Eskimos present tough test
'We've got our work cut out for us': Bombers O-line coach
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/06/2019 (1740 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Edmonton Eskimos have a proud tradition, overflowing with winning seasons and 14 Grey Cup titles.
However, not many observers could have expected the Esks — the subject of a massive off-season rebuild — to fly out of the gate in 2019 with a pair of convincing wins that showcased a powerful, balanced offence and a hard-charging, sack-happy defence.
But they have.
After Edmonton manhandled the B.C. Lions 39-23 Friday night, it will be the Blue Bombers’ turn to face the heat in Week 3. Winnipeg hosts the Esks Thursday night at IG Field.
“Had to come in early (Saturday) and didn’t get much sleep because (the Eskimos) played really, really well on Friday night,” Blue Bombers offensive line coach Marty Costello said following practice Monday afternoon. “They’re a good unit. They’re well-coached, they play extremely hard and we’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ve got a lot we’ve got to get done between now and Thursday night.”
Edmonton’s pass rush, which sacked B.C. quarterback Mike Reilly seven times and helped limit the Lions to 153 yards of net offence, is a primary concern for the Bombers and quarterback Matt Nichols, who are coming off a Week 2 bye.
Winnipeg dispatched the hometown Lions 33-23 in Week 1.
“I don’t know that their last game has anything to do with this game,” Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said. “But if you look at their personnel, they seem to get after it pretty well all game. With (veteran defensive tackle Almondo) Sewell in there, he’s been a beast for a long time. He’s been one of the best in the league for a long, long time. He’s very tough and plays a very smart game of football, too. It seems like they have gotten a lot of edge pressure, too.”
Edmonton defenders Mike Moore and Nick Usher collected a pair of sacks each against the Lions, with Sewell, Vontae Diggs and Jesse Joseph adding one apiece.
It was likely the kind of effort Eskimos general manager Brock Sutherland and head coach Jason Maas were hoping for when they reconfigured the franchise in the off-season, featuring the departure of established stars such as Reilly (via free agency), linebacker J.C. Sherritt (retirement) and 25 other members of the club’s 46-man active roster.
“I’m sure there’s a number of factors but yeah, (Maas is) a very good coach,” O’Shea said.
“He won a bunch of games wherever he’s been. He’s smart. He’s a good leader. The guys obviously believe in him. So you lose 27, but they sign veterans and they sign leadership and I think if you fill your room back up with that, you’re not starting with the idea of losing 27.”
Blue Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill has focused his preparation on the excellent play of Eskimos quarterback Trevor Harris and wide receiver Greg Ellingson, who both moved over from the Ottawa Redblacks as free agents.
Harris tops the league’s quarterbacks in passing yards (741) and passing touchdowns (six) while Ellingson is setting the pace for the receivers in catches (14) and yards (240). Tailback C.J. Gable is also off to a hot start, leading all runners with 265 yards in two starts.
“They’re operating at a pretty high level already,” Bighill said. “You see how many receivers are catching balls from Harris, it’s not just going to one guy. He’s spreading it around, completion percentage is high, he’s moving the chains, yardage is high. I mean, he’s making very few mistakes.”
Harris may be underappreciated, but Bighill gives him full credit as one of the league’s very best.
“He comes out and proves it,” Bighill said. “That’s all you can ask of a player.”
Harris and Ellingson are also benefiting from three years together in Ottawa, where they formed one of the league’s deadliest combinations. Remember, too, that Maas coached Ellingson and Harris as the Redblacks’ offensive co-ordinator in 2015 and he guided Harris from 2012 to 2014 as the Toronto Argonauts’ QB coach.
“I feel like they had chemistry already, and that’s just something that’s automatically going to carry over,” Bombers defensive back Marcus Sayles said.
“We can’t worry about that. We’re not just going up against those two, we’re going against their whole offence… As long as we do our individual parts, the whole team effort is going to come together.”
As with many top matchups, the battle in the trenches should be crucial. Costello is hoping for a performance similar to Week 1, where the Blue Bombers’ offensive line paved the way for 24 first downs and 348 net yards, including 170 on the ground. Andrew Harris had 148 rushing yards on 16 carries.
“I don’t know about facing them, but we focus on a couple of things each week and that’s getting (No.) 33 (Harris) going and getting some positive yards and keeping (No.) 15 (quarterback Matt Nichols) upright,” Costello said. “No matter who we’re going against, that’s what we concern ourselves with. We watch them, we analyze them, we know what they’re gonna do, but at the end of the day, when the ball’s snapped, it’s all about us and how we take care of our business.”
mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @sawa14
Mike Sawatzky
Reporter
Mike has been working on the Free Press sports desk since 2003.