Elliott reunited with QB Harris as he steps in for injured Ellingson
Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire.
It’s off the Edmonton Eskimos practice squad and straight into the Canadian Football League’s Battle of Alberta for Kevin Elliott.
“It’s never been my strongest trait,” said Elliott, 30. “But I knew what I was getting into when I came here. I knew the No. 1 goal was to win the Grey Cup, so whatever I had to do at that point to lead up to now, that’s what I was prepared to do.”
He was only activated by the Eskimos in their regular-season finale, after they had already been bounced from playoff contention.
While he barely made a dent with two receptions for 16 yards, the job audition turned into a contract extension in January.
“It was good for me to come in and experience the culture of the team, learn a little bit about the Eskimo way and be here when the smoke cleared after all the other free agent signings,” he said. “It was a little smoother ride for me this year.
“I kind of knew what to expect coming in, I knew what I had to put on film, what I had to show the coaches, what I had to show the GM, and what I had to do in order to earn the team’s trust.”
In turn, the Eskimos are trusting Elliott with making his first start of the season in place of star receiver Greg Ellingson, who was injured in practice this week after playing two games in a span of six days.
“We don’t ever want anybody to get hurt, but we know that’s a part of the game,” Elliott said. “And we’re prepared, next man up to step in.
In an 18-game season, depth is the name of the game. Especially considering the Eskimos are facing a Calgary Stampeders squad that has been second to none when it comes to plugging and playing replacement players since general manager John Hufnagel first came aboard as their head coach in 2008.
“But I feel we’re the deepest receiving corps right now,” Elliott said. “It really doesn’t matter who’s out there on the field, this offence is like a well-oiled machine. We’ll plug in a new piece and we’re just going to keep it rolling.”
The thing is, there is no real pecking order in the passing game. League-leading passer Trevor Harris has simply been finding whoever is open.
Ricky Collins Jr. just retook the team lead with 467 receiving yards, surpassing Ellingson by 10 yards as the two sit fifth and sixth overall. But it’s been a different receiver each week leading the way for the Eskimos.
“And we’ve got the most accurate quarterback in the league, so that makes our job a little bit easier,” Elliott said. “We know where the ball’s going to be when we come out of our routes.
“Just get open and trust that Trev’s going to get us the ball.”
The pair has played together before. Harris’s final year in Toronto was Elliott’s first in the league.
“This is our first time taking reps together since 2015, but it still looks natural, man. Like we’ve been out there with each other for this whole time,” Elliott said.
And it won’t become any more dull when the bodies and words start getting tossed around Mcmahon Stadium on Saturday.
“It’s the Battle of Alberta,” Elliott said. “Trash talking’s always been a part of my game, I just basically matured with it, know when to do it, know how to do it, know how to not get caught, you know?