Esks Nation Edmonton Eskimos Football Blog

What to make of the preseason

When you look at the pre-season standings and statistics, can you honestly gain any knowledge on how the season might go for a certain team? Probably not, but it still gives a fan plenty to ponder as as we are wait for the regular season to start on Canada Day. Calgary went 2-0 in the pre-season and Saskatchewan lost both of their games while the rest of the league went 1-1. Nothing to really get excited about, however, were there some indicators that were presented during the pre-season that should be looked at more closely? We’ll come back to that one a little later.

Pick six, but…

TJ Hill started the game off with an early exclamation point by intercepting Casey Printers and taking it back for a touchdown. Great play. Those are the types of efforts that the Eskimos will need by their defense this year if they want to contend for the Grey Cup. While Hill did intercept Printers, it should be noted that Hill’s interception was the only ball picked off by the Eskimos defense during their two pre-season games. And Hill is lining up at linebacker which means zero turnovers by the Eskimos secondary. Not to say that there is anything to worry about, but we all remember last year’s interception free first half. Hopefully one of the defensive backs take’s care of this early on against BC in the season opener.

Ricky Ray was, well, Ricky Ray

Pre-season or not, a half of football by a quarterback where he goes 13 of 14 and passes for 175 yards and a touchdown is pretty good. The Eskimos are very fortunate to have a talented leader like Ray. He doesn’t just do his job, he makes others around him better.

The receiver question

Getting back to a position where fans may have still have a few questions, it looks like the receiving picture is starting to get a little clearer. Jason Barnes continued his impressive training camp and pre-season by pulling in six catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. That gives him 10 catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns in the pre-season games. Performing at that level should all but guarantee him a starting spot in the Eskimos lineup when the BC Lions visit Commonwealth Stadium on July 4th.  Apart from Barnes, Efrem Hill, Jamaica Rector, and Skylar Green have all looked pretty decent as well. As far as the imports at receiver go, the Eskimos will have to make some tough decisions once they start to cut down their roster. There may be a few surprises that the fans don’t see coming here.

Strong non-import runners

If the 2007 CFL Draft were held with the information that teams have now about the players taken, there is no way that Calvin McCarty makes it past the first five picks. Known for being the ultimate team player that can run, catch, and block, McCarty showed the crowd at Empire Field why he is one of the best Canadian running backs in the CFL. Eight carries for 44 yards, with a couple of catches for 26 yards and a touchdown is pretty impressive, even for the pre-season. Apart from McCarty, Pascal Fils has certainly played well for the Green & Gold in the pre-season totalling 44 on six carries over the two games he played. That is taking advantage of your opportunities and making sure that you do everything in your power to make it impossible for the coaches to cut you. Great job by the young running back. It would be fantastic to see him rewarded with a roster spot.

Don’t forget about the long snappers!

While Neil Puffer didn’t find the stat sheet in the final pre-season game and Taylor Inglis didn’t dress, that doesn’t mean that Puffer wasn’t doing his job or that Inglis is in trouble. The Eskimos kickers were 100% on all converts and field goals and Noel Prefontaine booted six punts for 249 yards. Only one of the long snappers will most likely make the roster, and it will be interesting to see if the rookie has done enough to unseat the veteran. Probably not, but we here at Esks Nation don’t want to forget the often forgotten members of the Eskimos special teams.