Head coach Jason Maas couldn’t have scripted a better “feel-good” outing than the one the Eskimos delivered on Sunday afternoon at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
Quarterback Mike Reilly started a long list of fantasy-like performances by leading the starting offence to two easy touchdowns within the first eight minutes as the Eskimos jumped out to an early 14-0 lead over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL’s earliest pre-season game in history.
Among the other highlights in Edmonton’s 35-12 victory over the Riders in front of 28,374 spectators was:
- Fourth-string quarterback Zach Kline, who threw a 90-yard pass-and-run touchdown to Duke Williams on his first CFL pre-season pass last year, almost duplicated the feat Sunday. Unfortunately, 2018 draft pick Harry McMaster was tackled at the Saskatchewan one-yard line and Kline had to settle for scoring his first CFL TD on a one-yard plunge on the next play. “The biggest thing is capitalizing on the reps I get,” Kline said. “All I can do is play with as much heart and passion and be as prepared as I can.”
- Defensive line hopeful Gerald Rivers, who spent time with six different NFL teams over five seasons from 2013-17, sacked Saskatchewan quarterback Marquise Williams on back-to-back plays in the third quarter. “It was good to be able to get out there and get that full-speed contact and hit some people who weren’t my teammates,” Rivers said.
- Running back Jordan Robinson, who was a late addition to training camp, scored one of Edmonton’s four rushing touchdowns on a 37-yard gallop up the middle while rookie Shaquille Cooper ran four times for 36 yards (including a 11-yard burst to the end zone), caught three passes for 34 yards and returned four punts and kickoffs for another 48 yards for 118 all-purpose yards in the game. “That was definitely the biggest stage I’ve ever played on in my life,” said Robinson, who had three carries for 47 yards. “I came from Sacramento State and we had basically an overgrown high school stadium and we didn’t even pack it out like that. So, it was definitely a lot of people and it was cool, a fun experience.”
- Second-year safety Josh Woodman, a fifth-round draft pick in 2016, and veteran corner Johnny Adams had interceptions while 2017 draft pick Mark Mackie, a defensive lineman, recovered a fumble.
- Kick-returner/wide receiver Jamill Smith had four kickoff returns for 100 yards and two catches for 33 yards.
- The Eskimos defence didn’t allow a touchdown, limiting the Riders to four field goals and knocking down passes to stop Saskatchewan on a pair of third-down gambles in Edmonton’s end in the fourth quarter. The Esks knocked down six passes overall.
- And Maas got almost all of the players who were dressed for the game onto the field, including all five quarterbacks and Edmonton junior players Evin Kochisari, a defensive lineman with the Wildcats, and long-snapper Brett Van der Korput of the Huskies. “We tried to play all 85,” Maas said. “We played pretty much everyone who was on our roster. … When you have guys who sacrifice and work hard for one week, to not put them in a game at any moment, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. You need to let everyone taste what it’s like to play a game, to play fast.” He also said players can learn more from three plays in a game than 10 repetitions in practice.
- “I was born and raised in Edmonton, so to be able to come out here (at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium) and play for the Eskimos is a dream come true,” said Kochisari. “It was just like a story tale. I wasn’t expecting to get that many snaps, but I’m grateful I did.” Kochisari played the fourth quarter at defensive end while Van der Korput was used as a long-snapper on punts in the second half and even made a special teams tackle.
“You’re always pleased with a win,” Maas said. “It validates what we’ve been doing in practice and what we’ve seen out of our group.
“All three phases (offence, defence and special teams) played well,” he continued. “It is the first pre-season game, but to come to (training) camp in one week and put together a game like this, you have to be happy for the moment. But, obviously, there’s some work to do.”
Maas admitted that the offensive mistakes “doesn’t make me feel real good,” but he also acknowledged that the Eskimos have already put a lot of their plays into the offence. The veterans handled the advanced playbook real well against a Saskatchewan defence that left most of its starting players at Regina, compiling 112 yards of offence on 11 plays.
“I just wanted to make sure our guys were lined up properly and doing the right things out there, and they were,” said Reilly, who completed five of six passes for 69 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown to second-year receiver Duke Williams (three catches for 37 yards).
“His efficiency in practice has been through the roof,” Maas said about his starting pivot, who played only two series and left the game late in the first quarter. “It’s a little harder for our Twos and Threes, but our Ones (starters) did a tremendous job of lining things up and executing. That was great to see, particularly early in the game to set the tone for the rest of the game.”
Maas said he “really wanted to see effort” in the game and he got that.
“I knew execution wasn’t going to be exactly how we wanted it, but they played fast, they played aggressively,” he pointed out. “And we have a good start with our team conditioning-wise.
“I liked what I saw out of us so far.”
Veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn (10 of 13 passing for 131 yards), Danny O’Brien (two of seven for six yards), Kline (two of three for 31 yards) and rookie Eli Jenkins (one of two for 15 yards) all got to play, although Jenkins played only the final series.
“When you’re a rook or a second-year player, reps are limited, so we got together, talked through every play and made sure we knew where we were going,” Kline said about the third-line offensive players he was grouped with. Those players actually walked through plays at the team hotel to prepare.
“It was a fun time, for sure,” Kline added. “The Threes did really good. We were a cohesive unit.”
Kline, 24, who knows more is expected of him this year after spending the 2017 season on the practice roster, was excited after his one-yard plunge into the end zone early in the fourth quarter to cap off the game’s scoring.
“When we’re in there, we’ve got to score,” he said. “We’re not going in to kick a field goal. We’re not going into punt. We’re going in to score.”
Rivers, who dropped Williams for losses of six and seven yards to force Saskatchewan to punt from its own three-yard line late in the third quarter, had major hip surgery last year.
“Coming back from this surgery has been a pretty rough time, so I’m actually really happy to be back out here,” said Rivers, 27, a six-foot-five, 255-pound defensive end.
“I like the fact that first game in, he’s had some production,” Maas said. “He’s a hard worker, and he’s been great in the classroom.”
The Eskimos saw Robinson at a tryout camp before April’s mini-camp in Las Vegas, but he didn’t get invited to training camp until international running backs John White and LaDarius Perkins were released after player medicals on May 19. He had already missed the first day of training camp by the time he got to Edmonton.
“This is a new experience for me,” Robinson said about his first professional football training camp. “It’s a lot quicker than what I’m used to.”
On his touchdown run, Robinson had only the safety left to beat after breaking through the line.
“I’m just making the most out of the opportunities that I get because there’s not a lot right now,” he said.
“We were excited to get him up here when we had the numbers and opportunity,” Maas said. “We’ve seen him do some amazing things with the ball in his hands in practice. He’s silky-smooth with it. He makes some really good cuts, and he has the ability, so he showcased a bit of it tonight.”
Maas also liked what he saw of Cooper at running back after starter C.J. Gable (four carries for 20 yards, including a three-yard touchdown run) left the game with the rest of the starters after the first quarter.
“When he has the ball in his hands, he makes something happen,” Maas said about Cooper. “He’s made something happen since mini-camp, since the first day, the first moment he touched the ball.”
The Eskimos played their first pre-season game only one week after training camp opened on May 20. They’ve got even fewer days to prepare for their second pre-season game at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Winnipeg against the Blue Bombers. That game will not be televised but can be heard on 630 CHED.
Because of the short turnaround between games, the Eskimos may leave many of their veteran players in Edmonton.