‘You may’t take these away, these are a part of our make-up this 12 months, sadly. We did not do sufficient issues to win these video games’
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Getting shut out within the recreation of soccer is one factor.
Getting shut out within the Canadian Soccer League, the place the kicking recreation is simply trying to give single factors away, is one other, fully.
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And having it occur twice? In the identical season? Nicely, that’s merely remarkable.
Except, after all, you’ve been listening to all of the crashing and burning sounds the Edmonton Elks made on their approach to a franchise-worst 0-9 begin to the season, which included a pair of shutout losses, 22-0 and 27-0, to the identical B.C. Lions who will look to comb the season collection after they go to Commonwealth Stadium on Friday (7:30 p.m., TSN, 630 CHED).
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However issues are drastically totally different in Edmonton this time round. For starters, the Elks went into their Week 9 bye following the newest loss to B.C. and altered a few key substances on offence.
Tre Ford, who was the third-string quarterback for each video games, is now beginning and has the Elks on a tear that has seen them win 4 of their final 5 underneath the path of latest play-caller Jarious Jackson.
And the Elks, who couldn’t purchase a house win for practically 4 full years on their approach to a 22-game dropping skid inside Commonwealth Stadium, have since turned issues round and wish to make it three wins in a row Friday.
“Yeah, so we’ve received two in a row, we’ve received 20 extra to go to make up for misplaced time,” Ford mentioned, grinning following Thursday’s walk-through session. “Hopefully we exit and get the win this week.
“And that’s the plan.”
Yup.
The staff that failed to achieve the purple zone, not to mention rating a single level towards the Lions, aren’t simply trying to make their approach onto the scoreboard, however — dare we print it — win, abruptly?
“Yeah, I believe we’re getting somewhat extra used to profitable at this level,” mentioned Ford, whose fleet-footedness has reinvigorated a run recreation that’s averaging greater than 200 yards per recreation since his promotion to the beginning function, offering a invaluable complement to working again Kevin Brown, who has been on nothing in need of a tear these days.
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It’s led to back-to-back fourth-quarter comebacks the place the Elks defence additionally stepped as much as shut the door on their very own finish zone.
“We’ve achieved sufficient issues to win video games, we’re not strolling out of there with three- and four-score wins. I imply, a variety of these have been fourth quarter,” mentioned Elks head coach and basic supervisor Chris Jones. “The children play extraordinarily onerous, they’ve received a superb perception system and so they see that if we don’t take the penalties and we scale back the massive performs, defensively, that we’ve got a possibility to win so long as we preserve possession of the soccer.”
On the similar time, he isn’t throwing out the primary two outcomes towards B.C., no matter his personal staff’s latest turnaround.
“No, all of them rely, you realize?” Jones mentioned. “We’ve watched them, they’ve been in our cutups all week lengthy and so they did an actual good job. You may’t take these away, these are a part of our make-up this 12 months, sadly.
“We didn’t do sufficient issues to win these video games.”
And even rating a degree.
But when that’s what it’s taken, so far as rising pains go, with a view to get to the following a part of the method, then so be it.
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“We’ve received a variety of younger guys in a variety of totally different positions, we’ve tried to proceed to educate them, they’ve continued to return to work every single day,” Jones mentioned. “That a part of it’s been enjoyable to look at, their progress.”
On the similar time, it may all be for naught ought to the opening the Elks dug themselves to start with show too deep to climb out of.
One other loss to the Lions this week, mixed with wins by Saskatchewan, Montreal and Hamilton, would formally put the post-season out of attain in both division for the Elks.
“I used to be truly on the telephone with one in every of our scouts this morning and he started speaking about that,” Jones mentioned. “I mentioned, ‘Why don’t we simply win each recreation, take it one recreation at a time and simply win and don’t fear about all that different.’ ”
Something out of their management, at this level, can’t be helped anyway.
“We are able to’t management these issues,” Ford mentioned. “If we do what we are able to do and management what we are able to management ,and go win these final 4 video games, then I believe that even when we don’t make playoffs, I believe it units us off on the appropriate path.
“Since our first bye week, we’re 4-2, and if we win our final 4, we’ll be 8-2. Clearly, for those who may erase that first half of the season, it will be nice entering into 8-2, proper? However I believe it’s only a excessive word to go away off the season and only a great place to select it up subsequent 12 months.”
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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