Eskimos’ Krausnick likely to make first CFL start
First-year Eskimo was injured during training camp
After months of anxiously sitting on the sidelines with an injured knee, Edmonton Eskimos centre Alexander Krausnick is expected to get his first Canadian Football League start against the Toronto Argonauts on Sunday.
Krausnick was practising with the starting group on the offensive line on Tuesday at Commonwealth Stadium. Brian Ramsay, a 33-year-old veteran who began the season as the third-string centre, and Gord Hinse, a former University of Alberta Golden Bear in his fifth year, have been splitting the starting job during the first six games.
Krausnick, who joined the Eskimos as a free agent on Feb. 15, has played 30 games during the past two years as a backup offensive lineman and special teams player with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“I didn’t have much of a chance to play,” the 24-yearold said. “I was the seventh man on the offensive line the entire time.”
Krausnick was hoping to finally crack the starting lineup with the Eskimos, but injured his right knee during a fullcontact drill in the first week of training camp in June. He was forced to watch the start of the season from the sidelines, something the former University of Calgary Dinos star wasn’t used to.
“It was frustrating because I came to Edmonton with the hopes of getting an opportunity to play,” he said.
While he hasn’t played much during the past two years, Krausnick thinks he’s ready to start and Ramsay agrees.
“It’s a big moment for him, but I think Alex is at a point where he is ready for us,” Ramsay said. “He’s a hard worker and you can tell he’s got comfortable in the offence.”
Krausnick’s addition to the rotation is just one of many recent adjustments to the Eskimos offensive line. Head coach Kavis Reed hopes the changes will help bring the improvements he is looking for from the O-line.
In the Eskimos’ last game, a 30-29 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 2, quarterback Mike Reilly took a beating. “Technically, we weren’t as sound as we needed to be,” Reed said. “With our protection, there were a lot of breakdowns.”
But toward the end of the game, Reed said the team stepped up its play and he was impressed with the offensive line’s effort at that point.
“There are some areas we were disappointed in, but we were very pleased in the effort that those guys gave and the fact that they gave us an opportunity in the last drive to have Mike untouched,” Reed said.
Although Reed would not confirm that Krausnick will play on Sunday, he said the coaching staff has been looking at the possibility of moving the young centre into the O-line rotation.
“We want to see whether he can solidify the centre spot,” Reed said. “It’s us trying our very best to find the best combination, so we can establish a very successful run game and we can protect Mike.”