Jul
Esks forget about RB McCarty in loss vs Als
Courtesy Edmonton Journal:
Not getting Edmonton Eskimos running back Calvin McCarty into the game offensively against the Montreal Alouettes last week was a mistake by the coaching staff.
That’s the message head coach Richie Hall gave listeners during his weekly radio show on 630 CHED.
“Calvin has a lot of attributes that he can contribute and he will contribute,” said Hall. “That was our negligence; not putting him on the field and allowing him to do his thing.
“This week, you will see Calvin out there because he has a lot of things he can contribute to the success of our football team. It’s important that we allow him to showcase it because he is one of the best all-around backs in the league.”
Those are words McCarty has been dying to hear. Pushed aside with the addition of Jesse Lumsden, McCarty then played second fiddle to Arkee Whitlock last week in a 50-16 pasting in Montreal. The compact five-foot-10, 215-pound bruiser had just one catch for five yards, and that didn’t come until the second half.
“I just want to be involved and be a factor in determining the outcome of this game,” McCarty said of Thursday’s clash against the B. C. Lions at Commonwealth Stadium.
The third-year veteran, who had 583 yards in receiving and 490 yards rushing last season, was surprised when he wasn’t used much offensively last week.
“I definitely wanted to play(more) and it hurt to stand there and not be able to go into the game for one reason or another,” he said.
McCarty plays a big role on special teams, but it doesn’t affect or hamper his abilities to perform offensively.
“It’s a part of the game,” he said. “I’m prepared enough physically to play a few(special) teams as well as offence. From my standpoint, I’ve done everything I can do to be able to go out there and perform. I’m not fatigued playing special teams. I just want to go out there and play.”
He’s expected to get that chance against the Lions as he shares time in the backfield with Whitlock.
McCarty, who hails from the Burnaby, B. C., area, would love to stick it to the visiting Lions.
“I get it all the time at home, ‘It would be nice if you played for B. C.’ At a certain point, you just want to tell those people … ‘I don’t have too much love for B. C.,’” he said. “I enjoy playing against them and I like living out there and having that motivation. When B. C. fans say that to me, I’m like, ‘Yeah, OK. Just call me the Lion slayer.’ ”
Right now, he’d be content with being a regular player.
“Calvin’s a great player and we’re going to get him the ball,” said receivers coach Jason Tucker. “It just happened that he wasn’t in on those plays at the time. You have to go with whoever is in at the time.”
