ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
TORONTO — This week’s firing of general manager Danny Macioca proved that despite recording a victory last week over the B.C. Lions, a 1-4 start to the season is simply not acceptable in the City of Champions.
Their usually formidable offence has struggled thus far, putting up 102 points and ranking in the middle of the pack in almost all of the league’s major offensive categories.
Struggles aside, what makes this team a scary opponent is that there is no doubt that they have the talent, especially on offence, to turn their season around in a real hurry. Their Week 5 opponents, the Argonauts, are in no position to take them lightly.
As mentioned, points have been tough to come by for the Esks but veteran QB Ricky Ray is still putting up his usual impressive numbers, ranking second in the league in completion percentage, 68.0%, and boasting a 92.1 quarterback rating.
Ray’s two go-to receivers, Fred Stamps and Kelly Campbell, are second and fourth in the league respectively in pass receiving but have only posted one touchdown each. Not to mention that their untimely fumbles and dropped passes have been well documented.
It may seem all doom and gloom for those that sit in the stands at Commonwealth Stadium, but the reality is that they were a few key plays away from swinging the momentum in their favour in three of their four losses.
Sometimes it does not matter what scheme or personnel you throw at the opposition, their best players just make plays. As was the case in Week 1 when former Argo Jamal Robertson rushed for over 160 yards against the Esks. The following week, they controlled the game and put fourth a valiant effort against the defending Champion Montreal Alouettes but couldn’t put the Als away when given the opportunity. A week 3 battle with the West Division-leading Roughriders served as a good test for the Esks but once again they fell short (by four points).
The Eskimos will enter their game with an added boost on their defensive line as they try to make CFL rookie QB Cleo Lemon uncomfortable in the pocket. After recovering from a knee injury suffered last season and a series of injuries that kept him away from football in 2008, Canadian DT Adam Braidwood is back in the lineup. The former MMA fighter creates an imposing interior d-line combination alongside veteran Dario Romero, who has also battled back from a 2009 injury.
Regardless of their performance this week against Toronto, the Esks could be in a position to make up ground in the standings following Friday night. They play four straight games against West Division opponents.
» QB Ricky Ray
» RB Arkee Whitlock
» WR Fred Stamps
» WR Kelly Campbell
» WR Andre Talbot
» DT Adam Braidwood
» DB T.J. Hill
» DB Lenny Walls
» P/K Noel Prefontaine
» Can the Esks build on their lone win of the season?
» How will the young Argos offence perform against an Edmonton secondary that has seen its fair share of change in the last two seasons?