Eskimos’ D-line has sights set on fast-throwing Bo
Edmonton looks to win annual rivalry showcase for first time in seven years
Simply put, the pressure is on the Edmonton Eskimos to put on the pressure.
The alternative is there is no alternative.
Not against quick-release Bo Levi Mitchell and the Calgary Stampeders in Monday’s Labour Day Classic (1 p.m., TSN, ESPN+, 630 CHED) in what will be the inaugural edition of the Battle of Alberta this season.
And not if the Eskimos have any hope of winning the annual rivalry showcase for the first time in seven years.
And certainly not if they want to avoid a repeat of last week’s 25-24 loss on the road to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, where a shifty Jeremiah Masoli took quick release to another level, getting rid of the ball like a grenade without a pin on the way to a 419-yard passing performance.
It’s not that the Eskimos weren’t able to get any pressure on him. In fact, they brought different looks and blitzes with the intent of throwing the quarterback off his game and not letting him know where the escape routes were.
More often than not, it didn’t work as the Ticats clawed back from a 14-point halftime deficit while the Eskimos failed to score another point.
“We’ve got to have that competitive edge where we can’t come out here for a whole half and not put up any points,” said receiver Vidal Hazelton, who returned from a season-opening foot injury to play last week. “Our defence did a really good job the whole game.
“And that game, to me, was on the offence.”
As for the defence, they just plain went on the offensive against Masoli.
“Our goal was to just get after him, we knew how good of a quarterback he was, how much he meant to his team and we knew that the front had to do something to keep us in the game,” said Eskimos defensive end Alex Bazzie. “We brought as many pressures as we could and there were times you could see he was rattled, but he still found ways to make plays whether he had to throw it off his back foot, if he just ducks and throws it.
“He knew where his receivers were going to be, he trusted them and he would have that ball at that spot before the man was even there. You can’t coach that. You just have to keep getting after him and hopefully he will slow down.”
It has been pedal to the metal for the Eskimos, who currently lead the league with 24 sacks in 10 games.
And if anything, it’s reassurance for general manager Brock Sunderland after making wholesale changes to what had been an aging defensive line over an off-season that saw fan favourite Odell Willis traded, John Chick retire and Marcus Howard and Phillip Hunt released. The only starter left from last year was perennial all-star defensive tackle Almondo Sewell.
But the new group has come together fast.
“If you watch games closely and watch how quarterbacks face us, it’s a respect level there because you see they’re not trying to hold onto that ball any more than three seconds tops,” Bazzie said, adding Masoli was well under on the majority of his throws.
“When a quarterback is getting the ball out within two seconds, it’s very hard.
“There were times when they would let the ends free because they knew he was going to get the ball out within a second and a half, two seconds. So that’s how crazy this game in the CFL is.”
And things aren’t going to get any saner this week against the firstplace Stampeders.
“Every week, we put in a different game plan,” said defensive tackle Jake Ceresna, who came over in the initial trade that sent Willis to Ottawa. “I just feel like on the D -line we have a bunch of athletes and ball players and can get after any quarterback in this league.
“Calgary ’s a great team, they only have one loss on the year, so we’ve just got to game plan and get ready and just go out there and control what we can control.”
He knew where his receivers were going to be, he trusted them and he would have that ball at that spot before the man was even there. You can’t coach that.