Eskimos host Stamps in preseason tilt

June 12, 2010
CFL.ca Staff

EDMONTON — A new look stadium, a new look defence and a new voice to describe the action are in store for the Eskimos and their fans this season.

History will be made as the Esks and Stamps take to the new artificial surface. It marks the first time since the stadium opened in 1978 that natural grass won’t be underfoot. Work on the new Eskimo locker room at the south end is in the home stretch and the team will be in its new digs by the end of June. The rest of the new North Central Community Recreation Centre, which includes a field house, swimming pool, offices and Eskimo Team Store, will officially open in 2012.

Eskimos head coach Richie Hall returns for his second season but has also assumed the defensive co-ordinator’s job following the resignation of Jim Daley. The job is nothing new for Hall, who was Saskatchewan’s longtime defensive co-ordinator before heading to Edmonton.

Eskimo GM and Dir. of Football Operations Danny Maciocia did some renovating of his own during the off-season, especially to the defence. The Esks’ football brain trust will be watching closely the play of the D-line and re-tooled secondary. Ex-NFL’er Kenny Pettway has had a strong camp and is making a real push to crack the roster.

On the back end, the Esks are bigger and tougher thanks to the acquisitions of CFL vets Chris Thompson, Lawrence Gordon and Lenny Walls and a healthy Willie Amos who missed all of 2009 with a leg injury.

Ricky Ray returns at quarterback and the emergence of Arkee Whitlock at tailback helped eased the decision to release Canadian Jesse Lumsden.

Edmonton’s offence is largely unchanged, but there’s a stiff fight brewing at left tackle where Jeremy Parquet is looking to unseat incumbent Calvin Armstrong. Fred Stamps, the CFL’s top pass catcher in ’09 and the newly returned Kelly Campbell have a lock on jobs, but tonight’s tilt is critical for some of Edmonton’s rookie receivers. Portland State product Tremayne Kirkland has shown deep threat speed in camp. Undrafted Canadian rookie running back Pascal Fils has caught the attention of both teammates and coaches.

#3 QB Jared Zabransky should see some significant field time against the Stamps. The former Boise State star needs the chance to show he can lead the offence and push eleven-year CFL vet Jason Maas for the backup spot to Ricky Ray. Rookie Floyd Haigler has drawn praise for his raw athleticism and arm strength and may get some “mop up” duty tomorrow evening.

In a season of change perhaps it’s fitting that there’s a new man in the radio booth to call the action of Eskimo games. Morley Scott is no stranger to Edmonton listeners after 16 years doing colour on Oilers games. Scott’s joined in the booth by Dave Campbell.

CALGARY OUTLOOK

There are questions about Calgary with the departure of offensive co-ordinator George Cortez (Buffalo, NFL), receiver Jeremaine Copeland (trade, Toronto) and offensive linemen Dimitri Tsoumpas (Miami, NFL), Jeff Pilon and Jesse Newman (both retired).

The newbies will be front and centre for the Stampeders’ pre-season opener at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday.

While veterans such as Henry Burris, Mike Labinjo, Rob Lazeo, Ben Archibald, Tearrius George and Randy Chevrier will be making the trip, Joffrey Reynolds, Nik Lewis, Romby Bryant, Wes Lysack and Charleston Hughes are among those who will be sitting out to give the first-year players more of an opportunity to strut their stuff.

“It is a young lineup,” said head coach and general manager John Hufnagel after Saturday’s walkthrough at McMahon Stadium. “We need to do a good job of evaluating and give the guys a good chance to show what they can and can’t do. (With the inexperience of the lineup) it probably will not be the best-played game because of assignment mistakes but we’ll go up there with the intention of playing hard and trying to win a football game.”

Hufnagel says the players have been in camp long enough to have learned the nuts and bolts of the Stampeders system.

“They’ve been here for a week,” he remarked. “They understand the basics of our offence and defence and special teams. It’s going to be a simple game plan and I want to see who can make plays.

“No one plays a perfect game. I understand that and the players understand that, too. I just want to see them playing hard and playing fast and when they have a chance to make a play, to rise to the occasion. Players have been in competitive battles before. They’ve been in big games. They’ve been in a situation where they had to perform to win jobs. This is no different.”