Miles hopes to give special teams spark
Kick returner back in lineup after injury to Robertson
Jamal Miles seemed like a cinch to return kicks for the Edmonton Eskimos this season after totalling 1,050 allpurpose yards in only eight games last year.
The little 23-year-old burst onto the Canadian Football League scene, breaking a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown (and probably should have had a second one) in the final game of the regular season.
“Every time I touched the ball, I felt like I was getting better. Every time I touched it, I was getting more comfortable with the surroundings and my teammates because of all the chemistry and knowing where my blocks are going to be,” he said Tuesday.
Miles had suggested during training camp that his role “will be a lot bigger than last year.” But rookie wide receiver Patrick Robertson outperformed Miles during two pre-season games and the sure thing ended up on the one-game injured list for the first two weeks of the season.
“I’m finally going to get my opportunity,” Miles said after Tuesday’s practice at Commonwealth Stadium. “Unfortunately, it came with a tragic injury, but I’m going to get my chance to get out there and show the coaches what I can do.”
Robertson, who is second in the league with 269 return yards, injured his left knee while trying to change direction during a 62-yard kickoff return late in Friday’s 28-24 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is likely to end up on the Eskimos’ six-game injured list.
“I don’t think I had a poor training camp, just a lack of reps (repetitions),” said Miles. “I didn’t get too many reps in. They decided to go with another guy than me because he performed a little bit better than I did.”
While Miles had three punt returns for six yards during the exhibition games, Robertson returned four kickoffs and six punts for a total of 109 yards.
“There’s a lot of things that factor into it,” said Eskimos special teams coach Craig Dickenson. “One thing is Jamal hasn’t been entirely healthy. He hasn’t been firing on all cylinders yet. We needed him to get his body right. I think he’s there now.”
Miles downplayed any injury, but wants to “show the coaches that I can take over and be a primary returner for this team. “As a returner, every time I have an opportunity to touch the ball, I want to take it back to the house (end zone) every time,” he said.
Dickenson expects Miles to catch the ball clean and run north-south, but pointed out that while the Eskimos know he is capable of big games, “we not only need to see some explosiveness, but consistency, where he’s just solid week in and week out.”
Eskimos head coach Chris Jones liked what he saw of Miles while watching last year’s game video on Tuesday. “He’s a formidable return guy. We look forward to seeing what he brings to our team,” Jones said.