Injured Elks passer Arbuckle to miss pre-season finale
And then there were three.
An open audition for the Edmonton Elks starting quarterback job began three weeks ago with nine passers on the field in mini-camp. That number has since shrunk to four at the conclusion of training camp, three of whom will play in the pre-season finale on Friday (7 p.m., 630 CHED) at Commonwealth Stadium against the Calgary Stampeders.
A front-runner in the QB competition from the get-go, Nick Arbuckle won't be dressing for the game after being injured in last week's exhibition win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers where he led the way with an impressive stat line of 10 completions in 11 attempts for 145 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions as the Elks also rotated through fellow quarterbacks Taylor Cornelius, Tre Ford and Kai Locksley.
And while Arbuckle certainly showed what he could do in his first game action since being traded to Edmonton on Oct. 26, when he was promptly placed on the bench for the rest of the 2021 season, new Elks head coach and general manager Chris Jones said it's unfortunate for Arbuckle that he'll be out of action.
“It don't help,” Jones said. “But at the same time, he played very good. He's a veteran. He's a pro, he's a very high-character guy. He's done everything that we asked him to do.
However, Arbuckle's lone pre-season showing wasn't enough to secure him the starting gig on its own.
“No, we're still in the evaluation process. We're still in camp for a reason so we can make decisions based off of facts, not just things that we think,” Jones said earlier in the week. “We're going to go in, we've got to see it on film, we've got to put the analytics to it. We'll make decisions based clearly off of that.
“So, in that aspect it's an evaluation process. We'll go through this game and see where we are.”
FRONT- RUNNER?
As for a front-runner for the starting quarterback job at the moment, Jones said he prefers to let the pre-season play out.
“There's been a different guy kind of jump up every day. I mean, all the quarterbacks in our room have done good things at various times,” he said. “That's why you play the games, that's why you practice.
“We've got some really good players. Some really good quarterbacks, some good young guys, and they all bring something unique to the table. So, I'm excited to see exactly how we respond in the Calgary game.”
HOLLY JOLLY START
Scoring the Elks' first touchdown on their first drive of the pre-season wasn't a bad way for Caleb Holley to introduce himself in last week's 30-20 win over Winnipeg.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound East Central product capped Edmonton's first offensive possession by hauling in a 58-yard touchdown toss from Arbuckle.
“Caleb's a good human being, works extremely hard, knows four positions, he can waggle, he's decent with his hands,” Jones said of the 31-year-old receiver, who played for him with the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2016-18. “He's a pro and somebody we feel comfortable with.
“He's had a good camp.”
THOSE WHO WEIGHT
Injuries are a part of football and always will be.
And since they're going to happen in training camp, Jones and his staff are using them as part of the evaluation. More specifically, how a player bounces back from the typical bumps, bruises and sprains.
“There's going to be flu during the season, so how a guy responds as to whether or not he can come out here and practice. Construction workers work with the flu, so it's one of those things where, unfortunately, that's just the reality of life. It's become, like, `Oh, my God.' But people come out and do their job. So, yes, that's part of the evaluation, whether a guy can come out here and play with a little swollen finger or that type of thing.”
Of course, the name of the game is to reduce injuries to your roster as much as possible. As such, Jones has spent the better part of the last week of camp cutting short the onfield sessions, which typically last three hours, to get his players in the weight room.
“We lift every day,” said Jones, who is using the same southwest corner of Commonwealth Stadium as the team has in years past, known colloquially as the Prison Yard, where weights and other gym equipment are set up for post-practice workouts.
“You see these guys, we're lifting. I told them, we're never going to forsake the weight room. Ever.
“We're going to be in the weight room. We're going to be strong, we're going to be in shape. The bumps and bruises that you get, you're going to be able to work some of those out.”