Edmonton Eskimos offence looking for answers

The Edmonton Eskimos are struggling at the wrong time of the season.

The team has lost two straight games to fall to 7-7 and fourth place in the CFL’s Western Division which puts them into the crossover playoff spot in the Eastern Division.

The offence has dried up as well over the last two games. The Eskimos have produced an average of nine points, 317 yards of offence, 220 passing yards in those games. Perhaps the most concerning number is 12 turnovers in those two games.

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The offence has taken ownership of their issues this week, and that includes quarterback Mike Reilly and head coach Jason Maas, who also doubles as the team’s offence co-ordinator.

Reilly says he and Maas have a very close relationship — in fact, he says it’s the closest relationship he has ever had with a coach — and last Saturday’s result hasn’t changed that.

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“Games like this past one make it even tighter because you have to talk about stuff,” Reilly said. “You’ve got to get it figured out, you have to be on the same page with everything and we are.

“We need to narrow [the offence] down to things that I’m comfortable with, things that our guys are comfortable with, and making sure that he’s aware of what those plays are and we’ve had great communication about that,” he added.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We need to narrow [the offence] down to things that I'm comfortable with, things that our guys are comfortable with, and making sure that he's aware of what those plays are and we've had great communication about that," he added.

“I think he always has a really good feel for the pulse of our offence. He takes as much pride as we do and when we have a performance like that, he evaluates everything that he’s doing and we’re doing as an offence.”

Listen below: Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly on the relationship he has with head coach and offensive co-ordinator Jason Maas

The Eskimos are still No. 1 in the CFL in offensive touchdowns with 42 and sit third in the league in offensive points with 376. Maas says his offence is more than capable of executing at an elite level again.

“Football still just comes down to executions, it comes down to scheming people and having people understand your schemes,” Maas said. “I need to do a better job of coaching everybody and getting guys on the same page, but once they are on the same page, it comes down to go out and beat your guy.

“Execute it how it’s supposed to be executed and when they do that, it’s great. And when we don’t do that for a stretch of time, we don’t play very well.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Execute it how it's supposed to be executed and when they do that, it's great. And when we don't do that for a stretch of time, we don't play very well."

Listen below: Eskimos head coach Jason Maas on searching for the right formula with the offence and his personnel

Having receiver Duke Williams in the lineup would help the offence but he missed practice for the second-straight day on Thursday with a suspected shoulder injury.

Receiver Sam Giguere missed practice as well. Linebacker Chris Edwards returned and was a full participant while offensive lineman Justin Sorensen was a partial participant.

The Eskimos visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Thanksgiving Day in Regina. 630 CHED will have live coverage of the game starting with Countdown to Kickoff at Noon. The opening kickoff from Mosaic Stadium in Regina is at 2 p.m.

The Eskimos on Thursday signed veteran defensive tackle Alan-Michael Cash to their practice roster. He was signed back in the summer but was released after suffering an injury in practice. The Eskimos released linebacker Brandon Pittman.