You be the analyst!

Important three games for Esks future plans

Gizzie Willie • August 27, 2010 • Comments (0)

"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.