The Canadian Press
It’s that time of year when a few fan bases have come to the realization that their favourite team was either already mathematically eliminated from the playoffs (Zut alors!), has just been eliminated (“Oskee Wee Wee” has become “Oskee Wha Wha”) or is just plain fed up with the team because of super high expectations that were not met and a current four-game losing streak (time to go back to rubbing it in all of our faces that you can snow ski and swim on the same day).
What are these poor fans supposed to do with the regular season winding down, the playoffs about to ramp up and no emotional connection with any of the contenders? That’s easy, hop on a bandwagon!
Now, I know the whole “bandwagon hopping fan” phenomena is met with derision and scorn among hardcore sports fans, but I say just tune them out. Oh sure you don’t have the same emotional and historical attachment to this new shiny team, but who cares? Your current squad is doomed, has probably fired half its coaching staff and is already looking ahead to 2018. They won’t mind if you cheat on them with your new football mistress for a month or so.
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So now that you have made your peace about stepping out on your old team, the next question is: which team’s bed do you want to put your boots under? You need an organization that is fun to watch, has potential to win it all and they must have overcome some sort of adversity. That last point immediately eliminates the Calgary Stampeders. In fact I forbid you from picking Calgary, they are way too easy to cheer for, it would be like deciding the Edmonton Oilers were you new favourite NHL team in 1984.
Instead, I have a team that’s just 300 kilometres north of Calgary and is a perfect bandwagon team: the Edmonton Eskimos.
Edmonton has all three of the key pieces that any fan needs for their football fling. How many teams are more fun than Edmonton? They have the league’s most prolific passer in Mike Reilly (CFL leader in passing yards) throwing to the league’s most dangerous weapon in Brandon Zylstra. Zylstra’s sophomore season is just nuts! Did you see his crazy 31-yard catch on third-and-10 that extended their game-winning touchdown drive late against the Argonauts? What about his 201-yard day against Montreal? The dude is destroying opposing secondaries week in and week out.
While Derel Walker has yet to have that one massive performance, he is still averaging more than 80 yards a contest in his five games since returning to Edmonton. Here is how explosive the Eskimos attack is: Adarius Bowman, who had 1,761 yards last season, is almost an afterthought in 2017! Let’s round out the fun talk with comebacks. We all love a good comeback story, right? Well Edmonton has three double-digit come-from-behind wins this season and seven in total from the beginning of last season. Yeah they can be heart-wrenching to watch, but at the end of regulation those dramatic last-minute wins are always entertaining.
After losing six straight, the Eskimos have bounced back with consecutive victories (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
The next ingredient is does this team have a chance to win it all? About a month ago you probably would have said no. Yes, they started out winning seven in a row, but their average margin of victory was only five points (two of those wins came against Hamilton when the Tabbies were at their lowest point) as they only registered one double-digit win. Then of course regression set in as all those injuries started to catch up and Edmonton lost six in a row, including an ugly 54-31 loss to Saskatchewan.
But then the team traded for C.J. Gable and suddenly the offence has the balance it had been looking for since John White was lost for the season with a knee injury. This offensive line knows how to run block — we saw White, LaDarius Perkins and Travon Van all post 100-plus rushing days — but C.J. Gable gives the Eskimos their most talented back since White. To go deep in the playoffs, Edmonton will need to be more than just Reilly’s arm. Remember, last year in the post-season, Edmonton beat Hamilton thanks to 160 yards on the ground from White and then lost the following week to Ottawa as the REDBLACKS got 157 yards from Kienan LaFrance while holding the Eskimo rushing attack in check.
Also, Gable allows the offence to help cover up some of their defensive deficiencies by extending drives and winning the time of possession battle. I think Don Landry from his Week 17 takeaways summed it best about what Gable means to the team: “AND FINALLY… C.J. Gable is running strong in green. HULK SMASH!”
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Lastly a great bandwagon team needs a good story — a reason why you are rooting for them. Consider all the injuries the Eskies have had to overcome since the start of the year. They lost one starting linebacker in Cory Greenwood in training camp and then lost their defensive captain in JC Sherritt in Week 1.
The team set a club record by having 81 different players dress for at least one game. That’s not the kind of record any team would strive to break. Only three players (Mike Reilly, Matthew O’Donnell and Kenny Ladler) have managed to start every game for this football team turned M.A.S.H unit.
Just think of the headline if Edmonton wins it all: “Plucky football squad overcomes injuries and six-game losing streak to win it all!” Now that is a storyline any fair weather fan can get behind.
