The Edmonton Eskimos are preparing for another win on Thursday night when they visit the Montreal Alouettes who were involved in one of the biggest blockbuster trades in CFL history on Sunday afternoon.
The Alouettes completed the five player trade with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to bring in quarterback Johnny Manziel along with offensive linemen Tony Washington and Landon Rice in exchange for receiver Chris Williams, defensive end Jamaal Westerman, and two first round draft picks in 2020 and 2021.
The focus for the Eskimos of course is a win which would result in their first win streak of the season. Line backer J.C. Sherritt says he along with the rest of the defence are well aware of Manziel.
“We’re always going to study our opponent,” Sherritt said. “We’ll watch the plays he has played and we saw him play in college and he’s a good athlete which we have seen up here many times. We’re just going to play sound football.”
Listen Below: Head coach Jason Maas on preparing for both Vernon Adams and Johnny Manziel
The Eskimos are coming off a bye week after earning a 16-15 win over the Toronto Argonauts on July 13 on The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium. The defence has been trending in the right direction as of late, averaging 19 points allowed in their last three games.
The offence has three players in the top-10 in receiving yards, with Duke Williams leading the CFL with 556 yards. Mike Reilly leads the league in passing yards (1,648) and is tied for the CFL lead in touchdown passes with nine.
However, the offence has struggled to score points lately, averaging just 15 points in their last two games despite averaging close to 400 yards of offence. The Eskimos have scored only three points in the first quarter in their last three games and have trailed after the first quarter in each of their last four games but have come back to win in two of those games.
LISTEN BELOW: Morley Scott speaks with Ryan Jespersen ahead of the Eskimos game in Toronto on Thursday night.
The Eskimos have done a good job attacking defences down the field as they lead the league in receptions of 20 yards or more with 16. Six of their nine passing touchdowns this season have been of the 20 yard-plus variety.
Defensive end Kwaku Boateng is back in a starters role this week after missing the last two games because of injury. Running back C.J. Gable is listed as a starter this week after leaving the game against the Argos late in the fourth quarter following a hit to the head from defensive lineman Dylan Wynn. There’s one change to the Eskimos 46-man roster as running back Shaq Cooper comes in for running back Tanner Green.
The following is the projected offensive and defensive starters for the Eskimos:
Offence
Quarterback: Mike Reilly
Running Back: C.J. Gable (Fullback: Calvin McCarty)
Offensive Line: Matt O’Donnell-Travis Bond-Justin Sorensen-David Beard-Colin Kelly
Receivers: Derel Walker-Duke Williams-Natey Adjei-Nate Behar-Kenny Stafford
Defence
Defensive Line: Kwaku Boateng-Almondo Sewell-Jake Ceresna-Alex Bazzie
Linebackers: Christophe Mulumba-Tshimanga-J.C. Sherritt-Chris Edwards
Defensive Backs: Maurice McKnight-Aaron Grymes-Neil King-Money Hunter-Nick Taylor
The Alouettes are off to a horrible start at 1-4 after a 25-8 loss to the Calgary Stampeders last week and have only one win in their last 16 games dating back to last season. The Alouettes will start Vernon Adams at quarterback, who will become the 14th starting pivot since the retirement of Anthony Calvillo after the 2013 season. Johnny Manziel is listed as the number three quarterback and is expected to see some game action.
You can hear live coverage of Thursday’s game between the Eskimos and Alouettes on 630 CHED starting with Countdown to Kick-off at 4 p.m. The opening kick-off from Molson Stadium in Montreal is 5:30 p.m. with Morley Scott and Dave Campbell calling all of the live action. Plus, hear analysis from former Eskimos offensive lineman and two-time Grey Cup champion Blake Dermott.
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