Dubuisson may get start at safety for Eskimos

Injuries will force team to make lineup adjustments in secondary

As the injury bug has multiplied and gone plague-of-locusts on the Edmonton Eskimos this past week, one young man is emerging from the calamity and could have a great opportunity in front of him.

“I’m always dressed every game, but I think I might start for this game,” rookie safety Mike Dubuisson said on Wednesday.

“Coach wants to see how I’m reacting in practice. I was a little bit busier (than normal) this week.”

With Ryan Hinds on the six-game injured list, and cornerback Marcell Young downed by a leg injury late in Friday’s win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the shuffling in head coach Chris Jones’ secondary has led to Dubuisson getting more looks at safety than he would be were everyone healthy.

The 22-year-old has been with the Eskimos for just a month, after the team picked him up in the Canadian Football League’s supplemental draft.

Putting the starting job on his plate would be a huge responsibility for the Montreal native, who played junior football and two seasons of Canadian university ball (University of Montreal in 2011 and the University of Windsor in 2013) ahead of his arrival in Edmonton.

“It’s exciting but I’m not nervous about it,” Dubuisson said, “because the coaches here are doing an awesome job with me.

“My teammates too, Chris (Rwabukamba) and Hinds, they’re doing an awesome job helping me. I’m just excited about it, excited to play.”

Rwabukamba got the start at safety in Friday’s win and had three tackles. Dubuisson said that Jones has had him all over the secondary the last month, but began to focus him in on safety recently.

“For the last two weeks now, I’ve been taking reps at safety,” he said. “For my first week here, I was playing corner; field and boundary corner, but now the last two weeks, I’ve been taking safety reps.”

Jones didn’t say how much of Dubuisson we’d see on Friday, when the Ottawa Redblacks come to town, but did say he’s been impressed by what his rookie showed in Friday’s game. Dubuisson played the final stages of the win over Hamilton after Young limped off of the field.

“Mike’s done a good job for us. He’s a young kid that is learning and you know, he got put in a big position the other night after 2-3 (Young, No. 23) got hurt,” Jones said.

“He played the last two or three plays at boundary corner, so that’s about as big a stage as you can get and he did a very good job.”

Standing under a hot sun, emphasized by a heat-absorbing turf at Commonwealth Stadium, Dubuisson spoke about the challenges a Henry Burris-led offence would bring on Friday, when the expansion Redblacks come to town. Ottawa is looking for its first win, while the Eskimos are looking to improve to 3-0.

Moving from conversation about a game to affecting what happens on the field has been a lifelong dream for Dubuisson. He dressed as a reserve cornerback in Week 1 against the B.C. Lions and as reserve safety last week.

“I knew since I was little playing football that day would have come,” he said.

“For me, for everyone here, it’s pretty special. I’m playing pro one year before my actual (draft) year, so it’s great but I’ve been working hard for it. It’s pretty awesome. I’m playing now and I’m pretty happy for that.”

If he starts, or if Jones and his staff decide to keep him as a special teamer or a backup, Dubuisson’s climb with the Eskimos has already been an impressive one.

“For the last two weeks now, basically I’m the secondstring at every position (in the secondary). Safety, both corners, both halfbacks … I was just waiting for my shot and now the coaches are seeing that I’m working hard and that I know my stuff.”

“He’s done a great job,” Jones said. “He’s very athletic, he’s got great size, he can run and he’s willing to learn.”