ESKS KEEP FINDING A WAY
The Eskimos earned some separation on their hold of first place in the West Division by defeating the Grey Cup champion Ottawa Redblacks the same night the Calgary Stampeders lost to the Montreal Alouettes. Gerry Moddejonge breaks down what we learned Fri
1. The salary cap is a harsh reality
The Redblacks better have enjoyed the ride they got as an expansion franchise with the concessions they were granted by the league to help establish a foothold. And establish they did, emerging from just their third season of play as 2016 Grey Cup champions. Now that their roster is beholden to the same salary cap as everyone else and the playing field has been levelled, you’d have to think a few extra dollars here and there could have made the difference in a 0-3-1 start to this season, where all four games have been separated by a total of seven points.
2. These Eskimos are simply snake-bitten with injuries
Cory Greenwood, J.C. Sherritt and John White were gone for the season before the first two weeks were even in the books. That the list wasn’t already longer was probably because they had a bye in Week 3. There is a chance they could add to it again after Greenwood’s replacement, linebacker Adam Konar, had to be carried off the field in the final minute of Friday’s win. It seems infinitely more difficult to replace a Canadian than an international player, so the Eskimos will look for a quick solution that doesn’t involve changing their ratio numbers, beginning with third-stringer Blair Smith.
3. Mike Reilly could probably perform surgery
Always one of the league’s most accurate quarterbacks since joining the ranks as a starter with the Eskimos five years ago, Reilly is the only one in the current group of starting CFL quarterbacks to not throw an interception yet this season. His 71.8 per cent completion rate is second in the league behind the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Kevin Glenn (72.8), who also happens to be tied for the most interceptions thrown so far at four. It all leads to Reilly posting the top overall pass-efficiency rating at 109.9. Just don’t ask us what that translates to in the newfangled Quar passer-rating system.
4. The penalty problems are improving
Averaging 11 infractions for 105.5 penalty yards in each of their first two outings, the Eskimos played their most disciplined game of the season on Friday, getting flagged eight times for 64 yards. Of course, it still doesn’t look all that great when the Redblacks were only penalized five times for 50 yards, but baby steps, right?
5. Sean Whyte is human after all
It was good while it lasted, and it’s still pretty darned good. After hitting a career-high 55-yard field goal to establish an Eskimos club record 24 in a row his last time out, Sean Whyte’s streak came to an end at 25 straight on Friday, tying a personal best for consecutive kicks he made with his previous club, the Montreal Alouettes. Whyte is now nine for 10 on the season after leading all kickers with a 93.1 per cent accuracy in 2016, and he’s also picked up punting duties this year to boot.