The Eskimos Report

Supertoe's back in the house with his take on what's happening in Titletown at mid-season.

Well, I'm back from my self-imposed hiatus. Originally I thought I might write a report card at this point in the season. You know the drill. Where you grade each player’s performance and then give an overall grade. The problem is that there have been so many disappointments this season that grading each player would just become redundant. Do I sound negative? You bet. This is a football city that expects and demands nothing but the best and seeing the EE sitting on verge of missing the playoffs and having losing season is very hard to swallow.

Don't get me wrong. The other teams in the West have played decently. BC and Calgary have played well enough to compete, but not dominate, week in week out. It looked like BC might run away with it (they have certainly kicked the Esks), but I wouldn't write Calgary off just yet.  Saskatchewan, on the other hand, is puzzling. It's like they have played just well enough to stay out of their own way, but not well enough to get in anyone else's.

With the season at the midway point, I'm hoping that things can start new on Labor Day in Calgary, and the Esks will come out with a renewed vigor and take the series to the Stampeders. As hard as I hope, though, I just can't visualize that happening.

I remember writing at the start of the season about the "Battle of Alberta" and that this was often the benchmark of the season for both teams.  I still think it might be, but I'm afraid that it could turn out to be the weekend that everyone points to as the final nail in the coffin for the Esks’ first losing season in 35 years.

As much as it is difficult, I will be back for the second half and hopefully have more time to devote to my football team and my reports. That's a lot of hopefullys, but the biggest one is that this mid-season bust is just a bad dream and that I will awake and be able to write and report on any number of positive situations with the Esks as they battle their way into the playoffs. Nine games and counting. We'll see what happens.

Cheers