The veteran-rookie quarterback dynamic is proving harmonious thus far at the Edmonton Elks training camp, which is now entering its second week at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
Take, for example, the relationship between Nick Arbuckle, Edmonton’s most experienced pivot, and Tre Ford, the QB taken eighth overall in the 2022 CFL Draft.
“All my questions are going to Nick Arbuckle,” says Ford, the University of Waterloo product who became the first quarterback to be selected in Round 1 of the CFL Draft since 1980. “He’s a great guy, informative, helping me go through my reads, because it is a little bit of a new offence for him, but he’s already mastered it.”
Arbuckle, who Edmonton acquired from the Toronto Argonauts via trade last October, has appeared in 43 games since making his CFL debut with the Calgary Stampeders in 2018 when he won the Grey Cup. Other quarterbacks currently in camp includes Taylor Cornelius, who started eight games as a rookie with the Elks last season, as well as CFL newcomers Mike Beaudry, 24, and Kai Locksley, 25.
Nick Arbuckle.
“It’s not even something I consciously came in here thinking like, ‘Oh I’m going to help everybody out’, it’s just always been who I am,” Arbuckle says.
“Seeing guys learning the offence, and I know what to do, I always feel obligated to try to do everything I can to help people, whether that be the receivers, running backs, O-line, or quarterbacks …” continues Arbuckle.
“I’m just trying to do the best I can to make sure that when everyone’s on the field they can execute and perform well.”
Like Arbuckle, much of Edmonton’s new staff were part of the Argos in 2021, including head coach and general manager Chris Jones, offensive coordinator Stephen McAdoo, pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jarious Jackson, and run game coordinator and wide receivers coach Markus Howell.
“I was fortunate enough to be with a lot of these offensive coaches last year in Toronto, and having some familiarity with their terminology, I’m able to help these young guys understand the game and how much things are different,” Arbuckle says.
“With Tre, he understands how the Canadian football game is played, the different nuances, but just understanding the different speed of things, different reads we have at this level on these kinds of offences. And for the younger Americans, just understanding how things change and how they are different, different things to look for and what to expect.”
Also attending Elks training camp is U Sports QB Anthony Robichaud. The University of Sherbrooke student-athlete is part of the league-wide Canadian Quarterback Internship Program, which allows Canada’s best young pivots to develop their skills and attend team and positional meetings, alongside their professional counterparts. Robichaud, too, has found a familial vibe with Edmonton’s QB herd.
“Having the chance to be with Nick Arbuckle and Taylor Cornelius is huge for me …” Robichaud says. “Overall it’s just been a great experience for me.”