10/27/2007 11:15:06 PM

A Crying Shame

Everyone has options when a moment of truth comes about – one can either define the moment, or the moment can define you. This is true of every one of us with no exceptions, and many of us had opportunities to define the moment last night from top to bottom. Coaches and players, fans and officials, all in some way had a hand in last night’s result. For what it’s worth, Sean Fleming defined his moments of truth time and time again in his 16 year tenure with the Eskimos…and last night was no exception.

I wouldn’t be being honest with myself if I didn’t say that I thought it shameful the way that his closing moment in the spotlight as a professional football player, was taken from him last night. Sadly, I can’t really say that I’m as shocked as most people who witnessed that game probably are. 7 years in the league have jaded me it seems, as I’m used to getting hoodwinked and bamboozled. I’ve come to expect the banana in the tail pipe á la Wile E. Coyote. Needless to say I lost sleep over it for sure, but not so much because of the general sentiment of violation that lingered throughout the city last night. I lost sleep because we once again had opportunities to close a team out, and came up short from inside the 5 yard line twice. I lost sleep because I laid out for the game tying ball in overtime in the end zone and came up short. I lost sleep because I went back over each play in my mind that I had an opportunity to make this season, and the ones that I wasn’t able to make stuck out like my own sore thumb.

This bad after taste that is left in each one of our mouths after such a result last night against Saskatchewan’s reserves should be familiar to us by now. I’ve felt it on 9 separate occasions this year that I can think of off the top of my head, and I won’t let myself forget any of them. In each of those 9 games we had opportunities to close a team out and weren’t able to capitalize on them, and regardless of what anyone may say about Sean’s final kick and the situation surrounding it – it never should have come to that. If you can’t find a way to score with three chances from the one yard line, you probably don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. Say what you will about me, but that’s how I feel. And that’s happened to us far too many times this year for us to consider ourselves a good team. Granted, there are some teams that will be playing in the post-season that don’t necessarily qualify as good teams either in my opinion, but that’s not at all for me to say. The fact that we’ve been eliminated from post-season contention puts me on gag order until training camp starts up in 2008 because all of those teams did what mine could not – they found a way to win enough games to get to the ones the mattered, and I wish them all luck going forward.

To me, as tragic as the result of Sean’s final kick was – and it was certainly tragic, the real catastrophe is our total body of work as a team. It took us an entire season to believe in one another, a whole 18 weeks for us to be able to look at each other and know that the man beside us was giving all that he had. In spite of that, we still managed to have a legitimate chance to have won another 9 games. I sit and think about how much actually went wrong for us this season: injuries, a rash of new players thrust into starting roles, new schemes, post-game ref apologies, arbitrations, special teams woes, red zone inefficiencies, stalling drives, defensive struggles, etc. Yet we still had 9 games that came down to the one drive, or one stop. And now the result of us having not been able to win even 1 of those 9 games, or get that one drive, that one stop, we will never have this same team together again and many of our futures are in doubt. The future of this team is as much out of our hands as players, as the result of Sean’s perfect last kick was out of our hands last night. Of course there is plenty of blame to pass around, just depends on what type of person you are. I’m that type that looks within before anywhere else. I learned early on in my career that it’s useless to dwell on that which you have no control over, and I hold true to that. That being said, it’s a damn shame that the game turned out the way it did.

Montreal just beat Calgary, so maybe it wouldn’t have mattered anyway – then again, we’ll never know.

Damn shame. ©

KP8

10/25/2007 9:42:22 PM

Last Lifeline

Well, it comes down to this. We’ve squandered away every single opportunity that has presented itself thus far this season, and have left ourselves with the following situation: We must beat Saskatchewan tomorrow and win in Hamilton next week in order to have a chance. Second, we must have some help from Calgary and Winnipeg in that they both must beat Montreal in the coming weeks. Only then would we enter the post-season as the third place team in the East. These are the facts…and they are undisputed.
It’s a nice change for me personally to be in the second to last game of the season and have it still mean something. Really, it’s been far too long since I’ve played a meaningful game in October. For my part, I’ve tried to gauge the mood and feel of the team this week coming off of two tough losses to B.C. in the shadow of a do-or-die situation against a very good Roughrider team. I must say that I wonder if we simply have a flare for the dramatic on this team, because I don’ t know if I’ve ever seen us practice as well as we did this past week. The pulse in the locker room is one of confidence and optimism, such that it almost feels as if there may be a second wind blowing through Commonwealth these days.

Saskatchewan however, is a talented and well coached team that will not lay down for anybody. Even though they are naturally anxious to see if B.C. will beat Hamilton tomorrow thus securing them in second place in the West, I guarantee the same physicality shines through that team tomorrow night. They are playing with a tremendous amount of confidence right now and rightly so. They’ve got two very capable quarterbacks that can put up points in a hurry, a skilled group of receivers, and a tailback that may be the most versatile player in the league in Corey Holmes. Defensively, even without Reggie Hunt in the line-up they are still an extremely strong unit that plays with a great deal of pride and conviction – a direct reflection of their coordinator Richie Hall.

All of those things notwithstanding, we’ve got a chance to do the unthinkable and salvage some good in an otherwise disappointing season tomorrow by doing our part in the equation to secure another week of life for ourselves. In order for that to happen, we must finally take ownership of our home field – even if it is the last time we’ll grace it this year. If we can find it within ourselves to play with some pride, conviction and intellect for 60 minutes or so, the win will take care of itself. We’ll need to strike Saskatchewan early and often to push out any illusions that this game may be anything other than a dog fight for them. As for me personally, I have a feeling that I’ll have opportunities to make some plays that could potentially swing the result in our favor – and I have every intention of capitalizing on them.

Last call for play makers, Edmonton’s finest must stand and be recognized. Together we must fight tooth and nail for the right to continue breathing next week. ©

KP8

10/22/2007 2:13:14 PM

Edmonton Vs B.C. #3

Well, at least we’re creative. If nothing else this season, I’d say that we’ve become good at finding creative ways to lose very winnable games. People will say that B.C. took us lightly both times, or that they were playing down to the level of their opponent or what have you, and you can buy into that if you want but I’m telling you that’s not true. The truth is that they are a very beatable team that we did everything in our power not to beat. I somewhat understand after the last couple of weeks, what Dennis Green was going through last year when the Cardinals lost to Chicago. “They are who we thought they were, and we let them off of the hook!” was his post game rant if I recall correctly, and I certainly felt the same sickening feeling at the end of this game as I did post game the week prior. Going into this series, we didn’t feel as if beating the Lions was an unattainable goal, or as if they had any kind of mystique about them that made them untouchable. We thought that they were a good, fast team that can keep the pressure on in all 3 facets of the game…but very beatable. Turns out we were right – they were who we thought they were.

This has been an all too common trend for us this year, and it’s one that we must find a way to remedy fast. Oddly enough, we still have an outside chance of making the playoffs but we can’t spot teams 7-14 points on special teams, and not make up those 14 points offensively and expect to win games. I’m shocked that we were able to even have a chance to win this past game in spite of such play. Our football I.Q. needs to rise as well if we are to be successful at all, but I really think that most of those issues come down to professionalism. Taking pride in what you do, and understanding that the footage of you that’s being broadcast and recorded during that game is a direct reflection of your name, your organization and yourself. If this is in fact our livelihood and our passion, this child’s game that we all say that we are so blessed to have the opportunity to play – then we must play as such. We must approach the games with the same passion and conviction that we would approach trying to keep anything that we cherished dearly that could be snatched from us in an instant.

I think at times we as players get comfortable in what we’re doing. Be it the routine, our position, our role, even our place in the game. It’s at the moment when complacency sets in, that things go awry. It is then when you get sick of the weight room and decide you’ve done enough for this year, and decide that you’ve watched film on this team the other 3 times you’ve played them so what could have changed? It’s at that time when someone more motivated and hungry makes the play in spite of your best efforts. It is then when the man across from you shows that he is less at ease with his current status than you are, so he goes through you to make the play that he prepared to make – and you did not. Then it is you who are embarrassed, and you should be embarrassed when that happens because that moment is there for all to see. The world watching can now see that you weren’t as prepared to do your job as the man across from you, and the powers that be now have decisions to make about whether or not you can be depended on to aid in the success of this team. It is at that point that you have a problem, and you likely will feel less comfortable in the days that follow.

Make no mistake; comfort is the enemy in this game. There is absolutely nothing cushy about a job that has both open ended contracting, and the violent collisions that this job has. The moment we as players feel irreplaceable, we’re in trouble. Beyoncé said it best in expressing that they can “find another you in a minute.” When a player feels as if he can continually make the same mistakes and it not have an adverse affect on his position or standing with the team– that is a content situation. In such a position, it would be easy to lose the motivation to strive for more, and to achieve greater things. I don’t know how many games we’ve lost this year because of comfort, but I’d venture to say that much of this season has amounted to our contentment as players to “just be living the dream.”
Until that culture changes, here we will sit. ©

KP8

10/18/2007 10:08:10 PM

Father Time

It was nice to see Rob Hitchcock in the locker room this week for a number of reasons. He is one of the true, great, and personable characters of the league and really has a football presence about him. Another thing is that you always know what you’re going to get with a guy like Hitch. You’re not going to be shocked watching film the day after the game to see him clothesline some poor returner, or bury his helmet in a running back’s chest as he tries to get to the outside because you’ve seen him do it so many times. You don’t play on the same team for that long without being extremely good at what you do in this league, and Rob has been one of the best safeties in the game for a very long time.
Recent years have brought him a little closer to the line of scrimmage however, due to the same force that will factor in for every single one of us – time is not an opponent that can be outrun. To me it seems like a lifetime ago that I caught a middle screen pass at McMahon Stadium in my rookie year, broke a couple of tackles and headed for the end zone only to be leveled by Hitchcock. I remember seeing him out of my periphery, but thinking that I had outrun his angle…I was mistaken. His closing speed right before impact is what impressed me most once I watched the tape the next day, you could tell right away that this man had been knocking people on their hindquarters for quite some time.
Hitch will be turning 37 in a couple of weeks and in light of Sean Fleming’s retirement announcement compiled with Shannon Garrett and Milt Stegall’s continually elevated levels of play, and Sean Millington coming back into the fold as an Argo player at age 39 – I really have no idea anymore what is a good age to hang up the cleats. I’ve always said that I don’t want to be a slave to the game, that I want to leave on my own terms before I’m driven out by the powers that be. Not every player shares this view however, I’ve heard several guys say that they’ll have to be dragged away from the game kicking and screaming. I suppose it comes down to the individual player, what the game means to him, and what he can see his life becoming in the game’s absence.

I honestly, can’t see myself playing this game past the age of 35, not necessarily because I don’t think that my body will hold up. I’ve never had a major surgery, (knock on wood) and I take very good care of myself. For me, I just think that by then the game will have slowed down to the point of not being as fun or challenging as it once was. I remember how fast things happened in my first two years in the league, it seemed like I only had one speed, and it still seemed to not be fast enough to keep pace with the activity level around me. The next three years weren’t a lot better, but I did notice some changes as I understood coverages better. However, the last two years have slowed for me tremendously – to the point that I really have to smile when I play now. I understand why things are happening around me now, why the offensive line is changing the protection vs. a dime substitution, why every defence has holes in it – and more importantly…how to get to them. In another six years I can only imagine how slow the game will be for me, and how slow it must seem to guys like Hitch and Shannon. To watch Shannon call out receivers routes from the sidelines at practice gives me some inclination. I remember discussing this very thing with Mike Morreale last year and he was saying that the key is to get to the point where the game is at a standstill for you, while you’re still athletic enough to capitalize on it.

When the game itself is posing great challenges for you with its speed, physicality and unknown nuances it’s very easy to motivate one-self to try to overcome and achieve. The offseason facility becomes somewhat of a fortress of solitude, as you try to better understand and prepare yourself for what the coming season brings. If all of those things that were previously unknowns become “known’s”, the only thing left to play for, is the physical competition itself really. This would seem to be somewhat lopsided if I as an elder statesman at that time am constantly up against young wide-eyed defenders. Alas, I bet that’s where father time kicks in and trumps the “game knowledge” advantage with “age related physical deficiencies” thus, keeping the challenge level as high as ever. Actually, that sounds like a cruel hoax to me.

All I know is that my hat is off to all of the aforementioned players, as well as the others throughout the league that are playing in the plus side of 30 years of age. That’s a whole lotta snaps fellas and I certainly am not going to be the one to say you should hang up the cleats. I say if you can contribute, a team will pay you accordingly, and you still enjoy what you do – then do it as long as your heart’s content. The shelf life on this job is short enough as it is, without people outside the realm of the game trying to make it even shorter in my humble opinion. ©

KP8

10/15/2007 5:15:20 PM

Edmonton Vs B.C. #2

My dad once told me that “almost” only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes. At the time it seemed funny but lately…not so much. I can count 7 games this season thus far including the last one, that we had a chance to secure victory in the last drive but didn’t. It kills me to think of how different our season would be if we had found a way to win 3 of those games. As usual this game came down to 4 or 5 plays that were available to be made by either side, and unfortunately we weren’t able to make the majority of them. In those 4 or 5 plays, the tide shifted and left us on the outside looking in – kicking ourselves following yet another missed opportunity.

To me the difference between making a big play and not making a big play is simply a matter of fact as opposed to a matter of faith. Good teams “know” absolutely that they will make the game changing play when it comes to them. Even on days that they don’t make those game changing plays, they don’t get discouraged by the fact that they didn’t make them – instead they view those days as anomalies to their normal winning routine. It has taken us too long this season to establish a firm belief in ourselves that we are a good enough team to overcome mistakes, and still win the game in spite of them. However, in this game I did see that in spite of our turnovers and missed opportunities we did in fact believe that we would march the ball for a touchdown at the end of that game. Stefan did a great job of giving us an opportunity to do just that but circumstances being what they were, it just wasn’t meant to be it seems.

The confidence that winning breeds, emanated from the entire B.C. team throughout the duration of that game. Regardless of what was going on with them in terms of struggles, turnovers, or score – they genuinely felt and conveyed that they would win the game ultimately. I could hear them talking about it on defence, almost willing it to happen. Whereas, offensively we seemed to buy into the same ideology at times – tentatively holding the lead, waiting until the inevitable big play was made by the Lions. It wasn’t until it was actually made by them that we seemed to show some true initiative, but by then it was too late.

Confidence comes from repeatedly doing the same thing and having some measure of success at it. Each repetition under center that Stefan gets, he seemingly gains confidence – and we will be a better team in the long run for it. Each game that passes in which all of us that are new to the Eskimos play with those that have been here, we all gain confidence – because even in a loss we’ve been able to find several things that we’ve been successful at. We’re so close to being a good team that I can taste it…honestly. I’d even venture to say that we’re “almost” a good team. We’re a play or two away from being that team, and even in spite of all that we’ve had to overcome this year in terms of turnover, injury and circumstance – we’ve matched up with the best teams in our league and fared as well or better against every one of them “almost” beat everybody. If we can somehow string some wins together and get in the playoffs with some help, I guarantee nobody will want to play us…We’re “almost” that good.
Hand grenades and horseshoes… ©

KP8

10/11/2007 11:53:06 PM

Truth

The team that we are facing on Saturday is successful for a reason. In spite of losing their top two quarterbacks early in the season, they’ve managed to hold the best record in the league. They’ve done it by being exactly what all of the rest of the teams in the league say that that they need to be, and doing what we all say we need to do every week. They rally around their quarterback through their run game, which allows him to establish rhythm and continuity through the pass – defensively they force turnovers and scores, and through their special teams they consistently have great field position. I really can’t think of a better situation to be in as a non-starting quarterback in any league. These factors allot for a total team effort in each game, which translates into the confidence and swagger that we all talk about needing as a team. That being said…I still like our chances.

I like our chances because in spite of all of those things I still see deficiencies in what they do, and I still see areas that can be attacked and exploited. I look at this team and I don’t necessarily see the unflappable, unstoppable force that everyone else sees – I see a smart, disciplined team that plays hard and buys into the system that they play in. I certainly admire that about them, but make no mistake…they can be beaten. I see a unified team that plays for each other and has the confidence to rebound from situations that may not necessarily go their way. I see a team whose offensive line takes much of the attention away from any other topic that would be up for discussion with the team, putting the weight on their shoulders while setting the team tone themselves. They are a brash and confident defence that challenges you to put the ball in the air by flowing downhill to the run and squatting on intermediate routes. As well as a special teams unit that takes pride in each return as well as covering each kick, understanding their individual roles on the team. While all of these things contribute to the continued success of the Lions, none of them make them invincible.

To me the main difference between the two teams currently aside from the obvious record differential – is simply consistency. There is definitely something to be said for knowing exactly what team is going to show up each week, as well as knowing how your team will deal with the adversity that comes with each and every game. The fact that B.C. has lost less on the road than they have at home is as testament to their focus and resolve – both of which can be broken. At times this season against the CFL’s best teams, we have shown brilliance in every facet of the game, but seldom have shown all three phases in the same game. That’s not to say that it can’t be done.

Much has been made about the veteran’s only meeting that took place this week amongst our team. Honestly, I’m not sure what all the fuss is about as I’m quite certain meetings take place in almost every job environment. For what it’s worth though, it was well timed in my opinion. I felt like it was a good time to clarify the situation at hand so that we all truly understand both what is at stake, and what is required of us to succeed. Make no mistake about it; B.C. is the most complete team in the CFL right now and if we are to beat them, we will have to out play them in each facet of the game. We cannot simply hope for a bounce or two to go our way. This team won’t come in here and take us lightly because of our record, they won’t be sloppy and they certainly won’t hold back for any reason. If we are to have success we must be sharper than we’ve been this season at any point, and more complete than we’ve been as of late. Offensively, our stars must shine just as bright at theirs. Defensively, we must match their physicality with physicality, and our special teams must cancel out theirs.

If this season is going to amount to anything at all, it must happen now…we can wait no longer. ©

KP8

10/7/2007 9:34:51 PM

Struggle

Well, we’ve officially painted ourselves into a corner. Toronto gave us opportunities for two straight weeks, and we simply didn’t have the presence of mind to take the opportunities and run with them. It’s not to say that the entire team hasn’t shown up in those weeks, in actuality the defence has been playing fantastic…offensively, we simply have not held up our end of the bargain. The common excuse of course, as it will be throughout the remainder of the season, is that in Ricky’s absence we lack identity. I don’t pretend not to understand the importance of Ricky Ray’s presence to this offence. I do not believe for a second however, that Ricky being out is an excuse for us to make week one mistakes with only 5 games remaining. That type of thing is unacceptable of a playoff caliber team, and while most will say that this is not a playoff caliber team as evidence by our inability to win games that we absolutely need – I still choose to see the team that has shown itself in flashes.

This week has been impossibly difficult for me because it marks the first time that I’ve been injured but still playing. People always say that there is a difference between hurt and injured, and that’s definitely true, but I don’t think I really understood the difference fully until now that I’ve tried to play through injuries that under normal circumstances would keep me out of games. From field level, this game seemed to be about the Argos making 2 maybe 3 plays that we simply weren’t able to make on that day. While that’s an easy thing to say, and probably very easy to see even to the untrained eye, it’s difficult to swallow for someone like myself who fancies himself somewhat of a playmaker. For me it was excruciating to see the searching looks on our sidelines as we grasped for answers collectively knowing that in order to win – someone would need to make a play or two for our side. Excruciating for me because if I’m healthy, I believe that I can be the one to make that difference for us, I believe that I can make that play. To be out there dressed up and trying to play the part without being able to outrun anyone or squeeze a football, was like a starving man being ushered bound and gagged through a buffet line. My team needed me, and while I was out there in terms of my presence physically – my ability to contribute to the cause was so limited that I couldn’t be what they needed me to be in order to win.
I had said that Stefan could get it done, but that he couldn’t do it alone. Unfortunately for us, I was correct in that statement and it’s unfortunate because we certainly had our chances to make plays. Each and every one of us had opportunities to directly influence the outcome of that game. While some had more visible opportunities – a dropped ball is no more significant than a missed blocking assignment that translates into a loss of yardage. I felt like we took a step back in that game as a unit, and it’s imperative that we understand on what levels that we aren’t performing up to par. In order to fix them, they must first be recognized as deficient. The team that’s coming in here on Saturday is one that will not only prey on your weaknesses, but will exploit them fully and capitalize on them if they are allowed to.

Only two good things came out of this past game that I can think of. First, Stefan got his first start out of the way and under his belt – they’ll all be more comfortable from here out for him. And second, I was able to escape the game without doing more damage to the injuries that I came in with.

Hopefully, by Saturday I’ll be somewhere near full strength and more able to help the cause. We’ll need a great performance from everybody to beat B.C. and I’m certainly no exception. It’s a daunting task that lay ahead of us; one that I doubt anyone would think we have the capability of overcoming. B.C. is the hottest team in the league, and has amassed 10 wins with their third string quarterback at the helm. Be that as it may, if we can’t find a way to beat them at least once out of the two games we have against them…our fate may be sealed. ©

KP8

10/5/2007 5:21:55 PM
Stack em High

I must admit, I’m somewhat jealous of the situation that Stefan LeFors will be in tomorrow. Most people in the know would put his chances of success at slim to nil at best, considering the circumstances. He is on the road in his first ever professional start, against a Rich Stubler defence, a hostile crowd, and an extra defender from the football he grew up playing. Even an optimist would say that he’s definitely got his work cut out for him, and I’d probably agree with that statement. I do however think that he is more than capable of doing the job, and to do so…would be quite an introductory statement into this league. Any competitor will relish the chance to succeed against all odds.

In my time in this league, I’ve seen many quarterbacks. I’ve seen several starters and countless backups, and some have flourished and been dominant – while others in spite of their past success at other levels have struggled to adapt when their time came if it came at all. In fact the one thing that they had in common was that all of them at one time or another, each one of them was a wide-eyed rookie to this league trying to adjust to the size of the field, the extra man, and the speed of this game.

Locally, people will recall Ricky Ray was backing up Jason Maas before he got his shot to shine due to injury. Much like Casey Printers did while backing up Dave Dickenson. Kevin Glenn didn’t get a chance to become what he has until Khari Jones was injured, and Anthony Calvillo was a backup in Hamilton before receiving his chance to shine in Hamilton and then Montreal. It’s tough to imagine these quarterbacks in a back-up role nowadays really. I mean, Casey’s the highest paid player in the league now, Kevin’s a front runner for Most Outstanding Player, and Ricky Ray is…well…Ricky Ray. In spite of all that, each of them was an “unknown” in this league at one time – just like Stefan and Steven Jyles.

Stefan is in a situation in which every possible thing is stacked against him in the eyes of most people, and rightly so for the most part. In quarterbacking, the unknown is usually not something that one should bet the farm on traditionally. However, in the same way that the elements of a new quarterback can be seen as detrimental to a team’s success, these “unknowns” could very easily turn into “knowns” once that back-up quarterback wades into the starting waters. Not knowing what that quarterback will be like with the pocket collapsing could very easily become an asset instead of a liability, much like it did for Casey Printers. His size and release could be an unknown factor of concern for some at present, but could end up working out to his advantage like it did for Kevin Glenn. Or his pocket presence and ability to read a defence and make the right throw could be in question right now, or could end up his strength much like it did for Ricky Ray.

One thing is for sure, the opportunity is here for Stefan LeFors – but he won’t be out there alone. It’s up to us to aid his confidence and make his first start a memorable one for all the right reasons. ©

KP8

10/2/2007 11:31:04 PM

Show And Tell

With five games remaining, the possibility of making the playoffs is just as real as the threat of missing them for us. With Ricky out for the season, the natural reaction of course is to throw your hands up and say “that’s it, they don’t have a chance.” That’s certainly a justifiable reaction from anyone familiar with Eskimo football in the last few years, since Ricky has been the face of the organization for quite some time – and deservedly so. If not for my faith in our coaching staff, and the rest of our quarterbacks perhaps I too would be less optimistic about our chances. To be honest, I’ve never been considered by others to be particularly optimistic…more of a realist really. The reality is that we’re in control of our own destiny at this point, and it will take nothing more than for us deciding that we want to play in November, for it to be so.

Ideally, this would be the time when we’re getting healthy as a team, welcoming injured players back onto the roster for the run into the post-season (ie. Eddie Davis in Saskatchewan, Dante Marsh in B.C.) Instead we’re losing major contributors like Mathieu Bertrand (1st in CFL special teams tackles,) T.J. Acree and Ricky Ray for considerable amounts of time. I’m trying desperately to stay off of that list myself! One of the great things that I find in this league is the fact that in spite of all of the struggles that we’ve had to endure this year, we’re still smack dab in the middle of the play-off picture.

I thought about trying to look at the schedules of the teams that we may be battling to get into the playoffs with in attempt to estimate the likelihood and probabilities, but decided against it. Ultimately, the fact of the matter is that if we just take care of our own business each week we won’t have to worry about anything, or anyone else. I’m excited to see Stefan get an opportunity this week to show his stuff on such a large stage. I have a hunch he’ll show up well for us and give us a chance to steal a win in Toronto. I realized pretty early on in camp that quarterbacking was not going to be an issue for us, just from having seen so many in my career come and go – ours can all play legitimately within their own rights. I have a feeling that many people are sleeping on Stefan and Steven’s abilities and savvy which is fine by me, I’m sure they’ll relish the opportunity to make believers out of anyone willing to watch.

As for me, this week was particularly tough because I actually missed two days of practice in attempt to try to heal up some of the wounds that the game has given me in the past couple of weeks. Missing practice is a part of some player’s general routine for the year, and in turn they get used to functioning accordingly. I’m not one of those players at all. For me to miss even a day of practice, they’re must be something completely prohibiting me from doing my job. In this case, the broken thumb wasn’t really enough to keep me out of practice because I could still run, but the hamstring strain makes me somewhat of a waste out there until such a time as I can keep up with everyone again and fly around. I’m working overtime in the training room in order to get my body back up to speed in time to take the field with my teammates on Saturday.

We each have a part to play, my job right now is to allow my body to heal up enough to tax it again on Saturday, and make plays when called upon. Sitting idly has never been something that I was able to manage however, so this week has been tougher than most for me. ©

KP8