A LACK OF BUZZ
Esks-riders game fails to generate usual frenzy
There’s no buzz. The game simply doesn’t have the sizzle of your normal Saskatchewan Roughrider visit to Edmonton.
As a rule the annual visit by the fans from the flatlands swells the attendance substantially and often provides the CFL with the league’s largest crowd of the season.
But it takes two to tango and in Edmonton there’s no excitement or enthusiasm because, for the second straight year, the team went into the toilet in the second half of a season that started with high expectations.
The buzz in Edmonton, of course, belongs with Connor Mcdavid, Leon Draisaitl and the 8-2-1 NHL Oilers.
The Eskimos, at least temporarily, can reclaim their normal share of attention for this time of year when they head out to try to become the first fourth place Western team in 10 attempts to crash the Grey Cup as a crossover team in the East Division playoffs. But that’s in the ‘Coming Soon’ category.
Saturday’s final home game, the first meeting of the season with Saskatchewan, is a meaningless game in the standings for the 8-8 Eskimos.
With no buzz, it might not come close to Calgary’s visit (40,113 for the Labour Day Rematch) and Winnipeg’s visit (34,217 back on Aug. 23 when the Eskimos were 6-3).
Those were the two largest
CFL attendance figures in a season that has been low-lighted by an otherwise dramatic drop in ticket totals, including recent games here such as only 25,694 for Ricky Ray’s Wall of Fame Game.
On the flip side, this is a big game for the Roughriders who have yet to clinch a home field playoff game, as well as have a chance to finish first and earn a bye to the West Final by winning the schedule-ending home-andhome games with the Eskimos.
To claim first place, Craig Dickinson’s turnaround team that survived the departure of head of football operations, general manager, head coach and defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones for the NFL, Saskatchewan likely needs to win both games to finish first.
The question is whether the Saskatchewan fan base that used to erect those rivalry-fuelling billboards — ‘We Live Among You,’ ‘Fan Tutorial,’ ‘Hey, Eskies Fans, We’ll Save A Section For You,’ ‘Wait A Second, Who Exactly
Is The Home Team?’ — will flood in from all directions to celebrate what has surprisingly become a special season for the combine pilots.
It’s not unusual with the inventory available in Commonwealth Stadium to experience the sensation of the Roughriders coming here and feeling like the home team. With it being a big game for Saskatchewan and a meaningless game for Edmonton, you’d figure that could be even more dramatic than usual for this one.
But there’s no buzz with the guys and gals who wear watermelons on their heads, either. A lot of them, apparently, are not coming this year.
The Heritage Classic, the NHL outdoor hockey game born in Commonwealth Stadium and a phenomenon throughout the hockey world since then, is holding a neutral site edition of the original event on the Roughriders field Saturday in Mosaic Stadium in Regina featuring the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames.
Also, the Saturday forecast range is from zero to minus five degrees and the ‘big game’ situation for Saskatchewan is diluted by another one between the two teams on the last game of the regular season schedule next Saturday after the hockey ice melts in Mosaic.
But here’s the thing. Of the two tilts, there’s a far better chance that this one will be the better football game.
Seldom will you find a “meaningless” game that has so much meaning than this does for Edmonton.
Think about it.
You know that head coach Jason Maas will rest Eskimos who have been playing hurt in the final regular season game. Indeed, Maas suggested at the start of the week he’s going to play his best team from the players available and when the depth chart came out Friday morning that proved to be true.
Saturday is one game to get this team something to take forward to playoffs having lost all three games to Calgary, both to Winnipeg, both to Hamilton and were defeated 20-10 in their visit to Montreal back on July 20 before the Alouettes turned their season around.
The Eskimos need to have Trevor Harris return and find the form that had made him co-favourite to win the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award at mid-season. The receivers need to re-establish their rapport with Harris and the offensive line needs to complete the package like they did during the start of the season.
Equally important is the defence that features three of the CFL’S top 10 sack leaders in Kwaku Boateng, Mike Moore and Almondo Sewell, returning to dominate and did throughout the front end of the season minus the after-the-whistle penalties.
There are all sorts of compelling reasons for fans to want to watch this game.
But there’s no buzz.