Aug
Mid-season break needed for Esks
Courtesy Edmonton Journal:
It wasn’t like winning the Super Bowl and being asked, ‘Now what are you going to do?’
The answer is, inevitably, “I’m going to Disneyland.”
Well, Thursday’s thrilling 38-35 victory over the Calgary Stampeders was hardly a championship win, but it was a key two points before the pivotal bye week, as many of the Edmonton Eskimos headed out of town on a delightful note.
“My girlfriend is coming into town. I’ve never been to Jasper so we’re going there for a couple of days,” Eskimos head coach Richie Hall said of his break.
“I really want to get away. For the last seven months, since Dec. 17, it’s really been a whirlwind for me, so it’s the first time I’ll have an opportunity to get away and not think about football and just kinda relax.”
The same goes for the rest of his football club. With a full week off, most of the Eskimos were plotting some type of mid-season vacation.
“At times, you can get through the physical aspects where you get your second wind. It’s the mental that’s hard,” said Hall, when asked about the importance of the pause in action.
“They have a whole week off, come back for two light practices before another day off, and then we prepare for Hamilton. From a mental perspective, it almost should be like training camp all over again. It’s a fresh start because, now, we get on a roll where it’s like this for the rest of the year.”
Hall’s quarterbacks were all venturing somewhere.
Ricky Ray and his wife Allyson usually head for the mountains, and this season is no different as they took off for Jasper and then Radium, B. C. Jason Maas was enjoying a family outing on a house boat at Lake Powell in southern Utah/Northern Arizona. Rookie Jared Zabransky and wife Melissa were off to her home in Houston, visiting with in-laws.
“It’s big,” Ray said of the break. “It’s nice to just let your body heal up and not have to go through a week of practice or do heavy weight training.
“Also, mentally, not to have to game plan every week. I think that’s one thing fans don’t see what we go through.
“You put so much mental work in, trying to prepare and study, learn your plays and what the defence is doing. You play the game and then try and flush it all out and re-do it the next week.
“It’s a good way to get away mentally.”
Veterans like Ray and Maas use the week to their full advantage.
“It’s very important,” said Maas. “The profession that we have, it’s very physically demanding, but it’s mentally draining as well. As the season goes on, you need a bit of a break. It’s nice to recharge and get ready for a long stretch of games that will follow it.”
As important as it is to physically recoup, it’s even more crucial mentally.
“If you ask an O-lineman, probably not. Physically, those guys go hard all the time. But, for quarterbacks, it’s a draining season, a lot of hours of film study,” said Maas. “It’s nice to have one reprieve for a week where you can enjoy life and enjoy things without having to worry about anything else.
“(Fans)don’t realize just how much work goes in to each and every game, each and every week; how mentally draining winning and losing is. When you win, you have to forget it really quickly and, when you lose, it sticks with you a lot longer.
“Physically, it’s a collision sport. There’s a reason we only play 18 games a year. We don’t play 82 times a year like other sports do,” added Maas. “It’s a sport where it’s physically demanding, but the mental aspect sometimes gets overlooked. The bye week is for both.”
Zabransky, in his first year in the CFL, was looking forward to it.
“It’s a rejuvenation period, get your fire back and spend some time away from ball. It’s a time to revamp the body, get healthy again for guys who have injuries and soreness. It makes the rest of the season a little bit sharper,” he said.
“You can’t not workout because you don’t want to go 10 days without doing something physical. You want the break to benefit you, not hurt you.”
mannicchiarico@thejournal.canwest.com—
5 MINUTES WITH
EDMONTON ESKIMOS QUARTERBACK JASON MAAS
What’s your idea of a great day off? Depends on what season it is. The politically correct answer is, spend time with my family. As far as my hobbies go, during the summer it’s golf and during the fall it’s hunting (bow hunting).
Favourite pre-game meal? Spaghetti. Favourite postgame meal? I don’t eat too much after a game. Anything really. I’m up for grabs with that.
What’s playing on your iPod? I’m a big heavy-metal guy. I like the new Metallica album that came out this year, so I listen to that quite a bit.
Favourite warm-up song? We listen to Phil Collins, In the Air Tonight. Favourite pastimes? Hunting during hunting season and golf.
Favourite pizza toppings? Pepperoni. What’s the last book your read? I’ve read all of Dan Brown’s books. I don’t get to read too often.
Last movie you saw? The Hangover. It was awesome. Very, very funny. If you weren’t playing football what would you be doing? Probably coaching. I would rather be a professional golfer.
Are you a good golfer? I’m like a nine handicap.
Can you take Ricky Ray? I’ve beaten Ricky. I beat him straight up last year four times and, with my handicap, it’s usually pretty close.
Who is the best golfer in the dressing room? I would say it’s close between Ricky, Pre (Noel Prefontaine) and Kelly (Malveaux).
Favourite CFL road city? Probably Vancouver.
Best stadium to play in? I like Toronto and B. C. Place. I just like playing in domes, you don’t have to worry about the weather. You don’t have to get up and wonder if it’s pouring out or windy or anything like that. I can just get up and know that’s it’s going to be a normal day.
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HALL OF FAME
1 STAMPEDERS QB HENRY BURRIS: An unbelievable outing, albeit in a losing cause against the Eskimos. He was 30-of-45 on passing for 479 yards and three touchdowns. Smilin’ Hank was on fire.
2 ESKIMOS KICK RETURNER TRISTAN JACKSON: Another outstanding performance. Two big returns late in the game (71 and 35 yards) which led to a pair of touchdowns. Forget Mississippi Rocket, the nickname should be 38 Special because he’s, quite simply, a bullet.
3 ARGONAUTS KICKER JUSTIN MEDLOCK: A club-record-tying seven field goals and he’s 17-of-18 this season. His only miss was a 57-yard game-winning attempt against Winnipeg that hit the upright and bounced out.
HALL OF SHAME
1 STAMPEDERS RECEIVER JEREMAINE COPELAND: His TD celebration that mocked the Eskimos’ tribute to Jason Tucker last year was classless. Hoisting up his jersey to display the No. 85 in tribute to injured teammate Ken-Yon Rambo was bogus at best. One’s a broken neck, the other a damaged knee. Three words: think about it.
2 TORONTO ARGONAUTS: A nine-game home losing streak that dates back to Aug. 1, 2008, which was a 19-11 win over Winnipeg. Talk about being Double Blue.
3 HAMILTON TIGER-CATS OFFENCE: Zero first downs in the first half against Saskatchewan. That’s zero, as in zilch, zippo, naughta, skunked or Cobbed (as it were). And just 16 yards of net offence in the first 30 minutes. Brutal.
