Summer is winding down as the CFL Regular Season ramps up.
It's a special time of year for Canadian Football Fans as the coveted Labour Day games inch closer, but before Labour Day the Elks still had one last challenger to face, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers coming to town with their own dreams of victory. Over 22,000 fans witnessed what was just another fun-filled chapter for the ever-ready Edmonton Elks.
TAILGATE TALK
No Kathy? No problem! ... Or at least, so I thought. I had to pull off the Tailgate at Stall 182, solo, as my partner Katherine took the night off due to some illness and fatigue. Apparently Friday's Tailgate Party was extremely popular as influencers and party-goers filled Lot B 2 hours before the game started. We ran out of chicken fried rice very fast, which meant I had the opportunity to visit fellow fans and tailgate stalls, a rare occurrence in the Pre-game Party. 880 CHED has been tasting everyone's creations so be sure to hook them up if you happen to have a Tailgate Stall!
GAME RECAP
3 THOUGHTS:
1. Was worried about that first half. Let's be honest, the Edmonton Elks didn't look good in that first half of play. Dropped balls, bad passes, and bad coverage allowed Winnipeg to lead with a 16-0 score in the second quarter. Bombers QB Zach Collaros didn't appear rusty from his absence due to injury. The Elks did manage to score a touchdown before the end of the first half.
2. Wasn't worried about the second half. Knowing who the Elks are at this point of the season definitely helped any worries or concerns. The Elks are a team that can come back in the second half and that's exactly what they did, down to the last minute. Worth noting is the amount of Winnipeg first downs in the second half, Edmonton's defense only allowing 2 first downs over the last 2 quarters of play.
3. I called a "kick-to-win". Earlier in the game I had recognized the type of game we were in for. I figured the game would result in a walk-off for either team and luckily it was the Green and Gold with the last-second victory thanks to K Vincent Blanchard.
THE POINT AFTER
Good teams find a way to win. It might not be pretty, it might not come easy, but the Edmonton Elks can find victory in any fashion on any Game Day. Friday Night was another feel-good story for the Elks, the team coming together at the right time to ensure a victory at home for the Green and Gold Faithful.
Offensively, the Elks clicked in the second half of the game. QB Cody Fajardo completed 20 passes on 32 attempts for 259 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT in addition to 6 rushes for 28 yards and another TD. RB Justin Rankin carried the ball 19 times for 93 yards with 4 catches for 48 yards, his biggest efforts showing in the second half of the game during critical drives. WR TJ Luther topped the recieving board with 7 receptions on 9 targets for 85 yards, WR Austin Mack secured the only passing touchdown on one of his 6 catches.
The defense stood tall once again, holding Winnipeg to only 19 points. LB Joel Dublanko lead the tackle board with 7 tackles, LB Nick Anderson right behind him with 6 tackles, and DB Kordell Jackson in 3rd with 5 tackles and a sack. DL Noah Taylor provided the other EE sack and DB Terez Reid hauled in the lone interception, a pick that set up Fajardo and the offense for a game-winning drive.
Special teams finished off this game with a field goal. K Vincent Blanchard kicked a walk-off winner for the second time this season, amidst a stat line of 3 field goals from 3 attempts, the longest being a 42-yard boot with 1 extra point notched on the night. Blanchard also averaged 67 yards per kickoff on 3 big boots. P Jake Julien had better numbers in this game compared to last week, punting 5 times for a 53-yard average and a longest punt of 59 yards. RB Javon Leake only averaged 11.5 yards on punt returns but 19 yards on kickoff returns. WR Joshua Cephus assisted Leake on return duties.
THE FAN SIDE
I don't care what year you cheered, when you attended your last game or what you call the team, this is the Double E Football that fans signed up for. I bought my season tickets 10 years ago in an attempt to watch this type of football consistently. It's safe to say that the "Double E Way" is alive and well throughout the entire building and, really, the City of Edmonton as well. Bigger crowds, more wins and a traditional-turned-modern feel at Commonwealth Stadiums gives fans an updated experience of the year 2015. Throwback heroes such as QB Michael Reilly and WR Adarius Bowman are now QB Cody Fajardo and WR Austin Mack. Aaron Grymes can be found on the sidelines coaching the likes of DBs Tyrell Ford, JJ Ross and Kordell Jackson, that same championship mentality flowing through the secondary. You might not see Odell Willis, Almondo Sewell or Eddie Steele on the defensive line but you will see Malik Carney, Noah Taylor and Jared Brinkman with pressures, tackles and sacks.
Edmonton's football team finally has heroes again, playmakers and game changers that can give some extra effort to give the entire team a boost. The team is playing for eachother and the fans, the big plays providing big cheers across the entire stadium. Heck, we even saw an ill-timed wave formation in the stands in the 4th Quarter of play. Credit to Winnipeg for putting on a heck of a performance vs the Elks as the first half of play looked brutal for the EE, but whatever was said in the locker room during halftime sure made an impact on the players and thus, the game. Edmonton needed to adjust their game if they wanted to win on Friday and it's safe to say they did exactly that.
One last point I need to make is that former GM and HC Chris Jones did help build this current roster. Sure, Jones couldn't find a way to win with many of these players, but he did sign the likes of Kordell Jackson, Nick Anderson and Justin Rankin to help set this roster for success. Jones had already survived far too many losses in his final year and the newly-named Thompson ownership believed he was hindering the team more than helping it, but his fingerprints are still on this team and they'll most likely remain years from today, but we're seeing the positive results thanks to the professionalism and polish from the current top-end regime.
UP NEXT: BYE WEEK
The Edmonton Elks finally get a week off after a daunting 10-game stretch, going 7-3 in that span to secure first in the west for at least 2 weeks. After the bye, however, the unofficial "Start Of The Season" will commence for the Elks as the Labour Day Rivalry versus the Calgary Stampeders kicks off on September 7th. The Elks will seek health and rest before the final stretch of the CFL Regular Season, and with playoff hopes the team will need all hands on deck for the final 8 games of the season.
Buckle Up!
