Edmonton Vs Montreal #1/ Winnipeg #1
September 27, 2008

I learn much more in losses than I do in wins. Wins tend to mask things that your team may not be doing well, or that you individually may not be doing well enough, because they are glossed over and washed away with the glow of the win itself. Whether the loss is a blowout like it was in Montreal, or a close loss like in Winnipeg to me makes little difference because struggle is something that cannot be measured. The one thing that a blowout has in common with a close loss is that for either to occur one team must be struggling. What I've learned from the last 2 weeks of play is that while I do believe us to be a good team, we're not a good enough team to just show up and win the game against anybody in this league. While our talent is more than sufficient, I would go as far as to say that our talent can match any team in the leagues we still must execute and play a physical and competitive game in order to come out with a chance at winning. I must emphasize the word competitive because to me that's all this game ever comes down too. Scheme helps a great deal in that a good scheme can mask a lack of talent. However, in my opinion a talented team that loves to compete and yearns to beat the men across from them individually can do much more for a good scheme than the other way around.

The Montreal loss was upsetting because we showed so little fight in such a big game, while the Winnipeg loss was disheartening because we came undone at times when it was crucial for us to remain focused and composed. There is no way of knowing whether or not we would have come out on top if we kept our heads last night in Winnipeg and didn't self destruct at in those key moments I can safely say that losing our composure pretty much ensured that we would not win that game. If we can find a way to improve our game situation awareness, and couple it with the same competitive streak that we showed early in the seasonwe'll be just fine. An understanding that when we're in field goal range, penalties, sacks and turnovers are the only thing that can turn the drive into a negative one. Understanding that when the defence has you pinned down, extra fight without securing the football is only going to make matters worse. It's about understanding that when a team has weak links in its chain defensively, they MUST be exploited repeatedly.

Once we can start to do some of these things, I expect that our fortunes may turn. If we can't find it within ourselves to recognize these deficiencies and take the time to fix them who knows what we will finish the season like. ©

Kp8

*Edmonton Vs Hamilton #2*
September 14, 2008

I must say that I was dreading this game all week. Not dreading it because Ididn't want to play in it, but more because I knew what the mindset of the team coming in would be, vs our own. As many times as our coach pumped into our heads that this was not a team that we could take lightly, as much as I KNOW that you can't take any team lightly in this league, and as much as I said all week that they could hurt us with their talent…we still managed to play well below our own talent level. I'd almost rather play an undefeated team every week – at least then you know where your team's heads are at. That being said, nowhere in the rule books does it say that a win must be pretty in order to count. Last year I would have bet that we would have found a creative way to lose that game, so it was nice to be able to win ugly.

I must admit that once Ricky threw his third interception of three passes that were all intended for me, all of which I was quite open – I figured it may be better if I run into people and cover myself up. Perhaps, getting open wasn't necessarily conducive to winning on this particular night, and I'm telling you…I was close to trying it out! In hindsight, I'm glad that I didn't because from the other side of the field, I was able to get a good look at Calvin McCarty, Jason Goss, and Kelly Campbell get loose. It's amazing to me, how much I've changed since I've come into this league. I can recall a time in my career where nothing excited me more than having success personally on the field of play. Now, I get so much more enjoyment and excitement from the success of my teammates that it literally astounds me that I'm the same guy. I suppose maturation extends beyond everyday life and into the field in some major ways for those fortunate enough to recognize it.

Having played with Goss for so long, I feel like I have license to ride his case as much as I want…and I do. Goss is such a talent that I feel it's almost my duty to stay in his ear in effort to make sure that he pushes himself, doesn't get complacent, and attains the greatness that is so easy to see in him. Kelly Campbell falls into the same category for me, not that I've known him for very long – but I feel as if I understand the weight that he carries. After so much was made of his performance last game, as if it somehow erased such a gigantic rookie season, I certainly felt his plight on certain levels. Calvin is blossoming into such a fantastic and complete football player, that I can't imagine that even the Eskimo draft detractors of so many previous years can argue that he may be the best player of the last two draft classes. If he's not already, he's certainly in the argument. Watching the film today I expected to be livid with myself for both the fumble (which I was), as well possibly seeing one of the interceptions as something that I could have prevented (which I couldn't). Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to see the monster performances by the guys that I mentioned. It was great to see Calvin step in and not miss a beat, to see Goss capitalize on the moment when it was most needed, and to see Kelly silence all of those who are so anxious to see him stumble.

Call me crazy, (it wouldn't be the first time) but it actually was enlightening to see Ricky Ray in "human" form. I can only say that because we won of course and I certainly don't like to see anyone struggle, but my point is that the man threw four inexplicable interceptions and was playing completely out of character – that much was obvious. He was probably much more beat up than he led most to believe, but he made a choice like we all must each week – whether or not the pain exceeds the needs of the locker room. It's nice to have QB's that play the game with that kind of grit, and it's nice to see the man come through such adversity to lead us to victory when the chips are down.

We all tend to look at Ricky in sort of superhero form, because he really does make the game look so easy, so much of the time. Yesterday, he had to pick himself up and dust himself off to find a way to pull the game out…and he did.

Nobody said it had to look good. (c)

KP