Johany Jutras/Argonauts.ca
First and foremost, the Monday Morning Quarterback is thrilled to have CFL football back. As much as we enjoyed bringing you some different content during the off-season, things are always better when pads are crashing for real. Week one of the pre-season is almost in the books, and it brings us some good news and bad news.
Early loss
We’ll start with the bad news and it comes really, really early in Winnipeg. Veteran Canadian centre, and off-season signing Jeff Keeping is going to miss the next eight weeks with a knee injury suffered in the team’s pre-season opener against the Alouettes on Wednesday. It’s an injury the Bombers really didn’t need.
The off-season was largely a positive one for Winnipeg, specifically where free agency was concerned. The Bombers added names like Keeping, Andrew Harris, Ryan Smith, and Justin Medlock in the early stages of signing season, so losing one so early on definitely stings for a variety of reasons.
First, Keeping’s injury comes in a notoriously thin area of Winnipeg’s depth chart. Even with the additions of Keeping and Michael Couture via the draft, the Bombers entered the season lacking a ton of depth at offensive line, even more so with Canadian content.
» Harris: ‘I’ve been telling guys to get used to this’
Bombers running back Andrew Harris breaks a long gain vs. the Als (The Canadian Press)
Keeping was set to be Winnipeg’s sixth offensive lineman this season, so I realize we’re not talking about a loss of a starter. That said, any loss at that position is significant for the Bombers, because they’ve had such trouble there in recent years.
This one also hurts in the big picture for Winnipeg, too. The Bombers need 2016 to be a positive year and a good start will go a long way in accomplishing that. I’m not the only one curious about the future of Head Coach Mike O’Shea and, to a lesser extent, the future of GM Kyle Walters. No one ever wants bad news, but this year it was particularly unwelcome.
Injuries, pre-season or otherwise, are totally random, so this is no one’s fault. It just seems like the Bombers are the team that can least afford a significant loss prior to the regular season even starting.
Some may accuse me of being overly cynical in this matter, or on the Bombers in general, but I can tell you it’s the opposite. I was cautiously optimistic about Winnipeg’s 2016 season coming into the campaign, and I still am even after Keeping’s injury. More than anything, though, I wanted things to go well for them this season. It’s too bad they’ve got a bad news item on their plate so early on.
Good signs
On the positive front, Edmonton’s 23-13 win over the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night was definitely that, specifically at quarterback. It wasn’t Mike Reilly’s performance that was noteworthy, despite him looking strong in his limited work. Instead, it was understudy James Franklin that caught my attention.
Franklin was very good against the Stamps, completing 10 of 14 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in his allotted time. It was a solid outing for Franklin who looked more confident than he did in his two starts during the 2015 regular season. A big reason for that was how well he delivered the ball.
Franklin worked hard this off-season to refine his throwing motion and that was noticeable on Saturday. The biggest area Franklin worked on was efficiency, as he wanted to eliminate wasted energy. It sure did look like he was firing balls in quicker than last year.
FRANKLIN VS. CALGARY: BY THE NUMBERS
| COMP/ATT | YARDS | TD/INT |
| 10/14 | 94 | 1/0 |
James Franklin hands the ball off during pre-season action on June 11, 2016 (The Canadian Press)
While Franklin’s mechanics are important, it was his performance that was more important for the Eskimos. By no means am I suggesting Reilly’s job is in danger, but ensuring his backup can get the job done has to be a pretty big priority.
Remember, Reilly missed a good chunk of action last season after going down in Week 1. Edmonton’s number one pivot plays a fearless brand of football and he’s missed some decent time in each of the last two seasons. I’m not suggesting Reilly is going miss time, because he started all 18 games in 2013. I am saying, however, it’s not out of the realm of possibility he does miss time, so that backup remains pretty important.
Those who have followed the Eskimos through training camp have spoken highly of the work done by newcomer Thomas DeMarco while Jordan Lynch is also is in the mix. From what I saw in Calgary, though, it was Franklin who impressed the most.
I liked what I saw out of the Missouri grad last season, specifically in his starting debut against the Argos in Week 10. Even better for Eskimos fans, though, is that he looks even better after an off-season of hard work. Franklin is the clubhouse leader to be Edmonton’s backup this season and the team should be in good hands if, knock on wood, Reilly has to miss any time in 2016.
Quick hits
It was only their pre-season opener, but the early returns on the Argos playing at BMO Field were great by my eye. It really is a gorgeous location and the visuals were awesome on television. With blue skies and a pristine skyline in the background, it’s tough to envision a better place for ball.
We all know how important Toronto is to this league and, let’s face it; Rogers Centre just wasn’t an ideal fit. BMO Field, on the other hand, seems very well suited to the league and to the team. With so many games played over the summer, I think Argos games are going to become more and more of a destination with games being played in their new venue.
» RECAP: Argos get the job done in pre-season opener at BMO
T.J. Heath celebrates after one of two interceptions in Saturday’s pre-season opener (The Canadian Press)
Watching the Riders fall 28-16 to the BC Lions over the weekend left me with some questions at running back for the team. More than anything else, I want to see who is going to carry the load for this team because we’re talking about a bunch of new faces.
Curtis Steele seems to be the favorite to win the starting job out of camp, but we didn’t see him against the Lions. Instead it was Terrance Cobb leading the way with 58 yards on 10 carries. Matt Walter has also joined the team this season and, thanks to his Canadian passport, is going to factor into Saskatchewan’s plans on the ground, too.
None of my questions were really answered on Saturday night, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. New head coach Chris Jones wants to see these battles figured out on the field, so there’s still plenty of time left. But with so many new faces at tailback for 2016, we’re going to keep asking questions until they’re answered.
