Lefsrud stays planted on the farm
Monday, July 17, 2006 - 12:00PM
Guard, Esks fail to reach deal
By Vicki Hall,
Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON - Negotiations between guard Kevin Lefsrud and the Edmonton Eskimos have broken down.
After a flicker of hope a few weeks ago, there appears to be no hope the two sides will reach an agreement before the end of the 2006 season.
Lefsrud, 29, has essentially informed the Eskimos that he's through with football -- at least for now.
"He's done," said head coach Danny Maciocia. "He's not playing anymore. It's a done deal. It's over."
Lefsrud, however, is keeping the barn door open should the Eskimos eventually decide to offer him more cash.
"Right now, I'm on the farm," he said on Sunday. "That's where I'm making my living. There's always ways of changing people's minds, but as of right now, my mind is not changed.
"If an offer is made to me that I can't refuse, I'll come back.
"We're very busy," said Lefsrud, who farms near Viking, about 100 kilometres east of Edmonton. "We've got some peas turning pretty quickly here. By the beginning of August, we'll be harvesting."
The Eskimos, meanwhile, are happy with their current crop of offensive linemen, Maciocia said. Joe McGrath, Dan Comiskey, Tim Bakker, Glen Carson and Patrick Kabongo won the battle on the line of scrimmage last week in a 27-20 win over the B.C. Lions.
The big boys face a massive task in protecting Ricky Ray this week against the explosive Winnipeg front seven. Ron Warner leads the team with four sacks, and he's
expected to return from an injury in time for the Thursday night clash at Commonwealth Stadium.
Blue Bombers hurting these days
Speaking of injuries, the Blue Bombers are a hurting unit on the offensive line.
At one point, they played with two defensive linemen on that side of the ball in a 44-16 loss Saturday to the Montreal Alouettes.
Offensive tackle Dan Goodspeed (knee) and guard Matt Sheridan (groin) are out indefinitely. Offensive lineman Aaron Fiacconi (knee) is also doubtful for Thursday's game.
Thankfully, for Winnipeg, offensive lineman Mike Abou-Mechrek is expected to be back from an injury, but that still leaves two gaping holes on the line.
"It's pretty bad," said Rob Brown, a defensive tackle for Edmonton. "They're pretty beat up. Oh well. It's their problem. It's something they'll deal with.
"We'll see on Thursday who they have."
COATES SENT PACKING
The Eskimos have released defensive end Sherrod Coates. The Western Kentucky product played in four games for the Esks. He recorded three defensive tackles, two special teams tackles and two knockdowns.
His job was in jeopardy the moment the Esks re-signed rush end Joe Montford.
"He became expendable," Maciocia said. "And we did what we had to do."
SHORT YARDAGE -- Linebacker A.J. Gass (hamstring) and receiver Derrell (Mookie) Mitchell (hamstring) sat out of practice on Sunday. Both are listed as questionable for Thursday.
Guard, Esks fail to reach deal
By Vicki Hall,
Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON - Negotiations between guard Kevin Lefsrud and the Edmonton Eskimos have broken down.
After a flicker of hope a few weeks ago, there appears to be no hope the two sides will reach an agreement before the end of the 2006 season.
Lefsrud, 29, has essentially informed the Eskimos that he's through with football -- at least for now.
"He's done," said head coach Danny Maciocia. "He's not playing anymore. It's a done deal. It's over."
Lefsrud, however, is keeping the barn door open should the Eskimos eventually decide to offer him more cash.
"Right now, I'm on the farm," he said on Sunday. "That's where I'm making my living. There's always ways of changing people's minds, but as of right now, my mind is not changed.
"If an offer is made to me that I can't refuse, I'll come back.
"We're very busy," said Lefsrud, who farms near Viking, about 100 kilometres east of Edmonton. "We've got some peas turning pretty quickly here. By the beginning of August, we'll be harvesting."
The Eskimos, meanwhile, are happy with their current crop of offensive linemen, Maciocia said. Joe McGrath, Dan Comiskey, Tim Bakker, Glen Carson and Patrick Kabongo won the battle on the line of scrimmage last week in a 27-20 win over the B.C. Lions.
The big boys face a massive task in protecting Ricky Ray this week against the explosive Winnipeg front seven. Ron Warner leads the team with four sacks, and he's
expected to return from an injury in time for the Thursday night clash at Commonwealth Stadium.
Blue Bombers hurting these days
Speaking of injuries, the Blue Bombers are a hurting unit on the offensive line.
At one point, they played with two defensive linemen on that side of the ball in a 44-16 loss Saturday to the Montreal Alouettes.
Offensive tackle Dan Goodspeed (knee) and guard Matt Sheridan (groin) are out indefinitely. Offensive lineman Aaron Fiacconi (knee) is also doubtful for Thursday's game.
Thankfully, for Winnipeg, offensive lineman Mike Abou-Mechrek is expected to be back from an injury, but that still leaves two gaping holes on the line.
"It's pretty bad," said Rob Brown, a defensive tackle for Edmonton. "They're pretty beat up. Oh well. It's their problem. It's something they'll deal with.
"We'll see on Thursday who they have."
COATES SENT PACKING
The Eskimos have released defensive end Sherrod Coates. The Western Kentucky product played in four games for the Esks. He recorded three defensive tackles, two special teams tackles and two knockdowns.
His job was in jeopardy the moment the Esks re-signed rush end Joe Montford.
"He became expendable," Maciocia said. "And we did what we had to do."
SHORT YARDAGE -- Linebacker A.J. Gass (hamstring) and receiver Derrell (Mookie) Mitchell (hamstring) sat out of practice on Sunday. Both are listed as questionable for Thursday.
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