Edmonton Journal

Two-way players not in Esks’ playbook

- GERRY MODDEJONGE gmoddejong­e@postmedia.com Twitter: @GerryModde­jonge

Duron Carter was back on offence for the Saskatchew­an Roughrider­s on Thursday.

After spending the past four games playing cornerback in head coach Chris Jones’s defence, the six-foot-five, 205-pound Ohio State product returned to his usual spot in the receiving corps against the Edmonton Eskimos.

But if the script was flipped and the Eskimos had to roll one of their many talented receivers into the secondary, which one would it be?

The Canadian Football League’s leading receiver, Duke Williams?

Fifth-leading receiver Derel Walker?

Or Kenny Stafford, who came into the week in sixth place overall?

“None of them,” Eskimos quarterbac­k Mike Reilly said, without missing a beat. “First, I would want them on my side of the ball, I wouldn’t want them over there.

“Secondly, they probably all think they could do it, but probably none of them could.”

It is a lot to ask, after all, for someone at the profession­al level to play out of position when it involves crossing the line of scrimmage. But one benefit is it could let you see through the eyes of your opponent.

“I think him being able to go out and play corner will make him a better receiver,” said Eskimos cornerback Arjen Colquhoun, who was playing in his first game of the season after spending the first six on the injured list. “I think him being a receiver is why he was able to just jump and play corner and make a couple plays.

“Obviously, he doesn’t have all the tools but I think he’ll gain them.”

And if Colquhoun were to play receiver?

“Me?” he said, grinning. “I’d be better than Duke, c’mon.”

While we’re at it, why limit it to cornerback­s and receivers? What if the Roughrider­s wanted to use league sack leader Charleston Hughes’ pass-rushing abilities on offence?

“I’d probably play fullback. Go out there and hit a couple people, cut defensive ends’ legs, never catch a pass, never run a ball,” said Hughes, who appreciate­d Carter’s contributi­ons on the defensive side. “He was doing pretty good on defence. He had his couple mishaps, but that happens to everybody.

“I think he played very well on defence and now that he’s back on offence, once he gets back into the groove of things he’ll be good.”

PRYING EYES

Where were all the flea-flickers, Statue of Liberty hand-offs, oopde-oops and fake kickery?

That was, after all, what the Eskimos must have been doing in the secrecy of their first closed-door practice of the season heading into Thursday’s game. Right?

“Um, yeah. We put the Annexation of Puerto Rico and all those special plays in out there,” joked Eskimos linebacker Korey Jones, who started in place of the injured Chris Mulumba-Tshimanga.

All kidding aside, Wednesday’s walk-through marked the second time in as many seasons Eskimos head coach Jason Maas closed a practice that didn’t involve a playoff game. Both, curiously enough, came ahead of a meeting against the Roughrider­s.

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Jones — who routinely shuts the practice doors on media in Regina — said upon arriving at Commonweal­th Stadium on Wednesday.

PROTECTION RACKET

The league’s top pass protection looked to leave Thursday’s game in the same place they entered it: With the fewest sacks allowed on the season.

Coming in with four, the Eskimos were without the services of starting centre Justin Sorensen, who sat out with a calf injury. That moved right guard David Beard over one spot, while Jacob Ruby was brought in for replacemen­t.

“I think any time you move around pieces on your O-line, you’re not sure exactly how they ’re going to respond because that’s such a tight-knit group, continuity­wise and communicat­ion-wise,” Maas said. “So any time you take one person out and put another in, that’s a big deal, let alone making a couple changes.

“The centre position is crucial to football, so he makes all the calls. He has to get the guys in position to block people, communicat­ionwise.”

If there is any sort of silver lining to the disruption, it might be that Reilly is able to see in front of him a little better without the usual sixfoot-eight behemoth snapping the ball in front of him.

“Yeah, it’s a little shorter in the front there, so I get a little clearer windows down the middle of the field,” Reilly said with a smile. “But it’s something that we do a ton in practice so I try not to get spoiled during the week.”

 ?? DAVID BLOOM ?? Eskimos receiver Kenny Stafford runs by the Roughrider­s’ Crezdon Butler Thursday night at Commonweal­th Stadium.
DAVID BLOOM Eskimos receiver Kenny Stafford runs by the Roughrider­s’ Crezdon Butler Thursday night at Commonweal­th Stadium.

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