Cup ring would top record, Sherritt says
Eskimos defence on target for one of the CFL’s all-time best seasons
J.C. Sherritt wants to be known “as a linebacker on one of the best defences to ever play” in the Canadian Football League, but would gladly settle for fourth- or fifth-best if the Edmonton Eskimos were to win the Grey Cup.
“Just give me the (championship) ring,” Sherritt said. “That’s all I care about. We know we have to finish this year off. At the end of the day, you’ve got to be a Grey Cup champion.
“We understand the process of how we’ve got to get there,” he continued. “I’m not jumping ahead of B.C. (the Eskimos play the Lions at 5 p.m. Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium), but just saying how you identify the best, it would be the Grey Cup champs who won the game and held their opponents to low points.”
The Eskimos have held their opponents to 19 points or less in 10 of their 15 games this season. It’s the first time they’ve accomplished that feat at least nine times since 1995.
They are also allowing an average of only 18.13 points, which currently ranks fourth-lowest all-time since the league went to an 18-game schedule in 1986. The ’89 Eskimos set the record of 16.8 points per game, but were upset in the Western Division final.
“We look back on our film and we still have a long way to go to where we want to be,” Sherritt said. “That’s exciting to know that we haven’t even come close to reaching our potential.”
Cornerback Patrick Watkins, who leads the Eskimos with 62 defensive tackles, said, “just being able to try to dominate teams from beginning to end” has been the highlight for him this season.
“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “You can look to your left or right, all you see is great players on the same side of the ball with you. You have a lot of great players who have your back, so if I make a mistake or miss a tackle, I’ve got a J.C. Sherritt or Dexter McCoil coming right behind me, maybe even an Aaron Grymes.”
Perhaps the best indicator of how well the Eskimos defence has played this year is the team won twice when scoring only 15 points, including last week’s victory over the Calgary Stampeders. Failing to score 20 points is usually a surefire way to lose a CFL game (Edmonton is 2-2 when scoring less than 20 points compared to a 3-28 combined record for the rest of the league’s teams).
“Hopefully, we can keep it up,” said Grymes, a defensive halfback with four interceptions and 39 defensive tackles.
The Eskimos limited the Stampeders to just 43 points in three games this season, but Grymes knows it’ll be another difficult match if the teams meet again in the playoffs.
By the same token, he’s worried about the Lions this weekend. B.C. has played Edmonton tough this year, splitting a pair of games and scoring 23 points each time.
“We know it’s going to be a battle and we’ve got to try to keep (the B.C. offence) off the field as much as possible when you’ve got playmakers like that,” Grymes said.
“If they get too many opportunities, they’ll end up cashing in on them.”
The Eskimos may lead the CFL in several key defensive categories (fewest points allowed, net offence, passing yards and touchdowns, average rushing yards per game), but don’t have any individual players at the top of the defensive stats sheets. Watkins, for example, is 10th in the league in tackles while defensive end Odell Willis tied for seventh in quarterback sacks.
“If I don’t lead any categories and we’re still getting wins, I don’t mind at all because I understand how talented our defence is from the D-line to the secondary,” said Watkins, who takes pride in his tackling ability, even though he rarely delivers highlight reel hits.
“I’ve learned when one guy’s dominating all the stats, your defence probably isn’t that good; there’s probably weak spots,” said Sherritt, who set a CFL record for defensive tackles in 2012, when Edmonton had a 7-11 record.
“I don’t think this defence has a weak spot.”
Just give me the (championship) ring. That’s all I care about. … At the end of the day, you’ve got to be a Grey Cup champion. ESKIMOS LINEBACKER J. C. SHERRITT