Edmonton fans have been Jonesing for a true contender for close to a decade, but this 2014 version of the Eskimos is a legitimate threat to win it all. They’re a balanced team from top to bottom. Their coach has taken his fair share of criticism, but his boldness might just come in handy come playoff time. And in the end, the Eskimos are playing with house money: the pressure to win the west is all on you, Calgary.
Our assessment of the Edmonton Eskimos is below; you’ll find the Saskatchewan Roughriders preview here.
Offence
The Eskimos come into the playoffs boasting the top yards-gaining offence, averaging 383 per game. They are also ranked second behind the Stamps in rushing (137 yards per game) and overall in points per game with 27.3. Great stats, but Edmonton has been playing second fiddle to Calgary all season long. They lost every matchup with their provincial rivals, by an average point differential of 8.7 in the three games played. Those losses played a huge role in Edmonton falling out of contention for the first place bye in the west.
That bye now seems like a critical miss, as starting QB Mike Reilly’s health status is uncertain going into the division semi-final against Saskatchewan. Backup Matt Nichols will be under centre, and that puts a big question mark on this offence after the reliable season that Reilly engineered.
Defence
The Edmonton defence has been a dominating group from start to finish. The Eskimos lead the CFL in sacks with 55 and are tied for first with Calgary with 20 interceptions. Linebacker Dexter McCoil has been a pleasant surprise for the Eskimos this season: the first year player out of Tulsa leads the CFL with 6 interceptions. His impact was felt early and often, especially considering veteran linebacker JC Sherritt missed six games this season with a nagging lower body injury. Cornerback Pat Watkins came over from Toronto and continues to be a top 3 CFL corner. Odell Willis, Rennie Curran, and Almondo Sewell lead a front seven who have been rolling over their competition. Literally – they do a rolling celebration after every sack. Fun to watch but tough to play against, the defence will have to be the difference in this semi-final.
Special Teams
Punter Hugh O’Neill has by far the best beard in CFL history and it’s not even close. Sure the beard has been rocked by many offensive and defensive lineman over the years but never by a punter, and never with the same care free factor that Hugh rocks his with, so bravo…. Unfortunately O’Neill ranks only 7th among CFL punters, averaging 44 yards per boot. He has., however, filled in reasonably well as a place kicker, taking the field goals for the clean shaven Grant Shaw, who went down for the season on September 7th. Special teams are unlikely to be a huge factor for Edmonton in this game.
Coaching
Chris Jones has a swagger about him that is infectious to the rest of the team. It would be understandable for a first year coach to take the conservative approach and ease his way into the coaching ranks by making the safe, predictable coaching decisions that we see on a weekly basis. Jones has been just the opposite, faking punts from his own end zone, going for it on third and more than one, trying trick plays. He isn’t just coaching to keep his job, he is coaching to push the envelope. Eskimos players have taken that aggressive personality onto themselves and its paid off with an eight-win improvement over last season (12-6). Jones’s game plan could be a major factor in the game, and his ability to focus this team on winning will pay dividends in the post-season.
Thank you for reading. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo:
