Eskimos showcase depth on D- line
EDMONTON — Ed Hervey and Kavis Reed spent an entire winter talking about the importance of depth on their roster.
The Edmonton Eskimos general manager and his head coach appear to be wading into the talent pool to see just how much depth they have, with Marcus Howard absent from Thursday’s practice.
Howard, a third- year defensive end for the Eskimos, hasn’t practised this week after the team returned from its win over the Hamilton Tiger- Cats on Sunday in Guelph.
Present at the team’s first two practices this week, Howard was off the field entirely on Thursday.
Howard’s absence from practice, while raising the possibility of him missing Saturday’s Canadian Football League game against the B. C. Lions, allowed the team to showcase its depth on the defensive line. Almondo Sewell was heavily involved, as was Brandon Lang.
“It’s not a situation where we feel that Marcus has to practise,” Reed said after his team withstood about 90 minutes of rain outdoors, before lightning drove them into the field house at Commonwealth Stadium.
“( Howard) will be a part of the roster and we will make certain that Marcus is reassessed again ( Thursday afternoon) and a decision will be made whether he will be a part of the 46 or not and we’ll have full information.”
In the meantime, Lang filled in at defensive end, working with the first unit of Sewell, Ted Laurent and Odell Willis. Lang, a six- foot- four, 257- pounder from Tucker, Ga., had one quarterback sack in six games last year, joining the team when it was riddled with injuries in late September.
The 27- year- old knows that there’s an opportunity for him on Sunday, should Howard not be able to go.
“If he’s out, then we’ll step up and it’s going to be like he never left,” Lang said.
“I feel like we’ve got the depth and our talent is equal across the D- line, so if one goes down we’ve got one that can come into his place and pick up the slack.”
Lang was impressive enough last year to let the Eskimos part ways with two other defensive ends, Shawn Lemon and Julius Williams. Lemon was released on May 22.
Williams wasn’t pursued by the Eskimos when he went into free agency on Feb. 15. He signed with the Lions and played his first game with the team last week against the Toronto Argonauts, after recovering from a knee injury he suffered last season.
Backing up Howard, Lang is a perfect example of the depth that Hervey and Reed sought in the off- season.
“We had a situation last week where we had to make a ratio change and take out Almondo Sewell, arguably our best ... inside guy, and we didn’t have a significant drop- off in the way our other guys played,” Reed said.
“We feel that Brandon Lang is an exceptional player and that’s why he’s a part of that rotation. If Marcus is unable to play — and that’s a big if — if he’s unable to play, we have no problems with inserting ( nonimport defensive end) Justin Capicciotti on the roster and allowing him to get some quality reps along with Brandon Lang and Odell Willis.”
In the Eskimos’ win over Hamilton, Willis and Howard survived the seemingly endless amount of rain that fell to look like both sides of the parted seas, constantly threatening to close in on Henry Burris.
“It doesn’t impact us at all, because if you look at our team, the D- line is one of our deepest positions,” Willis said.
“I mean, with Marcus down, the next guy has to be ready, which is Brandon Lang. We just have to keep this thing moving.”