No place like home for Esks’ Eddie Steele
WINNIPEG Snow fell toward the end of the Edmonton Eskimos’ practice Wednesday at Investors Group Field and a cold, biting wind dropped the temperature a few more degrees below zero.
Eskimos nose tackle Eddie Steele just shrugged about the weather.
“I’m here in the o -season in the winter, so I’m used to it,” he said.
Steele, 27, is excited to be playing the Grey Cup in his hometown, but he might as well be in Timbuktu as far as family and friends are concerned.
“Everybody that I’ve talked to friends, family-wise, they know why I’m here,” he said. “I know why I’m here — it’s to win the Grey Cup — so they’re doing a good job of not being a distraction and I’m just going to maintain my focus throughout the week.”
While it was di cult to get Grey Cup tickets at the last minute, Steele finally got his hands on some “and there’s going to be a lot of family and friends out.”
“It’s been one heck of a year for me, so I’m a very blessed man. I got engaged, I got an (contract) extension, we’re in the Grey Cup, so it’s been like a dream year playing the Grey Cup in Winnipeg.”
Well, stats-wise it wasn’t what Steele wanted, “but forget all that.”
“We’re at the end goal and we’ve got one thing in mind and that is to win the Grey Cup.”
Steele, who signed as a free agent in 2013, also filled in on the o ensive line for a few games when injuries left the CFL club short-handed.
“That was a little curve from what I’m used to doing. They just needed some help, needed extra bodies.
“Coach approached me, so I’ll do whatever I got to do to help the team win.”
While fellow defensive lineman Don Oramasionwu isn’t on the active roster, Steele said “it’s pretty neat” to be on the same CFL team with him at this time.
“The fact that we played high school ball together, played on the (University of Manitoba) Bisons field back here together and now we’re at the Grey Cup in Winnipeg together, it’s pretty cool. It’s like a movie. It doesn’t happen often.
“And not just playing football together, but we train every day in the o -season together, so I see a lot of him, for sure.”
Steele and Oramasionwu aren’t the only Eskimos with a connection to the Manitoba capital. Offensive lineman Chris Greaves said it was “an added bonus” getting to play the Grey Cup in Winnipeg.
“It’s always good to get back here,” he said. “I get to see family, I have a house here, my fiancé’s here, my little one’s here.”
Greaves started at guard for 59 regular season games over the last four years with the Bombers, and also started in the 2011 Grey Cup game, but has played sparingly since being acquired by the Eskimos in a trade Sept. 9.
“It’s whatever I can do to do my best to help the team win. I’m not counting my reps, I’m making my reps count. Whatever they want me to do, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.”
Among other Eskimos who used to play for Winnipeg are defensive end Odell Willis, slotbacks Adarius Bowman and Cory Watson, safety Cauchy Muamba and centre Justin Sorensen.
“The fans here are great,” said Sorensen, who dyed his beard gold before last weekend’s West Division final. “I loved my time here. The fans were always so supportive. It’s totally fine to be back in the city. I even ran into a couple of friends at lunch today, so it’s pretty cool.”
Sorensen played 36 games with the Bombers over the 2012-13 seasons and was on the practice roster when they made their last Grey Cup appearance in 2011.