Tre Ford is the man in Edmonton

By Lethbridge Herald on August 7, 2024.

 By Graham Kelly

Inside the CFL

August 1st, fourth place Winnipeg 25, first place  B.C.  0.  Said Lion tamer Rick Campbell:”We got our butts beat. They played well and we had a bad day at the office.”

    August 3rd, cellar dwelling Elks 42, 2nd place Saskatchewan 31. Said rookie Rider boss Corey Mace,”We just didn’t look like us tonight, we weren’t mentally prepared.  I’ve got to do a better job getting the guys ready to play.” Quarterback Shea Patterson added, “That’s not us.”

    August 4th, the third place Argos were up 23-6 on the third place Stampeders, only to lose 27-23. Said Coxswain Ryan Dinwiddie:”I just feel awful”. On July 26, Calgary was humiliated in Ottawa 33-6. Said Dave Dickenson: “They say every season there’s a game you’d like to get back. But you can’t, so flush it and move on.” After they played the worst first half in recent memory, they got down to work and pulled out a win.

 Oh, the dog days of August, a term usually applied to major league baseball to describe the heat drenched month after 120 games have been played and  everything is a grind. The CFL will hit the halfway point of the season this week-end.  The annual grind is worse this year because of so many short weeks. For example, Saskatchewan is in Ottawa tonight after playing last Saturday. The Redblacks are coming off a bye week.  The humidity is a killer for Western teams.   Were the blow-outs a result of the dog days of August?

The big story came  last Saturday when bystanders were startled to observe a thundering herd of Elk storm down the Lewvan  to South Railway to Mosaic Stadium to end their 2024 losing streak. It was their first win since Sept. 15, 2023   when they beat  the Roughriders 36-27 at Mosaic Stadium. The quarterback then? The rookie Tre Ford. 

    When fans  said the Riders would have no trouble with Edmonton, I cautioned  they have trouble with running quarterbacks.  Sure enough, the talented Canadian Ford kept drives alive with his feet, rushing for key first downs. But he was only part of the story. Although Saskatchewan came into the game giving up an average of only 47.8 yards on the ground, they surrendered 276 to the visitors. Ford had 46 to go with little used Javon Leake’s 169 yards. Leake scored three majors, two of which were on  runs of 51 and 61 yards, both off left tackle. It was like the 2023 game when Kevin Brown ran for 175 yards. 

    With 6:36 left, the Riders were still in it but a touchdown pass to Ajou Ajou was ruled out of bounds. If the call had gone the other way, the Riders likely would have won. 

   Mace said he needed to do a better job mentally preparing his team to play.  I think he needs to do a better job adjusting. In a loss at  B.C. July 13, Justin McGuiness caught 14 passes for 243 yards.  He was open all night. Same last Saturday with Leake, hardly the second coming of Johnny Bright.   Why couldn’t Defensive coordinator Mace adjust?

     But the Elks deserve full credit.  They dominated the line of scrimmage and, unlike, previous games, prevailed in the fourth quarter.  Congratulations to rookie head coach Jarious Jackson who is already making a difference, not only on offence but defence as well.

    And full credit to the Edmonton fans. They’ve been calling for Tre Ford to start since last year but  Chris Jones favoured an American like most coaches in the league.  He and the talking heads on television would utter nonsense like “He needs more seasoning,” or “there are things going on behind the scenes the fans don’t understand,” or “it’s complicated”.  Nonsense.  Such disrespect for the fans who for the most part are very knowledgeable and pay the freight is troubling. 

    Was that a break out game or merely a blip in another long, losing season? Time will tell. But the struggling Lions are coming into Commonwealth Sunday without quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.    The last time they beat the Lions was Aug. 19, 2021; this is  an excellent opportunity

So, okay Elk fans,   they’ve finally listened to you.  Tre Ford is the man.  Time to head back to Commonwealth Stadium and support your team. 

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