8/3/2007 11:57:53 PM
The Pack Forms

With Saskatchewan’s win in B.C. last night, there is officially no clear cut front runner in the west. The loss puts Saskatchewan one game behind the Lions and with a win we would be one game back of second place. The loser of this game between Calgary and us tomorrow night will be at the basement of the West come the closing of the first quarter of the season, and would be chasing the pack from here out. I’ve been that team chasing and it’s not pretty, the doubts in the fans minds are matched only by the doubts in your own as a player week in and week out. It is extremely important to finish the first quarter of the season with little or no doubt about your teams chances of contending for the title. At this point, you may not have faced every single team in the league, but you’ve at least seen them on film or on television and seen how they’ve faired against opponents that you’ve faced. It’s important to know where you stack up as a ball club going into the “meaty” portion of the season, in which the kinks should be worked out already, and you should be comfortable enough with each other to know what you’re going to get out of the man beside you when the curtain rises each week. The team that can enter the 6 games that make up the 2nd quarter of the season with confidence and swagger stands a much better chance of being in a good position winding down the last 2 quarters of this CFL season.
Calgary like us, is a team that is finding its way somewhat in this early portion of the season. Much has been said already of the talent that they possess, and I don’t think anyone can deny that, so the questions begin to swirl around in people’s minds regarding why such a slow start. Well, the same questions enter the thoughts of the players, believe me. It is vital for us to keep those doubts in everyone’s minds in this game by establishing ourselves as a team that’s certain of who they are, and of where they are going. The only way to do that is to play a FULL game from start to finish, something that has been sorely lacking in our format as of late. I’m excited at the possibility of seeing our team play focused and fast for that long, because I for one think that if we can find a way to actually play even the majority of those 60 minutes with poise and sound execution, there aren’t many if any that can contend with us.
This will be a defining game for the West, much like the one that took place last night. If B.C. would have found a way to win that game, many I’m sure could have conceded them first place in the West going away, and had them hosting a playoff game in their minds already. The loss makes them seem much more vulnerable to the rest of us, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see many teams playing the Lions with a different attitude altogether now that the scent of blood is in the water. The Eskimos need to stake their claim as fully fledged members in that hungry Western pack right here and now, to make no mistake that we’ll be there in October as well. To begin to chase now, is undoubtedly an uphill battle full of undue stress and too much antacid to go around. There’s a lot of pride in Calgary as well though, and they certainly aren’t going to lay down for anybody.
I do hope that my fellow Eskimos are resting well on this night, because tomorrow we get our first taste of the Battle of Alberta, and already it will have a playoff atmosphere. ©

KP8