*Edmonton vs Saskatchewan 1*
6/30/2008 12:48:12 AM

First game played, first loss notched…what now? Fans have different options as to how to deal with their favorite teams defeat than we do as players. The fan has the luxury of laying blame, calling for firings, even recommending who should be playing the position that they feel was costing the team the most dearly. Players don't have such luxuries, not team players anyways. In football the creed is simple, "one fail, all fail." It is one that we learned long ago once football was introduced to us, and it's one that holds true at this level as well. When we win, it won't be because of one player's heroics. Thus, in defeat it certainly can't be about one player's shortcomings. This is not a game in which every play can be executed to perfection each time that it is run. These aren't pylons that are lined up against us, and the Riders are a good team that has bought in to what they were successful doing last year. That being said, I felt that for the first three quarters, our defence played very physical and was flying around the field. Offensively, I we moved the ball at will for most of those 3 quarters, but at some points perhaps made life more difficult on ourselves than it should have been.

A couple of things are certain to me following this loss; Wes Cates may be the most underrated tailback in the league, while probably being the league's most complete at that position. Teams that attempt to go into Regina and beat the Riders with only field goals will feel very similar to the way we feel today. Offensively, we need to find 5 or 6 bread and butter plays that we love in the red zone and get extremely comfortable and proficient at them. And finally, James Johnson may be the most opportunistic cornerback that I've come across in quite some time.

Other things that I noticed from this week in the CFL:

• It takes a bunch of people, as well as a quick game scheme to stop Fred Perry from reaching Marcus Crandell.
• Jason Goss covers a lot of ground at safety.
• Keith Williams, hits hard enough to be Gerald Vaughn's size.
• Prefontaine will be a huge piece to this puzzle.
• B.C. doesn't look quite the same.
• Calgary's middle linebacker could pass for an offensive guard.
• Toronto's defence will continue to keep them in every game this year.
• Rotating two QB's as much as Toronto did can be risky business.
• Jamal Robertson is extremely versatile.
• Tre Smith is a play maker…period.
• Calvillo hasn't lost as much magic as you think.

Time for me to get back to work, Calgary will be here in a couple of days,rested and riding high.(c)

Kp8

Pre-Season 2
6/20/2008 8:43:39 PM
Saskatchewan Starters out; Andy Fantuz, Scott Schultz, John Chick, Jeremy O'Day, Gene Makowsky, Wes Cates, James Johnson, Corey Grant, Lance Frazier, Wayne Smith.
 
Like I said before, it's still only the pre-season. This game being as lopsided as our previous game against Calgary was, in which we left multiple starters home much like the Riders did in this game; the score certainly didn't surprise me at all. It also doesn't mean much of anything. Like I said before, the pre-season is merely a dressed up practice period and has little to no indication in my opinion of what your teams chances are in the regular and post season play.

In spite of that, it's always good to perform well in front of your home crowd. As a team, it's important to set a precedent of winning in your own back yard, and the pre-season is a good place to start. Personally, it was good to get the kinks out and take a hit or two before going into the regular season. Most importantly, I'm glad that we were able to get through this dress rehearsal with minimal collateral damage to the health of our team. At this time last year, we seemed to have already lost several starters, and were somewhat reeling for answers as to how we would fill those holes. This game saw Ricky Ray go down in what could have been a very ugly injury, but seems to be fairly minor thankfully. If there could be a silver lining to such an instance, it must have been the ovation that Jason Maas received when he came in. If anybody deserves to be cheered, after what I've seen him endure in Hamilton, it's Jason. It was wonderful to see him play so well for the Eskimo faithful who have carried the torch for him through so much. The Ray-Maas- Lefors trio is one that puts us significantly ahead of any other team in this league in my opinion. While every team says that they are comfortable  with any of their quarterbacks behind center, It's almost understood that the further you go down your depth chart at that particular position, the higher the sales of heart burn medicine in that city. That won't be the case here though, I can guarantee you that. As receivers we wouldn't even realize that they've made a change at QB in practice if not for the differences in cadence, and the fact that Stefan may tell a joke before he throws a 45 yard strike to Andrew on the sideline.
It was good to see the exuberance of youth present in two of our rookie DB's Tristan Jackson, and Keith Williams. In fact both of the Williams boys (Keith and Lenny) looked very good at halfback.  Goss and Younger will speak volumes this year through both voice and play for us, while Buhl and Lenny Williams will mature before your eyes. It was nice for the fans to get introduced to Kelly Campbell, and re-introduced to Fred Stamps, two of our 4x100m members in our revamped receiving corps/track team. Add in an Alberta born speed merchant named Brock Ralph, the best utility man in the league in Andrew Nowacki, arguably the best receiver in the game in Jason Tucker, as well as myself and our quarterbacks will definitely have some options. ©

*My thoughts and prayers are with the Kabongo family at this their time of mourning. It seems like the season hardly gets underway before something occurs to put this entire experience into perspective. *

Kp8

Pre-season 1
6/15/2008 12:07:40 AM
Out; Garrett, Shabazz, Ray, Tucker, Peterson, Perry, Romero, Braidwood, Mclendon, Campell, Davis, Baird, Cooper, Robinson, Luciani
 
There is a reason that we don't get paid for pre-season games…it's because they are meaningless. Naturally, that's easy to say when you're on the losing end of a 39-14 thumping at the hands of the boys down the road. Trust me though, I'd be singing the same song if the roles were reversed. The fact of the matter is that pre-season games are really just an extension of training camp. For new players they serve as somewhat of an introduction to the pace and speed of the league, so that they aren't completely shell shocked should they make it onto the final roster. For coaches, they can give a better gauge on players that may have been standing out during training camp. Finding out if that "stud" defensive end that has been annihilating everyone in his path in 1 on 1, and team drills during training camp can carry on that success against legitimate CFL starters certainly helps in the evaluation process for a coach. Even for veterans the pre-season holds some, albeit mild value. The pre-season becomes almost like a glorified practice the longer you are in the league, and just like practice it serves as yet another opportunity for veterans to sharpen their skills prior to the season starting. However, they can be somewhat of a nuisance for vets as well. One does not want to give an opponent any familiarity or tendencies to mull over before the season starts and you end up facing that man 3 or 4 times. Not to mention the fact that any time the lights are turned on, and everybody's all dressed up, you know that the bodies will be flying. The longer you play, the less you want to put your body in full contact activities that could potentially injure you before the real thing gets under way. You certainly don't want to find yourself spent before it's really time to perform.  Hmmm, there's a dating analogy that would work perfect here…on second thought, this may not be the correct platform
  

Naturally, as athletes we want to win every single time we step on the field. In fact, I even want to win in chess against the kids that I teach, so competitive fire is something that doesn't change from pre-season to regular. However, if you think that I'm going to get bent out of shape because our rookies made less plays than Calgary's starters, you would be mistaken. If Calgary feels good about how they executed in the game, that's all fine, well and dandy. They should feel good because they accomplished what they intended to in that game. I just don't think it's wise to gauge our team off of the pre-season solely.  While the pre-season games can serve as a good measuring stick indicating what may be strong or weak within certain facets of our club; I feel like our team carries a much different dynamic with 10 or so of those playmakers playing.
I guess we'll find out soon enough. ©

Kp8

2008 Season Blog - Training Camp ; Day 8
6/9/2008 9:47:06 PM

Talent Influx

This training camp I made it a point to arrive a few days early. Partly because the drive up from Maryland is 2200 miles, and partly because the talent that we've brought in was so intriguing to me that I wanted to see it for myself. This rookie class hasn't disappointed. The receivers that they've brought in to compete for spots in this elite corps have had some of each skill set that receivers covet and use to be successful in this game. Often times resembling a basketball team, while other times resembling a track squad, this corps will have something for everyone. Long lanky athletes like Clarence Moore (6'6"), Jermaine Jamison (6'4"), Greg Prator (6'3), and Brock Ralph (6'3") have been assembled bring the jump ball/physical element back into our vertical passing attack. Meanwhile guys like Kelly Campbell, as well as Ralph bring a certain speed element to the game which could compliment the route running technicians that we currently have in Tucker, Nowacki, Stamps and myself. To me on a team that will be deep at each position, as far as rookies are concerned, the rookie receivers that we've brought in happen to be the cream of the rookie crop.

Not far behind however, is the DB class. Leading the charge is a physical young man named Keith Williams who has the strength and willingness to jam, to pose problems for slotbacks in this league, combined with the make-up speed to recover if he's beaten. He reminds me of a young Ricky Bell. Tristan Jackson hasn't looked out of place at all on the corner either and helps his chances of making this team with his return ability as shown in the Green and Gold game. Also look for Duane Coleman to possibly make noise in these pre-season games. He has a tremendous break on the ball, and it is probably only a matter of time before he understands some of the crucial subtleties of the position.

As for linebackers, it's a shame that Washington came into camp so heavy, It would have been very interesting to see how he would have managed if he was weighing in at around 230 lbs as opposed to 250 lbs. Hollowell, and St. Pierre have both impressed me in different ways. Hollowell has shown a capacity to understand the system that will bode well in the pre-season, and St. Pierre's willingness to work will go far in his special teams role, should he make this team.

A.J. Harris is the lone import rookie back remaining in this class, and he hasn't disappointed in practices. He certainly looks the part, is deceptively fast for a man his size, and is one of the guys that I'm very interested to see once the lights come on. Ciezki was given Mike Bradley's number #22 jersey and I can't see him wearing another number really with such a similar build and stature to Mike. If Chris can develop into half of the special teams player and leader that Bradley was, this team will be well served; and I like his potential to do that. Pierre-Luc Yao hasn't spoken 6 words in my presence which is fine because rookies are much better of being seen and not heard. He's shown tailbacks feet and hands, while trying to fit into a fullback mold (a la Calvin McCarty) and I see him being a good contributor on special teams as well.

As for the big guys, Montez Murphy moves exceptionally well for as big as he is. He reminds many of a cross between Kelvin Kinney and Rashad Jeanty. Jim Davis when healthy is another defensive lineman who has been identified as one to watch. The emergence of these two in training camp probably weighed heavily on the decision to release Ron Warner. Offensively, Calvin Armstrong has turned heads both with his massive size as well as his versatility and capacity to pick up the scheme. Torrin Tucker is simply a gigantic human being. Even if he wasn't a great football player, that would probably be enough to warrant attention, but fortunately for us…he can play as well. Adam Rogers comes highly recommended from one of the best to do it here, Bruce Beaton.

With the first pre-season game just looming around the corner, all eyes will be on these young guys to see if they can not only excel in this game…but whether or not their Eskimos.©

Kp8