EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Eskimos can lock up a home playoff date Friday by knocking off the Saskatchewan Roughriders -- but they know it's a contest that will be won in the first quarter.
Take the game to the Riders from the opening whistle and it's likely game over.
Let them hang around and they may decide to fight hard to win one last time for their beloved retiring coach, Ken Miller.
You can see the game on TSN, TSN.ca, and TSN Mobile TV beginning at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt, and you can chat with your fellow fans on our Game Night blog.
"It's imperative we come out with a good start and jump on these guys early," Eskimo linebacker Rod Davis said after practice Thursday.
"I have been in that situation once, and we know that those guys' bags are packed. They don't really want to play. They're thinking about being healthy and going off home."
On paper the final game of the regular season at Commonwealth Stadium is a ridiculous mismatch.
The 10-7 Eskimos can take first place and a first round playoff bye with a win and a Montreal victory over the B.C. Lions on Saturday.
Saskatchewan is 5-12 and out of the playoffs.
They have a slew of injuries to key players like quarterback Darian Durant, linebacker Barrin Simpson and receiver Andy Fantuz.
They're 0-9 against the West Division and haven't completed a pass for touchdown in six and a half games.
Edmonton has the league's stingiest defence (22 points a game), versus Saskatchewan's league's worst offence (19 points per contest).
In the previous two games, Edmonton beat up on Saskatchewan by combined score of 59-29.
The Eskimos biggest concern is themselves. They're a young team that has turned over half the roster from last season's non-playoff finish.
They're also a team that got the yips last week when it had a chance to lock up first place with a win over the Lions.
Instead, they missed tackles, blew assignments and found themselves in a first quarter 14-point hole they couldn't dig out of. Battering ram running back Jerome Messam ran up just 17 yards on nine carries. They lost 29-22 to set up a three-way tie in the West with B.C. and the Calgary Stampeders.
Quarterback Ricky Ray said there's no such thing as a good loss, but it was better to get the nerves out of the way early.
"Sometimes getting a loss out of the way helps you get refocused and heading in the right direction," said Ray.
"We're a pretty loose team generally. That's what you want to see from week to week. But when it gets to game time, we've still got to have that looseness. We can't all of a sudden get tight.
"Guys are starting to understand you just go out there and do your thing."
Messam said they must establish the run game early, put the Riders defence on its heels and maybe sap its will to compete.
"Those guys are going to be playing hard for their coach. They want to send him off with a win. It's going to be big for us to come out and shut the door early," said Messam.
Messam has a personal goal to shoot for as well. He sits third overall in the CFL with 981 yards and six touchdowns and is just 19 yards short of 1,000 for the year.
The Eskimos haven't hosted a home playoff game since 2004 and haven't been the home team for the Western final since 2003.
The Riders are playing for pride and for Miller, who led the team to the Grey Cup as head coach in 2009 and 2010 -- losing both times -- and has already announced he is retiring after Friday's game.
He started the year as vice-president of football operations but returned to the sideline in August after coach Greg Marshall was fired following a 1-7 start.
Notes: Edmonton offensive lineman Greg Wojt is out for Friday after reinjuring his ankle against B.C. ... Defensive end Greg Peach is a game-time decision.
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99
Babe Of The Month
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html
No comments:
Post a Comment