Eskimos prepare to get back to work.
At this time last year, the Edmonton Eskimos were immersed in their rookie camp. This year, Clarke Park’s field is home to FC Edmonton practices and little else.
The Eskimos have foregone their rookie camp and will officially get their season underway with Saturday’s team medicals and Day 1 of training camp on Sunday.
Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed said weeks ago that the team had too few rookies — just 15 as of Thursday — to make a rookie camp worthwhile.
Eskimos general manager Ed Hervey also noted that the under-the-radar mini-camp the team held in Florida in April gave him and his staff all of the intel they needed to go into training camp on Sunday.
“We felt that it was better to put those resources there so we could have an opportunity to evaluate guys,” Hervey said. “You get a chance to see a few guys, and if you’re not comfortable with some guys, you have weeks to make the improvements rather than days.
“That’s why, from as far as scouting is concerned and for the coaches, (going to Florida) gave them an opportunity to work with the players and gave them a chance to get accustomed to the playbook, see it and have an opportunity to work through it and have the off-season to talk about it.”
In his first year as GM, Hervey admitted there are no guarantees with these choices and that he was going with his gut.
“I can guarantee from working here in years past when you go into rookie camp and there are five guys that you don’t know about ... and all of a sudden, you’re scrambling to get those five guys replaced.
“I’d rather bring in four guys as last-minute signings and have those guys implemented and at least those guys would play the way I want them to on the depth chart, but I’d have the majority of the team be well-versed to the system that’s in hand.”
The Eskimos will break from tradition this year and won’t have any junior players or University of Alberta players at their training camp. in early and not have anyone to throw to would be quite counter-productive for us,” Hervey said. “The junior programs have been very helpful to us providing us with players.
“We just want to give these guys a chance to hit the ground running when training camp starts.”
Reilly and Nichols said there’s always a learning curve for young receivers who have to absorb as much as they can in these pre-camp workouts.
“It’s a big experience for junior wide receivers to realize how much running is involved,” Reilly said.
“You run a 60-yard go route, no one cares. The refs don’t care, they blow the whistle, the play clock is running, the quarterback doesn’t care, he’s going to call the next play and if you have to run another go (route) you better run it and you better run it full speed. You can’t be tired.”
“I think it’s a big eye-opener for those guys to realize how much running is involved and then second to understand that the ball is going to be out in front of you every time.”
Reilly said he “overthrew four or five corner routes (on Wednesday) that if they would have ran full speed, it would have been right on the money, but they’re so used to playing with quarterbacks that maybe don’t have the arm strength.”
“It’s not just junior kids,” Nichols added. “It’s also American rookies that come up here as receivers. Those guys get a big eye-opener.
“It’s a lot of running in this league, but it’s also a receivers’ league, so if you’re in shape and you can do it — you throw the ball 30, 40 times at least in a game here — it’s a fun position, and I think them being out here with us helps them, whether they’re coming to camp here or just going back to their teams.
“It’ll push them a bit farther and help them down the road also.”