Eskimos-Roughriders clash promises to be a barnburner
The ingredients are in place for the Saskatchewan Roughriders-Edmonton Eskimos matchup Friday night to be an old-fashioned Canadian Football League classic — a barnburner.
You know it, I know it and all those “horrible human beings” that comprise Rider Nation know it from the tops of their pointy heads to the soles of their nasty little feet, as songwriter Randy Newman might have written.
Or, as it happens, the Eskimos’ marketing department, which was inspired, if that’s the right word, to order up two radio ads taking a good-natured shot or two at the Roughriders’ ubiquitous fan base.
Listen, as predictable as that sort of thing is, this game doesn’t need artificial sweetener of any kind to amp up the interest. Hasn’t the so-called ‘Eskimo Way’ always been to leave the trash talk to lesser beings?
Roughriders head coach Corey Chamblin, for one, said Thursday he could feel the tangible com- ponents intrinsic to two talented, competitive teams percolating in a most enticing way.
“This one, I can tell you, will be a parking-lot football game,” Chamblin said. “It will be like two little kids playing parkinglot football and playing until our moms called us home.
“Because nobody is going to want to quit in this football game. And that starts from the head coaches all the way down to the players.
“It is one of those where it’s going to be electric, and one of those I wish I could play in because it’s going to be fun.”
Chamblin, who worked under Eskimos head coach Chris Jones when both were part of the Calgary Stampeders coaching staff, said the fact that he will be facing a former boss “makes it a little bit more electric, to be able to face him and face one of his teams. We sat for so many hours in the same room, so I understand what his team is going to be like, he understands what my team is going to be like. It’s going to be aggressive football.”
Eskimos and Roughriders fans alike, two rooting sections that will probably form the largest crowd to witness a CFL game this season, sure hope it works out that way. After all, the 9-3 Roughriders and the 8-4 Eskimos play each other three times before season’s end, including Friday’s game.
The Eskimos, coming off a tough, 25-23 loss to Hamilton, are looking to bounce back from what they believe is a sub-par performance. The Riders, led by young quarterback Tino Sunseri, will try to surf on the momentum provided by the second half and overtime of the comeback, 35-32 win over the expansion Ottawa Redblacks Sunday.
Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly put it on his own shoulders to rebound from a tough outing against Hamilton. To do that, his offensive line will have to rebound from a difficult outing of its own, which saw the Eskimos surrender five sacks to the TigerCats last week, including four by defensive end Eric Norwood.