Gable joined by pair of rookies in Esks backfield
It’s the battle that never was.
What was shaping up to be the biggest competition in Edmonton Eskimos training camp turned into a Russian election after incumbent starter C.J. Gable became the only veteran running back left standing on the eve of the pre-season. John White was the last in a long line of backfielders including Travon Van, LaDarius Perkins and Marion Grice released this month.
All but Grice started a game at tailback last year, after White was lost for the season with a knee injury in Week 2. But Gable — who did nothing but impress after coming to Edmonton in a late-season trade from Hamilton in October — was the only one to make it into camp when it opened on May 20.
He’s the undisputed No. 1. That much would have been difficult to dispute even if White stuck around for a chance to reclaim his old job.
Instead, Gable found himself atop a depth chart with nothing but rookies beneath him to open the 2018 pre-season schedule against the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders Sunday, a 35-12 win.
“It was crazy. It was a shock to hear that they let them go,” Gable said. “But I guess they saw something in these guys and they showed it today.”
Sure, it was a pre-season game and the Riders left most of their starting defence in Regina, but the Eskimos could only play who was in front of them, and their ground game certainly came out ahead.
Gable carried four times for 20 yards and a touchdown, while the two Americans battling to fill the void at No. 2, Shaq Cooper and Jordan Robinson, combined for 117 yards and a touchdown apiece.
“I think they stepped up today,” said Gable, whose afternoon ended along with quarterback Mike Reilly after Edmonton’s first-team offence ended the first two drives with a touchdown. “Protectionwise, they were getting their blocks right. Running the ball, they were holding it high and tight, there was no problem with that. They looked good, I can’t wait to see them run the full game.”
They will have the chance Friday, when the Eskimos close out the exhibition schedule in Winnipeg, where not a lot of Edmonton veterans are expected to play.
Chances are the rookies will face the Blue Bombers’ starting defence, at least in the early going.
Cooper rushed for an 11-yard touchdown to put Edmonton ahead 21-9 at halftime, while Robinson stole the show with a 37-yard jailbreak into the end zone.
“I had a clear lane, it was just me and the safety, so I just had to make the safety miss and do what we work on in practice every single day,” said Robinson, who finished with 47 yards on three carries. “I was so juiced, I just started running around trying to celebrate with everybody.”
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Sacramento State product is attending his first pro camp after being a lastminute arrival.
“That was the biggest stage I’ve ever played on in my life,” he said. “I came from Sacramento State and we basically have an overgrown high school stadium, and we didn’t even pack it out like that.
“It was cool, it was fun to get out there. It was a new game, new rules, new experience for me and it’s a lot quicker than what I’m used to.”
Cooper, meanwhile, supplemented his 36 yards on four carries with three receptions for another 34 yards.
“It’s a blessing to be here and a blessing to have the opportunity to play and show the guys what I can do,” said the 5-foot-10, 190-pounder out of Fort Hays State, who attended NFL mini-camps with the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints before spending most of last year rehabbing a pulled hamstring.
“They’re just trying to see what everybody can do and I feel like everybody on this team can play,” Cooper said. “Everybody has a shot to try and make the best of it.”