Eskimos set up own ‘Fight Club’
Unique point program shows how everyone contributes
The first rule of Fight Club, as we all know, is that you don’t talk about Fight Club.
Fortunately, the one that the Edmonton Eskimos are a part of is a little different.
The Eskimos Fight Club isn’t about hand-to-hand combat. There aren’t any subtle anti-social themes, or a bigger picture plan for small-scale terrorism, like the movie of the same name.
The Eskimos Fight Club is about competition, first and foremost. The only bigger picture at play with this club is winning. Oh, and the T-shirts. The T-shirts are very important.
Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly explains the intricacies of the Fight Club best.
“It’s something that our coaching staff introduced before the season, just a way to earn points over the course of a game. They grade us on certain criteria and every position has different criteria, but it’s a way to be competitive within our players on our team,” he said.
“There’s a big board in (the locker-room) and they keep track of the amount of points that everybody’s got per game. There are different tiers that you can reach to obtain shirts that are different levels in the fight club.
“There are four different levels to it and a lot of guys have a bunch of shirts and they’re different colours. It’s just another way to be competitive, which is what Coach (Chris) Jones has brought since Day 1. We want to be competitive in everything.”
Jones is the Tyler Durden in this Fight Club, taking the movement from city to city, with each stop he’s made in the Canadian Football League as a defensive co-ordinator. With the Calgary Stampeders it was called The Players Club; with the Toronto Argonauts it was The Captain’s Club. In Edmonton, Jones wanted to stress physicality and toughness and went with Fight Club.
In his first year as a head coach this is the first time he’s applied the club to an entire team. Put everyone on a chart and create a competitive environment, Jones said, and guys will respond.
“Pat Watkins is thirtysomething (31) years-old and he’s looking at the Fight Club to look at where he’s at as opposed to the others,” Jones said of his cornerback, who was with him the past two years in Toronto.
“You can’t take the competitiveness out of competitors. Any time you’re putting someone’s name up there, their picture up there, they want to be up there. They want to compete.”
This is where a pair of CFL all-star selections hurt Watkins. Teams throw less against him because he’s a turnover threat and with that come fewer chances to make plays and advance through the Fight Club.
“Everyone knows how important each role is.” Eskimos O-- -line coach Jonat han Himebauch
“Man, I’m at the bottom of the totem pole. I’m glad we’re talking about this. Let me tell you about this crap,” Watkins began with the mention of the club.
“I mean, I love it, but I’m usually at the top. I don’t have many chances at making plays. I’ll be honest: I’m getting lost in the shuffle. When I do make plays, people beat me to it. It’s a good problem to have, but of course I obviously want to be a part of the Fight Club. I’m still on Level 2.
“Everybody else is on Level 4 or 5. It’s a little embarrassing, but at the same time it’s a compliment to everybody else around here getting it done, doing what they’re supposed to do.”
The club also lets the rest of the team learn about the contributions their teammates outside of their positions are making. Eskimos left guard Simeon Rottier is one of the five players with the black shirt that comes from being at the top of the Fight Club. Reilly, Odell Willis, Dexter McCoil and Adarius Bowman are the others.
“I’ve never been a part of anything like the Fight Club before,” Rottier said.
“There’s always talk about being physical but (with the club) there’s evidence of who’s playing that way. It’s kind of fun. You have competition within the group to be more physical and I think it’s been a good competition.”
“I think it’s unique from the O-line standpoint because you don’t get touchdowns, you don’t get carries, whatever it may be,” Eskimos Oline coach Jonathan Himebauch said.
“I think it’s a way that Chris has enabled the team to see how everyone’s job interconnected, whether it’s a kicker with 100 per cent field goal operations or an offensive lineman grading out at 90 per cent or with this many cut blocks or knock-downs, whatever it may be, that everyone’s doing their part.
“They may not get the recognition, the stats or the interviews but I think that’s the great thing that Chris has built into this team: Everyone is going to do their part and within these closed doors everyone knows how important each role is.”
There’s an awareness of each cog in the wheel and a desire to be better. As Willis passed by Watkins, the cornerback asked him what level the yellow shirt represented.
Been there, done that, was all Willis said.
“See what I’ve got to go through?” Watkins said. “Every day.”
There are three games left before the playoffs start, Watkins added. There’s still time.
“Last game I got three points,” he said. “I’m going in the right direction. I need to get an interception to the house. That’s nine points.”