BY DARREN POPOWICH @d_pop13

It is obvious that the Edmonton Eskimos season has not gone according to plan. For now they have found a way to right the ship with a 27 – 23 win over the B.C. Lions. For how long not even the players really know. The 2016 version of the Eskies have found ways to lose to the worst team in football the previous week. Then eke out a win at homes against one of the best this week. One thing is for certain, the Eskies as a team are slowly evolving.


Under The Bus Early

For many Mike Benevides was the wrong choice for the Edmonton Eskimos and they wanted Noel Thorpe. Thorpe of course was still under contract by the Montreal Alouettes when Ed Hervey attempted to sign him away from Montreal. In many Esk fans eyes Benevides was and remains a mistake, but a growing number of knowledgeable Esk fans Coach Benny has been unfairly labeled a bust.

In week 1 when the Eskimos gave up 45 points to the Ottawa Redblacks blue collar E-town soured immediately on the Benevides experiment. It wasn’t so much that they had lost, but the fact the Eskimos played a lot of cover 2 and cover 3 zone. The defensive scheme was not an attacking scheme and the Eskies defense was shockingly bad on pass coverage and at tackling. Yet, Eskie fans expected much better even if all-stars were injured or had left for the NFL and under the bus Coach Benny went.

It’s A Process

A most coaches Benevides had a plan to evolve the defense over times and preached patience. The Esks had stumbled their way to a 2 – 1 record and came up in week 5 against former Eskimo Jeremiah Masoli and the Hamilton Tiger Cats. Masoli has never been considered a top flight quarterback in the CFL, but against the Benevides passive zone defense he shredded the Esks. To have Masoli who has done nothing since completing 23 passes in a row was an embarrassing failure by the Eskimos defense. The 37 – 31 comeback loss had Esk fans howling at Coach Benny’s and the call for someone anyone to replace him were renewed.

http://yegboneyard.blogspot.ca/2016/...-unfairly.html