EDMONTON – The Edmonton Eskimos offensive line wasn’t exactly strutting through practice this week after their strong showing in the team’s season-opening win last weekend, but there was a quiet sense of accomplishment.
After being constantly criticized throughout last season for failing to protect quarterback Ricky Ray, the group took a positive step forward in Edmonton’s 42-28 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Ray had plenty of time to throw for 294 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while suffering only one sack. The line also opened enough holes for the committee of running backs to pile up 113 rushing yards.
“It was an all right day,” said Kyle Koch, who was shuffled to starting right guard when tackle Jeremy Parquet, who was released on Thursday, couldn’t play. The move also forced line coach Tim Prinsen to shift Greg Wojt from guard to tackle.
Prinsen, who took over as line coach in the Eskimos mid-season coaching shakeup last year, said he thought the line played “remarkably well,” especially after having two players shift positions two days before the game.
“That’s a testament to their work ethic, how they studied film and how they bought into what we had them prepare for,” said Prinsen ahead of the team’s home opener Saturday against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
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The line also included six-foot-four, 325-pound rookie Junius Coston, who was inserted at left tackle.
“When you have a new guy come in and play tackle for you on two days practice and he doesn’t really get noticed, you know he’s done a good job and we’re happy with what he did,” Prinsen said.
Despite the solid opening day performance, the linemen agreed it was just one game and there is a long season still to play.
“It was a very good confidence builder,” said centre Aaron Fiacconi, the only lineman playing in the same position as last season. “It was nice to get out with a victory, haven’t done that here in a couple of years.”
But, he added, it was just step one. Step two comes Saturday at home when the oft-criticized line will play a major role in the outcome of the Eskimos’ game against the Ticats.
“They’re going to bring linebackers, try to put heat on Ricky,” Fiacconi said of Hamilton. “They don’t want him to get comfortable . . . so they’re going to bring it early and often and we have to block it to the best of our ability. If we can do that, if Ricky starts to hurt them deep, I think they’ll have no choice but to get out of it. Then we can work down field with the run, that’s our goal.”
That’s how the offence operated in the latter stages of 2010, keying the team to four wins in their final six games. In that span the line gave up just 10 sacks, three of which came in one game.
It wasn’t enough, however, to overcome an 0-4 season start in which they gave up 13 sacks and turned the ball over 11 times.
“Last year we struggled offensively quite a bit,” said Fiacconi. “Near the end of the year we gained some confidence, started to play some good football. (Last weekend) wasn’t the greatest performance, it was good but it has to get better to take this team where we want it to go.”
Prinsen said the performance against the Riders was the offensive line carrying on from where it ended 2010.
“We were really playing well as a group the last five or six games and I think we’ve continued that on. Differences? We’ve got some different bodies but their physical aggressiveness and the way they’re approaching the game hasn’t changed.”
For the line the top priority is still protecting Ray, giving him time to do his reads and find his receivers without having to run for his life.
“If he’s successful, we as a team on offence will be extremely successful,” said Fiacconi. “That also goes for the running backs. If we do our job, keep Ricky upright, keep him protected, keep him happy, confident and throwing the ball down field we’ll win games.”
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