Eskimos can't cling to Grey Cup glory

In a salary cap league that keeps tweaking rules to stimulate more scoring, it's almost like the Edmonton Eskimos have had to recover from a Grey Cup season.

The changeover from Chris Jones to Jason Maas hasn't hindered Edmonton's second-ranked offence, which is averaging 448.4 yards. Mike Reilly is first in passing yards. Derel Walker and Adarius Bowman are first and third in receiving, respectively. On defence, Edmonton has gone from first in scoring defence (18.9 points/game) to second-last (32.8) entering Saturday's road game against the Ottawa RedBlacks.

The Edmonton D has taken hits - figuratively in the media and literally, especially when All-Star cornerback John Ojo ruptured an Achilles tendon in June. Everyone wears it when a team starts 2-3. One convenient sample with Edmonton's offence was a July 14 win in Winnipeg, when Reilly's 450-yard night only translated to 20 points.

“I think it's now that we've been through some struggles, everyone has the concept of a complete game and that is what we are here to do,” Bowman said Friday. “As a team, our chances are better than everybody's - the sky's the limit - but we haven't put a complete game together - offence or defence.

“It's about being the smarter team when it comes to penalties,” Bowman added. “Having enthusiasm and having fun. Having a good start is a part of having a complete game. A CFL game is long and sometimes it is hard to catch up, because offences are good this year. Teams are better this year. And if you're in position where it comes down to five or six plays, be the one that makes them.”

Clinging to what happened in 2015, or counting on that experience to kick in, would probably be counter-productive.

“We're past it - that's one great thing about having a veteran group,” middle linebacker J.C. Sherritt said. “We're not going to dwell on it, We know that doing that is just going to bury us. That is gone and done ... we're growing in a good direction.”

Edmonton's defence was bound to come down from the peak it reached in the Grey Cup, especially as the group adapted to new coordinator Mike Benavides. Few anticipated they would be last in sacks (eight) and turnovers (seven) in Week 7.

“(Benavides) has done a great job of letting us play fast,” Sherritt said. “Now it's time for us to transfer it to a game. You have to create turnovers and shorten field position. We do that two or three times, with our offence, we'll win.”

After a historically low-scoring season in 2014, the CFL emphasized restricting illegal contact more than five yards downfield during passing plays. The league went from having three 1,000-yard receivers in 2014 to Ottawa alone having four last season. This season, the league doubled down by expanding the coach's challenge to include illegal contact on receivers - a penalty that can be called for a foul on any receiver, not just the intended target. Teams now have one spotter watching every receiver, in hopes of getting a play overturned.

When a team is also struggling to generate a pass rush, those challenges on the back end become more apparent.

“With the rule changes that have happened - and I'm sure they're going to come out with new ones soon - you have to constantly adapt how you play defence,” Sherritt said. “How physical you can be. You can't complain about it. Every defence has to go through the same thing. You just have to find ways to win and make plays within the rules.

“You have to practice great habits. We make sure we scrutinize the slightest touch past five yards because it's reviewable. It seems now, a little bump here, a little nudge there. You have to adjust and adapt. You have to practice great. Once you get on the field, you just got to play fast and hope for the best (with the penalties).”

A defeat Saturday would leave Edmonton fourth in the West Division. Six games is far too early to panic in the CFL.

“We'll be a much different team coming into the last third of the season,” Reilly said. “Everybody always says 'the season starts on Labour Day.' We need to figure out what we're not doing well and learn from those mistakes so that when the stretch hits, we're playing our best football. That doesn't mean these games are not important.”

Overall, Edmonton's start reflects several league trends - more scoring and passing yards, less rushing production. Players generally appreciate they're in an entertainment business, but the W is still all-powerful.

“There's a lot of offence going on - I don't remember what it was, but two years ago, there were only a few receivers with 1,000 yards,” Bowman said. “With the rate receivers are going, people are doing a lot of talking about that ... That's there, but our focus is still on finishing and having a complete game.”