The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and there was, once again, hope in the air for the Edmonton Elks and their fans as they squared off against the reigning CFL Champions, the Toronto Argonauts. 20,817 CFL fans trotted into Commonwealth Stadium to witness what would be another Edmonton Elks loss at home for the 19th in a row. 20 would tie the professional sports record, currently held by the 1950 Cleveland Brown's of the MLB.
Game 3 for the Edmonton Elks was a head scratcher on the field and off the field. Let's break it down in this week's edition of "The Turnover".
GAME DAY VIBES
We started the day by smoking some Pulled Pork for the Elks Tailgate Party. Kathy wasn't able to make the Tailgate due to prior commitments so I was riding solo for that part of Game Day. Once set up at the Tailgate, we played Tailgate Trivia, handed out almost all of the pulled pork and gave away some lanyards, stickers, keychains and even some tickets. It was a very successful outing with visits from TSN 1260 legends Matthew Iwanyk, Dave Jamieson, Lieutenant Eric and even former EE player Calvin McCarty. If you're ever at the game, do swing by stall #44 to get in on the fun!
GAME TIME
Kathy joined me at the seats in Section X for Game Time and we settled in with anticipation. The Elks opened up the game with a stall, a stop and a touchdown. The Edmonton Elks faithful in attendance backed the team with energy and it felt like something big might happen, however, quarterback Chad Kelly had other plans. He would answer the Elks with a touchdown of his own and from there, the Elks looked frazzled in trying to move and stop the ball.
Elks defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy intercepted Chad Kelly early in the second quarter which put some more life into Commonwealth Stadium, however the offense struggled to find their footing. Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius would try to squirm his way through the onslaught of Argos being allowed by the offensive line, however he would only be moderately successful for the rest of the half. He was sacked multiple times in the first half and while he went 14/18 on completions with a couple of rushes of his own, the Elks would find themselves trailing the Argonauts 18-17 at halftime.
Third quarters have been the bane of the Edmonton Elks' existence for 2023 and Sunday's game proved this to be true. The quarter started with Taylor Cornelius at pivot and ended with Jarret Doege, sprinkled with Kai Locksley in between. From our seats we were questioning many things, such as "What is happening with this O-Line?" and "How could Locksley let that slip?" followed by, "Why the heck is Doege in there?" We didn't know any of the answers until after the game, however, we were along for the Doege ride once it started.
Cornelius would make a couple of bad decisions in the pocket to force a quarterback change, something that the Elks have needed desperately in order to wake up the offense. While we are fully supportive of Cornelius at quarterback and understand his potential, his split-decisions can be a negative effect on the team from time to time. The offensive line hasn't given him much help to start the season so it's hard to say the third quarter was strictly on him. Once Locksley stepped in, Elks fans thought they would see some improvement. Instead, Locksley would fumble the hand off and the ball would be recovered by the Argonauts, starting what would be a very dramatic and unfortunate episode. After the fumble Kai Locksley would proceed to refuse going in at quarterback for a short yardage attempt. Because of the conflict this refusal created between himself and Head Coach Chris Jones, he walked about 20 yards away from the team to watch the rest of the game on his own, something you might see out of a movie. This would result in a release from the team as Locksley was basically handed his plane ticket after his refusal to play alongside his teammates. While we respect and cheered on Locksley for every moment of his career in Edmonton, this event was not a good look for everyone involved. We wish Kai Locksley the best going forward.
Doege would come into the game in what was basically garbage time after an Argonauts touchdown to put on a show for the fans that remained. Two touchdowns and one interception for a pick-six would still make Doege seem like an instant upgrade over anyone else we've seen at quarterback this season, as we've already hinted at in The Turnover: Preseason Game 1. We've had our eyes on this man for a minute and our suspicions are in-line with many other fans; Jarret Doege has starter potential in the CFL. Keep in mind, he played with many backup players, which are the players he practices with during weekly game preparations. He's yet to be tested with a full starting offense which is something we may see on Friday.
The Edmonton Elks defence was sloppy in this game minus a few sacks and a big play or two. Loucheiz Purifoy would catch a pick-six in the 2nd quarter to add some spark to the Elks but unfortunately, Chad Kelly and company would have their way from there. Toronto Argonauts running back A.J. Ouellette would run through the Elks, quite literally, for 3 touchdowns on the night. The defensive side played a dull zone coverage at times, leading to big catches for the Argonauts that looked preventable. Special Teams allowed a punt block that also resulted in points for the Argonauts, however, C.J. Sims would have himself a night with 285 combined returning yards. Overall, it was a frustrating game that ended with promise. Elks quarterback Doege would throw an 84-yard hail mary that would bobble into the hands of Elks Forbes Mombleau, making a successful touchdown. The offense was better than the other 2 phases, improvement and regression at the same time. While the Elks would lose a 43-31 affair, questions and answers came all at once.
With Locksley no longer with the team and Canadian quarterback Tre Ford being activated for Game 4, we believe Doege will be starting with Cornelius at QB2 and Tre Ford at QB3.
3 THOUGHTS AFTER THE GAME
1. Defence couldn't stop the run. Absolutely brutal game for the D. Outside of the first quarter and the Purifoy interception, it wasn't a good outing. A couple of sacks and big plays, but the run game could not be stopped for most of the game.
2. Ball security. Again. The Elks lost a football right on the goal line due to lack of ball security. A good amount of the Elks' fumbles this year are due to defenders punching the ball loose, something we hope Jones addresses with haste.
3. Doege is the Edmonton Elks starting QB and we've known it all along. We've been a big fan of this guy and to see him throw sidearms and big plays in person was a treat. We were genuinely excited once he jumped into the game and his play gave us hope for the future of the Elks.
FOR FANS FROM FANS
This game was a frustrating one to witness. While we always have a good time at the game, the hope for a home win was still alive. The attendance was not the greatest and indicated that fans are starting to get frustrated with watching home loss after home loss. Not going to lie, I had a moment in the third quarter where I felt extremely frustrated with the current situation at home. Once Doege hit the turf, I regained some wind under my fan sails and cheered on with heart. We knew were going to see some quality in Doege and he did not disappoint us, watching from Section X. The positives outweighed the negatives in Doege's first snaps in the CFL and with that, we would say he does have great starter potential. We also have to remember that Tre Ford and Taylor Cornelius are also fighting for the same spot, so this season will be extremely interesting for the Elks at the quarterback position. Former University of Arizona standout QB Khalil Tate has also been brought back into the fold after the Locksley fallout.
SPEAKING ABOUT POSITIVES...
Loucheiz Purifoy lived up to his nickname of "Walking Turnover" by taking a Chad Kelly throw deep in the Argos end and turning it into 6 points for the Elks. Jarret Doege had a showing that opens the door to a starting position on Friday. While the offensive line was swiss cheese on many plays, right tackle Josiah St. John performed with heart in making the final Doege to Forbes-Mombleau touchdown possible. Return specialist C.J. Sims had an outstanding night returning the ball. I don't know if we've seen any player get this close to breaking the "Curse of Gizmo" as fans like to call it, meaning the lack of return touchdowns for the EE since the beloved legend Henry "Gizmo" Williams played for the club, who happened to be celebrated on Sunday. Maybe Gizmo needs to come to home games a bit more often?
ON TAP: EDMONTON ELKS @ OTTAWA REDBLACKS JUNE 30TH 5PM
The 0-3 Edmonton Elks will charge into Ottawa to take on the 0-2 REDBLACKS at TD Place. While the Elks have many questions to answer, the REDBLACKS have even more with starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli injured and still no wins of their own. The Elks and REDBLACKS have been dueling for last in the CFL standings for the last two seasons so if there was a time to catch a win and gain momentum, the time would be now for either of these teams. We will have our popcorn ready and our hopes high as this game isn't at Home, but this game might be the start of something special for the Edmonton Elks. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are in Edmonton in 3 games, so the road to a desperately needed Home Win is through Ottawa and Saskatchewan. Buckle up, Edmonton. Antler Up when we're back at Home.