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Eskimo notes
Courtesy Edmonton Journal:
M*A*S*H UNIT
Injuries are taking their toll at the Edmonton Eskimos training camp and could soon be costing some players their jobs, especially young recruits who haven’t established their worth.
Rookie receiver Eric Ware has been out since main camp began due to a leg injury. Missing out on reps means missing a golden chance.
“You don’t want guys missing big chunks,” said head coach Richie Hall. “It decreases their ability to be on the football field. The bottom line is you want to be ready to play and if you’re not ready to play, that’s the final evaluation.”
Hall said it’s especially important for young players not to miss much time, if any.
“We don’t know how you’d react in a game,” Hall said. “You look great in practice, but practice is practice. How do you look against your opponent?”
It’s a determination that may never come for some of the injured prospects.
“It’s one of those one man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity because we still have to practice,” said Hall. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but … . Somebody that is not practising; someone else is going to take his reps and get better and get better and get better.”
In this instance, it’s receiver Efrem Hill, who battled back from a cut finger that kept him out for a day and a half.
Linebacker Jason Kosec (back) is in the same boat as Ware and running back Eric Lee (shoulder) has now missed some time.
DAVIS GOES DOWN
Defensive lineman Jim Davis, who has looked solid during the week, went down with a suspected burner and was helped off the field on Thursday.
Davis took some time getting up and was favouring his right arm.
With the day shortened to just one session, the Eskimos simply moved the drill over and carried on.
“The old saying is, ‘Move the drill, move the drill, he’s killing grass out there,’ ” said Hall, not making light of the situation but stressing the importance of time and personnel management.
“You’re concerned regarding the health of those guys, but the reality is we can’t help them,” he said of the injured. “The medical people are going to take care of them and we’re going to continue going on.
“When you look at life, if something happens to me in my personal life, I’m still going to get a bill from VISA. Things still go on. That’s just the reality of it. It might sound cruel, but that is life. The clock doesn’t stop because something happens.”
Others sitting out Thursday’s session included linebacker Maurice Lloyd (groin), offensive lineman Greg Wojt (knee), defensive back Jason Goss (undetermined) and fullback Mathieu Bertrand (ankle).
OL Thaddeus Coleman was also hobbling by day’s end.
AND …
- On Thursday, the Esks released DB Emanuel White, another rookie hampered by injury, and added receiver Sean Young of the University of California at Berkeley.
- Jonte Buhl had a nice breakup on a pass intended for Fred Stamps. Earlier, Stamps made yet another one-handed grab, which is becoming a daily occurence.
- E.J. Underwood also had a nice break-up on a ball heading in Kevin Wuthrich’s direction. “That’s it,” said DB coach Stacey Hairston. “That’s what we want, every time.” Darrell Hunter later made an interception on a crossing route by Stamps.
- Veteran OL Calvin Armstrong and DL Kitwana Jones were involved in a pushing match that fired up both lines. Two plays later, OL Aaron Fiacconi flexed his muscles on a run play that left the defence in a pile of rubble.
