Edem bursts into limelight
Still have lots to learn, lots to clean up on.
MIKE EDEM
If Mike Edem has escaped the attention of Canadian Football League scouts, it is not really his fault. Probably not theirs, either. Edem, after all, served as a workmanlike cog in the Calgary Dinos’ secondary last season. Nothing to throw bird-dogs into a tizzy.
So maybe it should have been no shock when Edem didn’t rate a mention on the CFL’s top-15 list of prospects earlier this month.
Anonymity, however, will be fleeting.
“No one knows about him — yet,” said Dinos coach Blake Nill, grinning. “You wait and see. With the year he’s having, he’s going to be fine.”
Because Edem, since a seasonopening shift to linebacker, is cutting a swath through Canada West.
Through four dates — all wins — he has piled up 38.0 tackles. No one in the conference — or at any Canadian university for that matter — has recorded more.
“Oh, it’s all right,” Edem said of his stellar season. “Still have lots to learn, lots to clean up on. It’s my first year playing linebacker and I’m still adjusting to it. But it’s gone pretty well so far. Can’t complain.”
Asked if capturing the tackling title would mean a lot, Edem shrugged.
“It would be cool, but it would all go to waste if you have nothing to show for it,” he said, alluding to his team’s national-championship aspirations. “Playing linebacker, you’re always going to get involved in a lot of tackles. It comes with the territory. It’s not because of anything I’m doing. It’s because of my defensive lineman. Those guys command double teams, which allows me to run free. Without them, I wouldn’t have half the tackles I have.”
His boss agrees. Sort of.
“What happens is, a lot of the time he’s unaccounted for in the blocking scheme,” said Nill. “But that certainly doesn’t make his job easy. He’s so quick to identify the play, react, and get involved, it’s uncanny.”
As Nill pointed out, being tops in Canada is indeed an accomplishment.
Especially on an outfit that is ranked No. 2 in the nation.
“Over the years, if you look at guys who led the conference in tackles,” explained the coach, “they’re usually athletes who come from programs that aren’t having a lot of success. Because the defences are on the field forever.
“And it’s very surprising to have a young man leading the country in tackles, who’s on a team that’s doing well. It just shows you he’s very effective within the scheme we’re running and he’s getting it done, right?”
Nill didn’t have to ask Edem twice if he wanted to shift to from halfback to linebacker. The kid was game. And the staff wanted to see it.
Now everyone is getting an eyeful.
“There’s times when he just amazes you with his ability to rush the passer,” said Nill. “And I know he hasn’t had a lot of coaching with that, but some of the techniques he uses are so sound. He comes with a lot of energy. That’s what I wanted — more speed off the edge to help us with our pass rush.
“He’s done a great job locating ball carriers and his quickness allows him to make so many plays. Very effective.”