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July 30, 2024

Tre’s Time

EDMONTON – It’s officially Tre’s time.

When the Green and Gold run out of the tunnel at Mosaic Stadium in Saskatchewan on Saturday, it will be Elks number-two who will be the new number-one — with Tre Ford announced to start at quarterback by Interim Head Coach Jarious Jackson tonight on Inside Sports on 630 CHED.

Ford earned the opportunity after providing an offensive spark in the final 10 minutes of the Elks 44-28 defeat to Hamilton on Sunday. The 26-year-old pivot was sensational in his game-ending cameo; completing 10-of-15 passes for 121 yards, engineering three touchdown drives, and dazzling the Commonwealth faithful.

While the game was well out of reach when Ford stepped in, it was a moment he relished and absolutely shined in.

“It was just a lot of excitement to be able to play football again,” Ford said. “The situation we went in again wasn’t ideal, but it was kind of a chance to go show what I can do. I had nothing to lose, so I think that was part of the factor of why I had so much fun. I was really out there just playing football and just having a blast.”

Ford was given the spotlight, with the pressure of the home crowd chanting his name prior to entering the game, but he never wilted. The electric QB showed off the trademark magic that had the Canadian Football landscape talking last year, when Ford shook off Casey Sayles before eluding another Ti-Cats defender, swiveling his hips, and firing a sideline pass to an open Javon Leake for a 22-yard first down.

In all, Ford was given the ball at the start of a drive three times and all three opportunities the Elks ended with a major. Some of the success can be chalked up to a Hamilton team playing with the game well out of hand, and an quarterback who was able to play free and easy with no expectations to go out and overcome a 41-8 fourth quarter deficit – yet there was certainly a buzz in the stands and on social media after the nearly spotless performance.

“I wouldn’t say it was perfect, right, because there are always little things that you can critique,” Ford said. “I had the one option with Kurleigh in the red zone and I threw it short. I thought he was breaking in and he went out. So, there was definitely some miscommunication on the field, but I think it was good overall performance. We had three drives and three touchdowns.”

As for the wait to get Ford into the starting lineup, there were a variety of factors that delayed his debut.

The truth of the matter is Tre Ford is quite possibly the most electric player in the Canadian Football League, and possibly all of pro football. However, electricity doesn’t always lead to wins and McLeod Bethel-Thompson had shown over the course of his career that he can win games, including the big ones late in November. Entering Sunday’s game in Hamilton, MBT was rated the second-best quarterback in the CFL by Pro Football Focus. The issues that have plagued the Elks this season don’t deserve to be bared solely on the back on Bethel-Thompson, but the reality of being an 0-7 team dictates a look away from the 36-year-old quarterback and towards developing the future.

Ford’s future is in all likelihood brighter due to the time spent with Bethel-Thompson. For the first time in his career, he was able to sit in a QB room with an established veteran and it has paid dividends on the field. The Elks staff has watched Tre flourish through training camp, to his solid performance in preseason, to the last three weeks of practice where he has shown an eagerness to throw the ball down field while in the pocket.

The level of polish Ford has shown on the field, along side the spectacular he can create with his undeniable athleticism could make him a dual threat similar to CFL Most Outstanding Player front runner Vernon Adams Jr. — another player that took his time to develop in the league. Adams was able to spend a few seasons in the same QB room as CFL legend Kevin Glenn, before finally getting a shot to be a starting QB in 2019. Ford was given a chance to learn from a veteran and handled the opportunity like a professional.

“The conversations and insight (McLeod) has had for me has been phenomenal,” Ford said about Bethel-Thompson. “It’s been super helpful, at the same time I do believe playing actually gets you better. I feel like you kind of have to incorporate the two. So, yes, I would have liked to play, but it was also good for me to learn.”

It is now time for Ford to take the reigns, put those lessons into practice, and try to help turnaround the Elks season. As much as 0-7 seems an insurmountable task for the post-season, the reality is Edmonton still has five games in hand against the two teams ahead of them for the final playoff spot in the West Division in Calgary and Winnipeg. A strong finish to a season in which they’ve only lost a single game by more than a score and maybe the postseason isn’t so farfetched.

The Elks have already seen the spark the Waterloo Product can provide this team. In 2023, after the Elks 0-9 start to the year, Ford came in as the starter and immediately breathed life into the team’s season.

A 38-29 defeat against the West Division juggernaut Winnipeg Blue Bombers was followed up by the Elks first four wins of the season in the next five games. The only defeat in that five-game stretch came in the Labour Day Classic in Calgary, in a 35-31 barnburner where Ford rushed for 135 yards on 11 carries while adding 137 yards a touchdown in the air. Even in that contest, the Stampeders outscored the Elks by a 22-3 margin in the fourth quarter to steal the victory.

It wasn’t all sunshine and roses after Ford’s ascension. The Elks struggled to match the highs of the first five games of the Canadian’s campaign, and the team dropped their final four games of the season.

As Ford prepares for Saskatchewan, his primary goal is to start his second starting tenure off with a win.

“I’m really just taking it one week at a time and I’m really just trying to get the first win for the guys in the locker room,” Ford said. “They work hard day in and day out, and for the last seven weeks and training camp, we’ve got nothing to show for it. I just want to give them a chance to show that we can win, our team is moving in the right direction, and we do have athletes on our team that can make plays.”

As Ford tries to navigate his development with the hopes of a franchise, he will be doing it with noticeable support from across the country. Tre Ford was a trending topic on social media after his performance on Sunday as the nation yearns to see a young National capture the spotlight of Canadian Football much like Nathan Rourke was able to do two seasons ago. It’s a support he has felt and it’s not a burden he carries lightly.

“It’s definitely nice to have that support. I feel like part of it is because I’m Canadian too, right?” Ford said. “It probably helps a little bit, but I appreciate the support from all around and I just want to go prove them right.”