Now healthy, Esks are running out of excuses
Edmonton looking for revenge against Bombers in rematch of key August clash
After the Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat the Edmonton Eskimos 33-26 on Aug. 17, Eskimos defensive end Odell Willis suggested things would have been different had his team not been so badly banged up.
The Eskimos were decimated by injures on that day with 16 regulars out of the lineup, but they still hung in against one of the top teams in the CFL.
Willis stood by that line of thinking Friday as the Eskimos wrapped up preparation for Saturday’s rematch with the Bombers, but admitted his team is now out of excuses.
“We don’t have nothing to say now,” the colourful Willis said at Commonwealth Stadium. “We have everybody back now and we feel like we’re a great, healthy team now. We have what we need ... may the better team win.”
Technically, the Eskimos are far from healthy — they still have 21 players on the injured list compared to the Bombers’ three — but many key players are back.
Missing from the Aug. 17 game were the likes of defensive tackle Almondo Sewell and receivers Adarius Bowman and Brandon Zylstra, all of whom will be in the lineup Saturday.
The team has also brought back two recent NFL cuts — receiver Derel Walker and defensive back Aaron Grymes — to bolster an already strong lineup.
“I’m kinda glad we took the injuries in the beginning and kinda got our wounds out of the way,” said Bowman, who has missed five games due to injury this season. “We got guys back on the battlefield and that’s always a plus.”
The Eskimos were 7-0 entering that game at Investors Group Field in August, but have lost five straight since then. While their offence has continued to churn out yards and points, the defence has slipped badly and injuries are not entirely to blame.
Coming off a bye week rested and feeling much more healthy, they’ll surely have a better chance to beat a Blue Bombers team that is first in the league in net offence, points scored and rushing.
“They operate real well,” Willis said. “They execute pretty much the best I’ve seen right now. They’re hot. They’re led by a good quarterback, one of our brothers, in Matt Nichols. We’ve got to come out and disturb their rhythm because they’re rolling right now.”
In August, Bombers running back Andrew Harris had a game for the ages, rushing for 105 yards and catching eight passes for 120 yards. That dual threat, plus the supplemental runs and receptions from Timothy Flanders, make the Bombers difficult to defend against.
The Eskimos are second last in the league against the rush.
“Harris can hurt you running the ball and he can hurt you catching the ball,” Willis said. “If we can slow Nichols down, keep (receiver Darvin) Adams contained and keep Harris contained, too, I feel like we have a pretty good chance.”
If they shut down those three players, the Eskimos will have more than a “pretty good chance” of winning. Still, that’s a pretty big if. The Bombers are averaging more than 400 yards of offence per game this season.
But the Bombers secondary has struggled at times this season and will be hard-pressed to limit those tall, athletic Edmonton receivers.
“It’s difficult,” Bombers safety Taylor Loffler said. “All of them have height and they’re all great ball players. You have to work on looking for the 50-50 balls and try to minimize the completions.
“It will be a challenge. They like playing their under routes, but those 50-50s are big in their offence. They have guys who can go up and get them. (Quarterback Mike) Reilly will put the balls up where only they can get them. They are playing against smaller DBs, so the fact that they are so tall gives them a good opportunity to grab them.”
Despite the five straight losses, the Eskimos are still in the thick of the race for a home playoff game, sitting four points behind the Bombers. If they win by more than seven points Saturday, they’ll take the season series against the Bombers, which could wind up being a key factor at the end of the regular season.