Elks: Edmonton Eskimos 2018 v2

[Kyle McMahon]

Just got back from the game. Decent number of butts in the seats for a downpour.

The good:

-The defensive line. Stuffed Wilder all night, came up with a huge sack when we really needed it late. I wouldn't say they got a lot of pressure on Franklin, but it's tough when Benefeces almost literally never blitzes. Sewell and the boys won the battle against a strong Toronto line that couldn't open any holes.

-CJ Gable for not committing any fumbles tonight in a rain storm. And other than the early pick that wasn't his fault, Reilly as well. Ball protection is crucial and we did a great job of that.

-Hugh O'Neill. I bagged on him last week, so I'll give him credit. Those two singles were huge. I'm not sure if it was but design or not, but I said to my buddy in the stands that I hope he tries for a single rather than a pin. It worked out, and we needed both those points. I'll never understand the logic of a returner giving up a point to put his team down 4 instead of 3 in the fourth quarter.

The bad:

-The coaching staff. Wet ball, bad conditions, and yet it was clear from the opening drive of the game that absolutely no adjustment to the game plan to cope with the weather was going to occur. Numerous drives killed by wet balls slipping out of wet hands as zero effort was made to establish a run game. No screens, no bootlegs, no tosses, no draws. Nada. And for a guy who won't gamble with the game on the line, it has to be said that even though we scored a TD on the drive, the decision by Maas to gamble on 3rd and 6 on the Argos 43 with a 5 point lead in the third quarter was absolutely idiotic. I can't believe he will risk swinging 40 yards of field position with a lead, but not when he's losing with 2 minutes left. Beyond belief, really.

-However...Marc Trestman electing to punt with 0:00 on the clock at the end of the first half is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen on a football field, so on this night he managed to make the worst decision of them all.

-Team discipline. After preaching all week that things needed to change in this department, we promptly go out and take another 100+ yards worth of penalties. Including 3 majors in a row that allowed Toronto an easy TD that got them right back into a game we'd just taken control of. If this organization is serious at all about changing this culture, Chris Edwards will be looking for a new job on Monday.

 

[RipsADrive]

I shouldn't pick on you, but this post is hilarious in retrospect.

Don't feel bad though. Most people (including me) would generally agree that field position is more important than a single measly point.

Nah, no offence taken. I knew if we won it would probably be by that one point.

I was just as ready to see the Argos march the field for a winning TD though with that gained field position. I'm not sure I've seen the Esks hit that coffin corner all year.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Nah, no offence taken. I knew if we won it would probably be by that one point.

I was just as ready to see the Argos march the field for a winning TD though with that gained field position. I'm not sure I've seen the Esks hit that coffin corner all year.

The field position gained from conceding a single has overstated importance IMO. The ball only comes out to the 25, so you're still 85 yards from a TD. If the defense allows a march down field that long, chances are the TD was happening anyway.

Edit: 35 and 75, my mistake.

We've all listened to commentators for years talk about how it was a "mistake" by the kicker to have a ball roll into the endzone for a single, so you kind of get conditioned to thinking that. But like a lot of old customary strategies, once you sit back and give it some thought on your own, you start to question it. There are certainly situations where the coffin corner is preferable to the single, but the reverse is also true, despite seldom being acknowledged as such.

Conceding a safety was similar. This is finally starting to go the way of the dodo, as it should.

 

[MoontoScott]

-Best game of the year (so far) by the D-line. Up until now we had no heat whatsoever on the opposing QB. Rivers has been a good find and Usher looks like he has potential.

-D backs were definitely better this week but it helps when the opposing receivers keep dropping the ball.

-Williams>Walker? Duke has been a pleasant surprise so far. Kenny Stafford has played better as well.

-Bryant Mitchell hasn't played much but tends to make some impressive catches when called upon. Where will Hazelton play when his injury time is over?

-We must be the only team in CFL history that doesn't have a screen play in the play book. Have we run a draw play all year?

-I wonder if we will have a kickoff/punt return for a TD before November.

-Franklin will probably be #1 in Toronto for a long time.

-Wynn definitely deserves suspension.

-Bond has to be better than he has been.

-Way too many penalties again. Stamps would have killed us.

 

[RipsADrive]

The field position gained from conceding a single has overstated importance IMO. The ball only comes out to the 25, so you're still 85 yards from a TD. If the defense allows a march down field that long, chances are the TD was happening anyway.

We've all listened to commentators for years talk about how it was a "mistake" by the kicker to have a ball roll into the endzone for a single, so you kind of get conditioned to thinking that. But like a lot of old customary strategies, once you sit back and give it some thought on your own, you start to question it. There are certainly situations where the coffin corner is preferable to the single, but the reverse is also true, despite seldom being acknowledged as such.

Conceding a safety was similar. This is finally starting to go the way of the dodo, as it should.

25 yards is not negligible and forcing the other QB to run a play out of their own endzone really limits their options. I understand your point of view but 9/10 I'd still rather kick for the field position.

Certainly glad it worked out this time though since the two singles ended up winning the game. Perhaps the coaching staff called for it on purpose since they saw the Argos having trouble finishing drives all night and played the odds that the single would win it.

 

[bone]

Just got back from the game. Decent number of butts in the seats for a downpour.

The good:

-The defensive line. Stuffed Wilder all night, came up with a huge sack when we really needed it late. I wouldn't say they got a lot of pressure on Franklin, but it's tough when Benefeces almost literally never blitzes. Sewell and the boys won the battle against a strong Toronto line that couldn't open any holes.

-CJ Gable for not committing any fumbles tonight in a rain storm. And other than the early pick that wasn't his fault, Reilly as well. Ball protection is crucial and we did a great job of that.

-Hugh O'Neill. I bagged on him last week, so I'll give him credit. Those two singles were huge. I'm not sure if it was but design or not, but I said to my buddy in the stands that I hope he tries for a single rather than a pin. It worked out, and we needed both those points. I'll never understand the logic of a returner giving up a point to put his team down 4 instead of 3 in the fourth quarter.

The bad:

-The coaching staff. Wet ball, bad conditions, and yet it was clear from the opening drive of the game that absolutely no adjustment to the game plan to cope with the weather was going to occur. Numerous drives killed by wet balls slipping out of wet hands as zero effort was made to establish a run game. No screens, no bootlegs, no tosses, no draws. Nada. And for a guy who won't gamble with the game on the line, it has to be said that even though we scored a TD on the drive, the decision by Maas to gamble on 3rd and 6 on the Argos 43 with a 5 point lead in the third quarter was absolutely idiotic. I can't believe he will risk swinging 40 yards of field position with a lead, but not when he's losing with 2 minutes left. Beyond belief, really.

-However...Marc Trestman electing to punt with 0:00 on the clock at the end of the first half is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen on a football field, so on this night he managed to make the worst decision of them all.

-Team discipline. After preaching all week that things needed to change in this department, we promptly go out and take another 100+ yards worth of penalties. Including 3 majors in a row that allowed Toronto an easy TD that got them right back into a game we'd just taken control of. If this organization is serious at all about changing this culture, Chris Edwards will be looking for a new job on Monday.

Agree with most of your post, but not on Maas gamble. 49 yard field goal isn’t happening with how slick that ball was. O’Neill was struggling all day with ball placement, so odds are that the best case scenario is 20-25 yards in field position, or worst case 1 point and 7 yards of field position. Also, I suspect the offence begged Maas to have that chance after giving the ball up last week. So he gave them their chance, where there was a bit less at stake, with a whole bunch to gain (they scored a touchdown a couple plays later). That’s good for team confidence and ultimately helped win them the game.

PS. Don’t they field the ball from the 35 after a rouge? The 25 yard line is for kickoffs from a safety or end zone possession gains where the attacking team doesn’t gain a point (rouge).

 

[Stoneman89]

Sheesh, looking at that wretched weather last night and the pedestrian games that occurred, rather glad I was sitting in front of a telly in a warm living room and a nice drink in my hand, but kudos to those few souls who dared to venture out and attend.

Very poorly played game by both teams, but with the weather conditions being what they were, have to give all a pass for this one.
Not a big fan of the mic’d stuff, gets a bit repetitive after a while, and then finally, just plain irritating. I’m sure others love it, but not my cup of tea.
Reilly was very good, despite the conditions and dropped balls, and in the end, simply refused to let his team lose. The ultimate leader.
I have no idea how #68 for the Argos was not kicked out for the intent to injure blatant head shot. As it was he blew any chance his team had by incurring a 15 yarder on the final drive. But still, the league looks like a joke when they allow to happen. Getting a suspension or fine now only serves to reinforce the fact he should have been disqualified right then and there.

Didn’t take long for meathead to pick up another stupid penalty, did it?
How this clown was able to secure a job this year and now keep it is beyond me.
Also, not a big fan of all these silly celebrations a bunch of guys on this team seem to feel they need to do after they make a play. You’d swear we won the Cup with some of the cellys. Enough already. As Brian Kelly used to say, “Act like you’ve been there or done that before”.

Lastly, pretty easy now after the fact to say that kicking a single was the right choice, given the final score. But for all we know, pinning the Argos deep could very well have resulted in chances for 3 or even 7 points instead. And if the consensus is that the defence was playing well, then that would have been the preferred choice. Still, hard to rag on O’Neil too much, as I think he is pretty decent at coffin kicks but just had an off night last night, is all. I don’t think Grant Shaw was able to perform even one of them during his entire time here.

 

[MoneyGuy]

I listened to the radio broadcast and, man, the broadcasters were horrible. Bryan Hall at-the-end-of-his-play-by-play-career bad.

Not seeing flags laying on the field, calling a five-yard gain as two yards, giving a wrong yard line for scrimmaging, naming the wrong receiver making a reception (and not correcting it) and saying an Esks punt was a trick play as the ball was being punted. That’s a WTF moment.

 

[Stoneman89]

And as sad as that is, Hallsy at the end of his career was still better than Morley Scott.

 

[Hockey Nightmare]

Does Lulay last a quarter?

 

[rboomercat90]

The field position gained from conceding a single has overstated importance IMO. The ball only comes out to the 25, so you're still 85 yards from a TD. If the defense allows a march down field that long, chances are the TD was happening anyway.

We've all listened to commentators for years talk about how it was a "mistake" by the kicker to have a ball roll into the endzone for a single, so you kind of get conditioned to thinking that. But like a lot of old customary strategies, once you sit back and give it some thought on your own, you start to question it. There are certainly situations where the coffin corner is preferable to the single, but the reverse is also true, despite seldom being acknowledged as such.

Conceding a safety was similar. This is finally starting to go the way of the dodo, as it should.

Every game is different. Normally, I’d think the coffin corner and field position would be of the most importance but last night was a weird game. With the lousy weather and struggling offences, it was clear that there wasn’t going to be a lot of scoring and every point would be important. Not that it matters what commentators think but coaches need to read the game circumstances to figure out what’s needed most. Going by a chart, so to speak, is stupid.

 

[Cloned]

And as sad as that is, Hallsy at the end of his career was still better than Morley Scott.

Morley is terrible. Can’t believe they hired him to do PBP...and they’re sticking with him too! His voice is not made for PBP at all. He’s OK as a colour commentator but his PBP phrasing and linguistics are, to be polite, cringeworthy.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Agree with most of your post, but not on Maas gamble. 49 yard field goal isn’t happening with how slick that ball was. O’Neill was struggling all day with ball placement, so odds are that the best case scenario is 20-25 yards in field position, or worst case 1 point and 7 yards of field position. Also, I suspect the offence begged Maas to have that chance after giving the ball up last week. So he gave them their chance, where there was a bit less at stake, with a whole bunch to gain (they scored a touchdown a couple plays later). That’s good for team confidence and ultimately helped win them the game.

PS. Don’t they field the ball from the 35 after a rouge? The 25 yard line is for kickoffs from a safety or end zone possession gains where the attacking team doesn’t gain a point (rouge).

Yes, my mistake. It's the 25 for downed ball situations that don't result in a point, 35 for when it does.

Appreciate the different perspective on the gamble. Agree that a FG was out of the question. I'd have definitely punted though. Giving Toronto the ball way up at the 40 without adding anything to the lead was a big risk in my eyes. Even a mediocre punt would have had them around the 10. But glad the gamble paid off, so all's well that ends well.

25 yards is not negligible and forcing the other QB to run a play out of their own endzone really limits their options. I understand your point of view but 9/10 I'd still rather kick for the field position.

Certainly glad it worked out this time though since the two singles ended up winning the game. Perhaps the coaching staff called for it on purpose since they saw the Argos having trouble finishing drives all night and played the odds that the single would win it.

If the kicker almost literally hits the corner, I agree. It's hard on an offense to scrimmage inside their 3 yard line. I'll take the point in most instances as opposed to having them scrimmage from the 6 or 7 yard line though, which is more typical of where a punter typically puts it if he's going for the pin.

 

[Del Preston]

Nice comeback by the Lions.

 

[Cloned]

Nice comeback by the Lions.

LaPolice with some Maas level play calling to give the game away.

 

[guymez]

I listened to the radio broadcast and, man, the broadcasters were horrible. Bryan Hall at-the-end-of-his-play-by-play-career bad.

Not seeing flags laying on the field, calling a five-yard gain as two yards, giving a wrong yard line for scrimmaging, naming the wrong receiver making a reception (and not correcting it) and saying an Esks punt was a trick play as the ball was being punted. That’s a WTF moment.

100%

Its un-listenable. Morley and Dave Campbell are embarrassingly bad.
I have listened to a number of CFL broadcasts and the Eskimo broadcast is by far the worst. I am dumbfounded that no one seems to care about this so its good to see your input.

 

[guymez]

And as sad as that is, Hallsy at the end of his career was still better than Morley Scott.

Much better.

 

[oilers4life5]

So we going to sign TO? He enacted the 10 day window.

 

[MoneyGuy]

never mind

 

[rboomercat90]

100%

Its un-listenable. Morley and Dave Campbell are embarrassingly bad.
I have listened to a number of CFL broadcasts and the Eskimo broadcast is by far the worst. I am dumbfounded that no one seems to care about this so its good to see your input.

It’s just like with the Oilers. All the games are on tv now and not many listen to the games on the radio anymore. The radio guy doesn’t have to be iconic like he used to be so nobody cares.

 

[Cloned]

It’s just like with the Oilers. All the games are on tv now and not many listen to the games on the radio anymore. The radio guy doesn’t have to be iconic like he used to be so nobody cares.

So the choice is between Rod Black and Morley Scott?

Where’s the puking emoji again?

 

[Gord]

So we going to sign TO? He enacted the 10 day window.

Nik Lewis said he does want to play in the CFL but wants to be down east.
I'd pay to see him play whichever team he signs for but with the talent esks have at receiver, I'd only want him on the esks if he replaces Maas as the OC.

 

[shoop]

Nik Lewis said he does want to play in the CFL but wants to be down east.

I found it odd TO wants to make a combeback. Eight years from last playing in the NFL and 44 years old is a tough hill to climb. Even for an NFL hall of famer moving to the CFL.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

100%

Its un-listenable. Morley and Dave Campbell are embarrassingly bad.
I have listened to a number of CFL broadcasts and the Eskimo broadcast is by far the worst. I am dumbfounded that no one seems to care about this so its good to see your input.

The worst part is that Morley frequently neglects to mention how many yards were picked up or whether or not a first down has occurred.

"Oh Duke Williams makes a nice catch!"...ok good...do we have a first down?..."he got by the coverage there and Mike Reilly placed it perfectly"...do we have a freaking first down Morley?!..."oh it actually looks like there's a flag out there now, we'll wait for the call"...wtf is going on!?..."and it's roughing on Reilly, so we'll move it up 15 yards"...to where? what was the original play?..."and here's the snap..." holy shit...

 

[Tobias Kahun]

I found it odd TO wants to make a combeback. Eight years from last playing in the NFL and 44 years old is a tough hill to climb. Even for an NFL hall of famer moving to the CFL.

He just ran a 4.43 or something ridiculously fast, I’m sure he’s still in shape to play