Jul
Edmonton: Richardson a quick study
Courtesy Edmonton Journal:
Elliott Richardson is proving to be a quick study.
Three weeks into his professional football career, the diminutive Toronto native is filling in nicely at safety after veteran Scott Gordon went down with a leg injury late in the Edmonton Eskimos’opening win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Living with Gordon (and Graeme Bell), the 23-year-old is like a sponge, absorbing everything the elder statesman of the secondary has to offer.
“That’s the great thing about Elliott, he’s always trying to get better,” said Gordon, 32. “Living with him, I’m always trying to give him tips. Give him that little extra help, as far as reading offences and position, that way he’s able to get that little extra help away from the locker-room.”
The knowledge is rubbing off on the Acadia University product, who stands just five-foot-nine and 190 pounds, but has played much bigger since replacing Gordon.
“Definitely, we hang out a fair bit,” Richardson said of his roommate. “Any question I have, or anything he knows about the offence we’re playing, he’ll give me his two cents about, which is really fortunate for me. He’s really open to teaching; there’s no kind of competition about it whatsoever. He wants to help me out and I appreciate that.”
Not as much as the Eskimos themselves.
“You have to understand that he is a rookie and he’s only going to get better with experience,” said Gordon, who has read some of the criticism the young rookie has received. “For the most part, a lot of the good things he does go unnoticed because the quarterback is not going to him, he’s in position.
“I think, and I think coach thinks, he’s been doing a good job and the good things are going unnoticed. It’s great to see him improve week-in and week-out.”
“Me personally, I felt more comfortable than I have since the beginning of the season,” offered Richardson, who made a great tackle on Wes Cates to limit him to two yards late in Saturday’s win in Regina.
A miss there and the Riders could have scored the winning points. Richardson filled what looked, ever so briefly, like a nice gap, two plays prior to the defence holding Saskatchewan on a third-and-half-a-yard situation.
“Everything is starting to slow down a bit, the reads have become a lot easier and I have my teammates and coaches to thank for that,” said the rookie.
He’ll have a tough challenge this week as he faces Anthony Calvillo for the second time in four weeks. Richardson’s first game was in Montreal as the Als picked apart the Edmonton defence, mostly late, in a 50-16 win at Molson Stadium.
“They like to pass the ball, more horizontally–shorter passes, trying to get yards after the catch from their talented receivers,” said Richardson. “As long as I’m in position, I shouldn’t see too much action vertically. But he’s really good at moving the safety with his eyes and trying to hit a longer pass. … As long as I’m cognizant of that, then I should be in position to make some plays.”
The Eskimos will need him as he makes his fourth straight start in a season in which he openly admitted he was just hoping to make the practice roster and build from there.
“It’s amazing how it works out,” offered Gordon, who is out for at least two more weeks. “One man’s loss is another man’s opportunity. Unfortunate for me, but I’m really happy for Elliott.”
What may be more amazing is Richardson was undrafted out of Acadia. He was well known to Esks scouts and to GM Danny Maciocia who had him on his 2005 team that won the NFL Junior Global Championship in Jacksonville, Fla.
“His expectations were exceeded if he just made the active roster and he’s happy with the practice roster, being a rookie getting a start and an opportunity,” said Gordon. “This goes a long way. This kid is a rookie, in there doing a good job and continuing to improve.”
