July 12, 2010

Gizzie Willie
Blogger
EsksNation.ca


Well Nation, we can’t complain about not being entertained on a gorgeous Sunday evening at Commonwealth Stadium. The Eskimos were looking pretty good in the first half, and all signs pointed towards a strong chance at a victory for the home team. Ricky Ray was shredding the Montreal Alouettes secondary, connecting on 13 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown. It wasn’t a perfect half of football for the Eskimo signal caller, but having both Fred Stamps and Kelly Campbell over the 100 yard mark before halftime was a definite plus over last week. Not to be outdone by the air attack, running back Arkee Whitlock did his part by rushing for 65 yards on only nine carries. And did we mention that the defense had already picked off and sacked Anthony Calvillo. Unfortunately for the Eskimos, the effort in the first half wasn’t enough. And football is a game of 60 minutes, not 30.

In the first half alone, the Eskimo offense stalled twice on the Montreal four yard line, with both drives coming to an end on incomplete passes. Derek Schiavone put through field goals, but getting so close only to come away with three points in each instance was a tough pill to swallow. The Eskimos regrouped during the break, and started the third quarter with two very impressive drives; however, once again, they stalled out on the Montreal 22 and five yard line, settling for field goals. Throw in some big drops that could have been touchdowns, and the proverbial ball started rolling downhill from there.

We won’t go through the rest of the game here, but as we all know, when you let a talented team like Montreal stay in the game, they can certainly find a way to squeak out a victory and the final result was a bitter 33-23 defeat for the Green & Gold.

Fans will now have a chance to cool their heels and congregate in smaller numbers with the 0-2 Eskimos heading out on the road for the next two weeks. The first stop will be in the unfriendly confines of Mosaic Stadium, where a passionate Rider nation will most likely greet the Green & Gold with a chorus of jeers and catcalls.
In the past few articles by EsksNation.ca on Esks.com, we have discussed the recent histories of the two teams preparing for battle. In week one we talked about the Eskimos recent success in home openers and week two was all about how the Alouettes had not won in Commonwealth since 2006. Well, forget about a history lesson on this one. The Eskimos need to just come out and play desperate football this Saturday. Going 0-3 is something that can’t be accepted and fans should expect a very determined football team to take the field against the Roughriders this weekend.

The good news is that the Eskimos are improving from week to week. They made great catches for long yards and stepped up on defense and special teams to create turnovers and pressure the opposing quarterback. Now it’s time to take the next step and finish off those drives for touchdowns. It’s time for a key interception or fumble recovery that turns the tide of the game. It’s time for an Eskimo victory.

I’ll be watching on television, and I hope you are too as I expect this week’s game to be a great one.

Yours in Green & Gold,
Gizzie Willie