL with 44 and he has a total of 264 yards on the ground, third in the CFL. Whitlock is one of five players in the CFL that has a pair of rushing touchdowns on the season.

"The problem Ray has right now is that he isn't throwing touchdown passes"

The Bombers have two of those men with two rushing touchdowns, but both are quarterbacks. Backup Steven Jyles has two scores on the goal line on just nine total carries. Starter Buck Pierce only has 13 carries on the year, but he has absolutely made the most of them. Pierce has rushed for 192 yards, giving him an average of 14.8 yards-per-carry, tops in the CFL.

More conventionally through the air, Pierce has led a lethal offence this season. He is completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 774 yards and five touchdowns against just two picks.

Keep a close eye on wide receiver Terrence Edwards, as he is second in the CFL in receiving with 318 yards. On Montreal’s Kerry Watkins has more touchdown receptions (4) than Edwards on the season (3). Edwards is also fourth in the league in yards-per- catch average at 19.9, largely because of a 90-yard touchdown reception against Hamilton the first game of the season.

The Bombers enter Saturday one and a half games behind the Alouettes for first place in the East Division. They have the second highest scoring average in the East and the third highest in the league at 30.0 points-per-game. The defence hasn’t been great though, as allowing 31.0 point-per-game isn’t going to cut it to get Winnipeg into the playoffs.

Last season, the home team took both games SU in this series, but the Bombers snatched both victories against the CFL odds. Winnipeg won 27-17 at home as four point pups, while it also stuck in front of the number in a 19-17 defeat at Commonwealth Stadium late in the season.

Dating back to 2005, Winnipeg has covered seven of the last ten in this rivalry. The Blue Bombers are also 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 games against teams with a losing record.

If you’re looking for a ‘total’ trend on the game, keep an eye on the ‘under.’ It has cashed in three straight clashes of the Eskies and Bombers, and five out of six as well. ‘Under’ betters are 6-2 in Edmonton’s last eight games overall.

The CFL betting line features a pick ‘em. The ‘total’ has been lined at 54.

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.

There is no question that the Edmonton Eskimos have talent on their roster. Ricky Ray led the league in passing last year with 4,916 yards. Fred Stamps was the league’s top receiver with 1,402 yards. Arkee Whitlock finished the season with 12 rushing touchdowns, only one behind league leader Avon Cobourne. Lenny Walls (who was with Winnieg in 2009) picked off quarterbacks seven times. We could go on about the wealth of talent that put on the Green & Gold jerseys every week, but as mentioned on EsksNation.ca, unless the supporting cast also plays up to their potential, the Eskimos will find winning football games very difficult in 2010.

Ricky Ray is a star quarterback, but he needs help.

With that in mind, the Eskimos coaching staff have made a few changes to their roster over the past week or so in an effort to give that supporting cast a shot in the arm. Some of the moves were in response to injuries sustained to defensive starters such as defensive end Greg Peach, safety Jason Nugent, and most recently, linebacker Mark Restelli, who will be out for what looks to be at least a couple of months with a knee injury. Inserted into the starting lineup to replace them are Kenneth Pettway (DE), Saleem Borhot (S), and Rod Davis (LB), all talented players who bring starting skills to each of their positions.

On offence and special teams, out for this weekend are wide receiver Efrem Hill, who was released by the club this past week and Skyler Green, who has struggled to find the punt return game he possessed at the end of the 2009 season in 2010. This will open up roster spots for slotback Jason Barnes to enter the lineup for the first time in 2010 and Jamaica Rector, who compiled over 500 yards receiving for the Eskimos in limited action last year and was released at the end of training camp to make room for Kelly Campbell.

The defensive additions all played last week against Montreal, with Pettway and Borhot starting and Davis filling in midway through the contest. For both Pettway and Borhot, it was their first start in the CFL and despite being new to the situation, each player contributed. Pettway showed he could be a force on the defensive line as he had 4 tackles, a sack, and a blocked punt in the game. Borhot played a strong, steady game, and limited Montreal’s chances to go up the middle of the field. He also contributed two tackles and showed a propensity to deliver devastating hits.

The changes on offense all occurred in the past couple of days, and Barnes, the Eskimos leading receiver in the pre-season, will be taking the place of the ineffective Hill in the starting lineup. Barnes had eight receptions for 99 yards and two touchdowns in limited action during the exhibition season and fans have been clamouring for him to be inserted onto the active roster. Rector is also expected to make an appearance on the offensive side of the ball, as Edmonton could have the option of lining up four import receivers across the line if they use non-import running back Calvin McCarty.

Whatever the outcome of Saturday’s game, the Eskimos needed to make some adjustments to their personnel. Between  pre-season action and last week’s game against Montreal, those who are taking the spots of original starters have shown that they are ready to contribute. Time will tell if it’s enough to overcome a very strong Saskatchewan squad, but at least action is being taken to improve the team.

Gizzie Willie is a popular CFL blogger, writing for the Edmonton Eskimos, as well as his blog, EsksNation.ca. You can follow EsksNation.ca on Twitter.

We all understand that people have different opinions and we at CFL Daily Dose are no different, which is why we started CFL Point/Counterpoint. For each CFL Point/Counterpoint, two authors will present their cases and you decide who’s right.

After disappointing losses in Week 1, Edmonton and Hamilton both look to rebound in Week 2. Who will bounce back this week, Edmonton or Hamilton?

Edmonton has what it takes to bounce back.

by Chris Powell

Last weeks loss to B.C. was as good a wake up call that any team could hope for. Giving up 194 yards rushing on 19 carries (10.21 yards per carry) is terrible. There’s really no way to hide that stat, or even attempt to downplay it’s importance. Jamal Robertson put a toothless Lions team on his back and carried them up and down the field.

We won't see this happen again this year, but the Esks and their fans will have something to celebrate after this week.

On the upside, for Edmonton, is that they only gave up one offensive touchdown. The Lions scored six field goals in a game that featured sloppy play from most of the guys on the field, sealing their victory by keeping Edmonton out of field goal range when they had the ball.

The bright side out of all of this is that running back Arkee Whitlock had a decent game: 116 yards on 16 carries (7.25 ypc) and a touchdown and towards the end of the game Ray looked to be more trusting of his receivers than he did in the first part of the game.

While that is all well and good, they have to 1) score more than 10 points to beat the Alouettes and 2) keep Ricky Ray on his feet. Ray, who is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, can’t do any damage if he is constantly getting knocked down. For the Eskimos to bounce back Ray has to stay clean, which means the boys up front have to get on the same page, and protect him.

Now to this point, I know it looks like all I’ve done is pick the Eskimos apart and essentially I have. They did little last week to praise, but that will happen this week. Will they beat Montreal this week? Maybe not, but they will be much better than they were last week. This week presents a tough test for the Esks, but they will pull through valiantly.

Hamilton has fought through adversity before

by Jonathan Hamelin

This week, the Edmonton Eskimos are welcoming in an angry Montreal Alouettes squad that scored 51 points last week. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are welcoming in the Calgary Stampeders, a team who failed to earn a convincing victory over the woeful Toronto Argonauts last week.

You’ve got to love Hamilton’s chances to rebound in Week 2.

The big three of Arland Bruce III, Kevin Glenn and De'Andra Cobb won't be stopped this week against Calgary.

Last season, Hamilton fell 30-17 to the mediocre Toronto Argonauts at home in Week 1. It was not a promising way to start the season, but the Tiger-Cats bounced right back the next week and stunned the B.C. Lions 31-28 on the road then downed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 25-13 at home in Week 3.

The only difference here is that instead of having to rebound on the road, Hamilton gets to go home, where they had success against Calgary last season.

In their meeting in Hamilton last season, the Tiger-Cats won 24-17. Joffrey Reynolds had a solid game for Calgary, rushing for 127 yards, but the Tiger-Cats valiantly shut down the rest of the offence. Henry Burris was 10/25 for 114 yards and Calgary only scored two touchdowns.

Also, it is hard to imagine Hamilton’s big three of Kevin Glenn, De’Andra Cobb and Arland Bruce III being held in check for a second week in a row. In Hamilton’s opening week loss, Glenn only threw for 197 yards, Cobb only had 22 yards and Bruce only had three catches for 44 yards.

These three players are very talented and will step up in Week 2 against Calgary and help the Tiger-Cats produce a lot more points on offence. Last time they played Calgary at home. Cobb had 85 yards rushing and Bruce III had 105 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Glenn did not play.

Fired up from their poor performance in Week 1, fans can expect a big game out of Hamilton’s defence. Also, there is always a chance that returner Marcus Thigpen will return a kick for a touchdown.

Calgary is a team that still has some questions to answer following their performance against Toronto in Week 1. They are a good team for a struggling Tiger-Cats squad to play.

Edmonton faces a much tougher task. They are facing a potent Montreal offence. In Week 1, the Eskimos allowed 168 rushing yards to Jamal Robertson of B.C. The Alouettes didn’t use Avon Cobourne much in their Week 1 loss to Saskatchewan, but if they establish him against Edmonton the Eskimos will be in trouble. Unlike B.C., Montreal will have success going to the air, giving the Alouettes two ways to hurt Edmonton.

Both Edmonton and Hamilton will improve as the season goes on. Unlike Edmonton, Hamilton will get on track this week.

To put it plainly, the Edmonton Eskimos were terrible in their season opener against the BC Lions on Sunday. They looked disjointed, out of sync and whatever other catchy descriptor you want to use to articulate an effort that had fans shaking their heads leaving Commonwealth Stadium. The CFL season, however, is 18 games long and one performance will not have fans leaping off of the High Level Bridge, especially when you start looking at the stats from the game and take into consideration a couple of key factors that may have tipped the scales in favor of the Lions.

Injuries and coaching decisions started the Eskimos off on the wrong foot even before the opening kickoff.  With starting receivers Fred Stamps and Kelly Campbell seeing very little action in the pre-season, the offence seemed to sputter as quarterback Ricky Ray tried to find some chemistry with his wideouts. The decision to start Kelly Campbell over Jason Barnes, who was the most dangerous receiver in training camp and the pre-season for the Green & Gold, certainly didn’t help. Beyond the scripted opening drives of each half, it was hit and miss when it came to the Eskimos’ air attack. Compounding the difficulty of sustaining a drive was the fact that the offensive line could not keep Ray standing upright. Sacked five times, the road graders up front were not on the same page when it came to protecting their quarterback, something that was probably exacerbated by the loss of  veteran centre Aaron Fiacconi to injury.

"Given the talent level on the Eskimos' roster .... the chances of repeat performance sometime this season of such low statistical output is pretty low."

Apart from the offence, the defense didn’t fair much better in Sunday’s contest, allowing BC running back Jamal Robertson to scamper for 168 yards on 11 carries, good for a torrid clip of 15.3 yards per carry.  Once again, not having defensive tackle Dario Romero or safety Elliott Richardson probably contributed to the Eskimos struggling to make plays on the defensive side of the ball.

Okay, so before anyone says it, injuries are a part of football and good teams deal with them. That’s a fair statement and there is no reason to believe that the Eskimos won’t be able to cope with the injury bug. The team will be better and the injury issues we are looking at today won’t seem to be nearly as important five or six weeks down the road.

So, why the confidence in the Eskimos? Aside from making adjustments for injuries, which the team will do, the Eskimos had one of their worst games statistically over the past couple of seasons. Save for the running game, which was powered by a pretty decent performance by Arkee Whitlock, there were examples of players putting up dismal numbers all over the stat sheet. I won’t go into too much detail here, but if you want to check out the full breakdown of some of the statistical categories where the Eskimos achieved low scores, you can read my article on it over at EsksNation.ca. In addition to those stats, the fact that the defence was unable to create at least one turnover in the game speaks volumes, considering the fact that although the Lions were more efficient than the Eskimos on offense, they certainly were not playing in mid-season form.

Given the talent level on the Eskimos’ roster, and yes, they do have quite a bit on both sides of the ball, the chances of repeat performance sometime this season of such low statistical output is pretty low. For Eskimos fans, getting this stinker out of the way early should be taken as a positive, providing of course that they can rebound from it and execute at a more normal level this coming Sunday when they face off against the Montreal Alouettes. If they can, and they should, then the Eskimos should be able to have successful season in 2010.

Gizzie Willie is a popular CFL blogger, writing for the Edmonton Eskimos, as well as his blog, EsksNation.ca, which focuses on the Edmonton Eskimos specifically. You can follow EsksNation.ca on Twitter.

After taking a look at the CFL East last week, it’s time to take a look at the CFL West and see how close this division will be this year.

No. 4—BC Lions

Even though the Lions will be starting a Quarterback they intend to stick with, for the first time in a while, the BC Lions will have some troubles that may not be overcome. I think it was a positive for Javier Glatt to leave BC, but I don’t know if they have anyone significant to replace him, and while the D-Line is capable of putting up sacks, that could leave them open for lots of rushing yards against.
Casey Printers made people think he was back to his old form last year, but the Lions O-Line does look suspect and could be a problem for Printers. Printers did well for BC Originally, and again last year. What about Hamilton? That’s right, he didn’t have an O-Line. That could leave some problems for Casey up against a good defence.
BC won’t be far behind the pack in the West, but the rest of the West is just a step ahead, leaving the Lions in the back. Unfortunately I don’t think the East will leave an opening for a crossover, so it will be an early exit for BC.

No. 3 —Edmonton Eskimos

The Eskimos look like they could be making a push back to contention in the West. The offence will be strong once agin with Ricky Ray still in his prime, and having some great receivers back to throw to. Fred Stamps will be back, and Kelly Campbell will also be back after a small hiatus. Stamps was last year’s leading receiver, and Campbell has a lot of speed, and showed he can be an elite level receiver. Kamau Peterson will be back, and even though he didn’t repeat his stats of 2008, he had a solid year, and should be in the mix.
If Arkee Whitlock stays healthy, he could be in the top 5 running backs this year after some confidence, and a full season to compete in. The O-Line isn’t bad, but could be a bit of a weak spot for the Esks.
The defence did get better this year, and although Lenny Walls was added to the secondary, I’m not sure they will be able to consistently shut down opposing Quarterbacks and Receivers leaving Ricky Ray to fight for Shootout victories.

No. 2 —Saskatchewan Roughriders

Saskatchewan is coming off the most disappointing loss to a Championship game ever. The motivation to avenge the loss and show they were worthy of winning the big game, will take them a long way in the 2010 season.
Darian Durant has come into his own and has become very calm, cool and collected sitting in the pocket, and doesn’t tend to get happy feet. Durant runs when he needs to, and is really playing smart possession football not giving up the ball as much as he did earlier last year.
Durant, along with a very solid O-Line and Receiving core, will make the Riders contenders in every game they play. The only question mark on the offence is the running game. If Cates is the man, and can stay healthy, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but health has been an issue with Cates. Hugh Charles has potential, but I don’t know if he can be the feature back. Only time will tell.
The way the Riders can put points up with the passing game will win them a lot of games. But if any team can control the pass and corral the limited run they will have troubles, especially since the defense will have troubles in many areas this season. Adding Barrin Simpson helps, but it can’t replace the loss of Chick, Baggs and Eddie Davis.

No. 1—Calgary Stampeders

The Calgary Stampeders didn’t get a whole lot better in 2010, if at all. They will however play back to what was expected of them last year. There were many players that left for many interesting reasons which had many people questioning how bad the team would hurt by the losses, and if there was an underlying issue with the Stampeders organization.
The addition of some veteran and youthful Offensive Linemen has brought a whole new face to the front five, but with Henry Burris and his ability to avoid pressure, a weaker O-Line will not have as big an impact as it would a Ricky Ray or Anthony Calvillo.
Burris and Joffrey Reynolds anchor a very strong offense that will see Ken Yon Rambo back after week one, Nik Lewis who will be looking for his seventh consecutive 1000 yard receiving season, and Romby Bryant who can thrive with a Quarterback who can get him the ball deep.
The offense combined with a defense that is seeing a lot of players return, and return to shape in the case of Mike Labinjo, will give them an edge on all the other teams in the CFL West.

Final Standings
West
Calgary 12-6
Sask 11-7
Edmonton 9-9
BC 8-10

East
Montreal 11-7
Hamilton 9-9
Winnipeg 8-10
Toronto 4-14

The release of wide receiver Jamaica Rector was one of many shocking moves the Eskimos made. However, they are obviously confident with the players they have.

The final cut-downs of the Edmonton Eskimos created quite stir in the city where the most popular topic seems to be the “Taylor vs. Tyler” debate, which will mercifully come to a close shortly. Among the names released by the Eskimos were veteran long snapper Taylor Inglis, talented wide receiver Jamaica Rector and one time first overall draft pick Adam Braidwood. All three have proven that they can both play and contribute effectively in the CFL in the past, so the decision to release them is more than a little interesting.

Long snapper is one of the truly undervalued positions on a football team, one which fans seem to only truly appreciate after a botched snap on a game-winning field goal or a crucial punt, goes horribly sideways and allows the opposing team to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat. Inglis was probably one of the best in the league at his profession, executing at near one hundred percent efficiency over the past two seasons. The fact that the Eskimos decided to release him speaks more to the talent that the team has at other positions, than the diminishing of his skills or importance to the team. At least to start the 2010 season, the Eskimos will rely on linebacker Tim St.Pierre to handle the long snapping duties in addition to playing his normal role on special teams and as a back-up linebacker.

Jamaica Rector could be one of the most talented players in the CFL released on Thursday and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him on anther team’s roster before the start of August. The import wide receiver was a victim of the Eskimos being extremely deep at receiver heading into camp. The roster was further complicated when Kelly Campbell reported a week late after trying his hand at the NFL in 2009. Rector had an impressive pre-season, making four catches for 66 yards in limited action. In 14 starts for the Eskimos in 2009, he compiled 532 yards and one touchdown on 48 catches. Despite the past production, Rector could not move ahead on a depth chart that boasts 2009 receiving leader Fred Stamps and four very talented non-imports in Kamau Peterson, Andre Talbot, Andrew Nowacki and Brad Smith.

In a league where having talented non-import starters is imperitave for teams to have a chance at the Grey Cup, the release of Adam Braidwood caught a lot of people off guard. Most had him pencilled in as a potential starter for the Green & Gold in 2010. Instead, Braidwood will need to work his way up the depth chart from the practice roster. The two years he spent recovering from a devastating injury suffered near the end of the 2007 season look like they have finally caught up to the former first overall draft pick. It will be interesting to see if another team around the league that runs into early season injury issues along the defensive line would be willing to add him to their roster.

The release of those three players bodes well for the Eskimos in a year where they will be hosting the Grey Cup on their new field turf. If they feel capable of relinquishing players with this amount of talent, it must mean that they feel that they have better players on their current roster.

Gizzie Willie is a popular CFL blogger, writing for the Edmonton Eskimos, as well as his blog, EsksNation.ca, which focuses on the Edmonton Eskimos specifically.

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