Only breaks Eskimos get are lousy ones
Sherritt out indefinitely after surgery on broken thumb
There was only one way that Rennie Curran was going to be the Edmonton Eskimos starting middle linebacker this season and, on Tuesday, it happened.
The Eskimos announced in the morning that Sherritt, who set a Canadian Football League single-season record last year with 130 tackles, was out indefinitely with a broken left thumb sustained in a loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 2.
Sherritt had surgery on his thumb during the bye week. With that, a player Curran called “the heart and soul” of the Eskimos defence is out and Curran, Sherritt’s backup and a CFL rookie, is in.
“You’re talking about the leader of our defence in J.C. Sherritt,” Curran said. “(He’s) a selfless guy. Even when he did get hurt (last Friday), he went back in there and still kept fighting, so what I’m hoping to do is provide that same type of example, that same type of leadership, as well.
“I can’t replace him. All I can do is step in there and show by example that I mean business, that I’m a passionate player and I hope they’ll follow along.”
Curran will start on Sunday at Rogers Centre against the Toronto Argonauts, but he’s far from a wobbly-kneed rookie. The Eskimos have been very high on Curran since training camp. If the league’s reigning defensive player of the year wasn’t starting ahead of him, fans may have been reading about him sooner than Week 8 of the CFL season.
With Sherritt being out anywhere from two to six weeks, Curran has a chance to make an impact.
“When you lose a leader and a top-notch player, it’s very tough,” Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed said.
Curran caught the Eskimos’ attention after a standout three-year career at the University of Georgia, where he had 298 career tackles in 37 games and led the Bulldogs in tackles during his final two years. He was a third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in the 2010 NFL draft (97th overall) and went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2011.
In his gap year between the NFL and the CFL, Curran wrote his autobiography, which he sells at his personal website (Renniecurran.com). At fivefoot-11 and 230 pounds, he was labelled as undersized in the United States, but he fits in the CFL. In his backup role, he has six special teams tackles in four games.
“That was one of the things that we said when we were signing (Curran), that he was an insurance policy in a long season. The luxuries we’ve had through (having him there for) the spring time, through training camp, are that he understands the system and the players around him.”
Sherritt’s play can’t be duplicated, but with a capable backup in Curran and an outstanding partner at weakside linebacker in Damaso Munoz, Sherritt’s absence can be minimized for however long he’s out of the lineup.
Munoz is the Eskimos’ leading tackler, with 41, putting him just four behind the Montreal Alouettes’ Chip Cox for the league lead. Sherritt has 37 tackles.
Not one to talk about himself, Munoz instead said Curran was up to the task.
“He’s smart, a good player, he’s got experience and he knows how to be a pro. I’m looking forward to him increasing his role,” Munoz said.
Both players spoke with Sherritt after he had his operation.
“He’s a tough person. He’s trying to stay positive. It’s a tough blow, but we want to keep these guys intact,” Munoz said, wiggling his fingers in front of himself, “because your hands are very important.”
“He reassured me that he’d be in my corner, helping me as much as he could,” Curran said. “Me, I know I’d be highly disappointed if I was injured, but he still wants to help me and help this team. He still cares.”
Sherritt wasn’t at practice on Tuesday, but will speak with the media about his injury on Wednesday.