June 22, 2018

The ‘Ex-Factor’: Why Gable will be a focal point tonight against former club

Trevor Hagen/CFL.ca

Whenever an athlete faces their former team for the first time after a trade, I always think of the ex-factor.

We’ve all gone through a breakup at some point and inevitably, you have to cross paths with your past again. These situations are always an emotional fork in the road. Sometimes it’s a reminder of why you broke up. Other times it can be awkward, painful, a source of old grievances renewed. It can be awkward, or it could bring closure. Some might also say it can be awkward.

Listen to the things that C.J. Gable has said about his departure from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He doesn’t understand why he was traded; he’s still angry about it;  he’s  had this date circled on his calendar as far back as CFL Week in March.

 It feels like Friday’s game will be more about showing your ex how great you’re doing without them than it will be darty eyes and guarded small talk.

CJ Gable will be all business tonight as he looks to post a productive night against the team that traded him mid-season in 2017 after five years in the Hamilton backfield.

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That could translate into good TV for the fans watching at home and the big crowd expected for the Esks’ home-opener at Commonwealth Stadium.

Where some coaches might try to sap the emotion out of a game like this for their player, Jason Maas seems like he wants Gable to embrace it.

“I think he’s going to be up for it. C.J.’s a great football player, he’s ready to go every week,” Maas told Edmonton reporters on Tuesday.

“We’ve only seen it once in practice where he’s gotten real emotional and it was a pretty outstanding day for him in practice when he did get that way. I’m very excited to see him fired up and emotionally ready to play. I think he’s looking forward to it. I think we’re all looking forward to it, to his performance.”

The 30-year-old spent the first five years of his CFL career in Hamilton, rushing for 2,372 yards and 17 touchdowns. His two best seasons came in 2013 and 2016, where he ran for 782 and 693 yards, respectively. By the time he was dealt to Edmonton ahead of last year’s trade deadline, he was on a cellar-dwelling team that was using him primarily in a blocking capacity. His stay in Edmonton is still a new-ish thing, playing in the team’s final six games and last week’s kickoff against Winnipeg, but he’s been a focal point of the team’s offence.

Seen here with the Tiger-Cats in 2017, CJ Gable was once the feature back in Hamilton. Now he is a focal point of the Eskimos offence that looks to prove that their Week 2 opponent made a mistake letting him go.

On a run-happy team to start with — 630 CHED’s Dave Campbell points out that Edmonton ran more than any other team in 2017, rushing nearly 36 per cent of the time — it’s entirely possible that Maas looks to Gable early and often on Friday.

Maas may be just as emotional as a coach as he was in his playing days, so it makes sense that he’d encourage his star running back to feed into that hurt and anger and turn it into a big contribution for his team.

Gable has had three 100-plus-yard games since joining the Esks. Face to face with his ex-team for the first time since he was traded for a pair of negotiation-list players, he’s poised to get his fourth. And, he hopes, a win.