It was a valiant effort in the last six games to make a push for the playoffs, but the Edmonton Elks will be postseason observers after a 35-12 loss to the Toronto Argonauts.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
The Ups and Downs of a Young QB
When you have a second-year quarterback who has started a total of nine games, you can expect a lot of ups and downs. After tearing up the defences of the lower-half teams, Tre Ford is still learning to play the top-tier defences.
The ups came in the form of some great passing. An early throw to Geno Lewis, in full stride, for 17 yards. A beautiful 41-yard pass to Gavin Cobb in the second quarter. A scramble back of almost 15 yards that almost ran headlong into the referee before spinning out of two Argo tacklers to fire a bomb into the endzone for Cobb. When he finds the space to improvise, Ford’s magic brings all fans to their feet.
The downs, however, were costly. The Argos kept the running QB in check with only two dashes for 10 yards or more. Taking away the run game made Edmonton lean on the pass and Toronto took advantage with two interceptions, one for a game-changing pick-six. Ford was only able to convert on 36 percent of second downs. The pressure was on with the running game nullified.
“Defences are adjusting,” Ford said “They are taking away the box from us which is opening up more pass lanes. I just have to do better in the passing game and get the ball to the receivers and let them make plays.”
There were a couple of funny moments for the young QB as well. On a 15-yard run in the second quarter, Ford ran into the Argo bench. He took a moment to fist-bump Tommy Nield and share a laugh. On a run in the third, he slipped on the pavement just outside the grass field. When he got up, he stomped the pavement area a couple of times and turned with a smile.
I like these moments as they show he is a real person who can take the game seriously and still have fun.
O-Line Struggles
For as well as the offensive line has played since the switch to Ford, they have struggled against the top tier of defences. Seven sacks were given up against B.C. two weeks ago and five were surrendered in this game.
Ford talked about being better at getting the ball to receivers but he has had little time to make a read in the backfield or find a lane to take off running. Watching the Toronto offensive line give their quarterbacks upwards of four seconds to survey the field only intensified the contrast between these units. Ford regularly had one to two seconds before he was under siege.
That line will be under scrutiny for the remaining games as to who will step up. Mark Korte has already been given, in my opinion, a well-deserved extension. Brett Boyko continues to stand out to me at tackle. All three other spots need to be looked at in planning for 2024.
Defensive Losses
No team likes to use injuries as an excuse in a “next man up” sport. That said, some absences on defence were noticeable on Friday.
Edmonton’s leading tackler, middle linebacker Nyles Morgan, was replaced by Tony Jones. Jones had four tackles on the night and was around the ball, but was not nearly as effective as Morgan to the wide side of the field. In only his second season, he is still learning the nuances and speed of the game. There are also not many people that can cover the middle on short yardage quite like Morgan.
Defensive lineman J-min Pelley can’t seem to buy a break this year. After returning from a stint on the six-game list due to a leg injury, he had his appendix disagree with him and needed that removed. Sam Acheampong, the other Canadian defensive tackle, was also on the one-game injured list this week. Rookie Noah Curtis — who is great off the edge — Cole Nelson, and the re-signed Olivier Charles-Pierre tried to fill those spots. It was an admirable job by all three, but the Argo running game really got going especially late in the game.
Cornerback Marcus Lewis, who had been one of the brightest spots in the secondary, was also out. Enter Donovan Olumba, who had played some for the Elks last year and then suffered a long-term injury from which he just returned. Olumba played a decent game and showed some great speed but also got caught a couple of times as would be expected in a first-game back scenario. I feel he will be a great fit going forward but even good players need to get back into the swing of things.
Lack of Running
I alluded to it a bit with the offensive line, but the last two games have been a 180-degree turn for the negative for running back Kevin Brown. After posting the two biggest games of his career running against Calgary and Saskatchewan, he has a total of 28 yards on 12 carries in the last two games. Both B.C. and Toronto boast excellent front sevens, but that is a drastic decline. The holes have not been opening for the speedster and teams have adjusted to his outside swing attack.
I would like to see more opportunities handed his way to see if he can break out of the recent struggles but it is hard when the team gets down early. Six carries a game makes it hard to get into a groove but Brown has to find a way if the team is to have any success in the last two weeks.
Gavin Cobb Breakout
Receiver Gavin Cobb has been waiting to have a game like this. The 2022 fourth-round draft pick was injured in training camp in his rookie season and has been more of a regular since the injury to Steven Dunbar Jr.
He put up a career-high of 79 yards on four catches and scored his first CFL touchdown on the spectacular play at the end of the first half. Many of his catches were of the “wow” variety.
He was also part of one of the weirdest plays of the game — a 47-yard bomb from Ford that Cobb went up and looked to pick out of the air by high jumping over Mason Pierce. As they came down, the ball got knocked free and landed in the arms of Pierce. Instead of the big play, it was ruled an interception and down by contact. Another millisecond of possession would have ruled that another big catch for the Victoria product. He is taking big strides to become a regular part of this offence.
Field Position
Toronto’s first three drives started from their own 50, the Edmonton 38, and the Edmonton 45. It was a success for the defence to only be down 10 points with those kinds of gifts.
Although the stats say that the Argos had 130 yards in returns, it felt like they had 200. Javon Leake came within one tackle, by the punter, of returning one for a touchdown. The Elks cover teams did not have a great showing.
In comparison, the Elks started inside their own 20-yard line three times and never started outside of their own 40. Missing elite teamer Scott Hutter due to injury makes an enormous impact.
Chris Jones has said many times that this is a very young team. The special teams will need to continue to grow with these young players.
Next Steps
Now that we know the playoff race is over, the focus shifts to figuring out who wants to continue to be here next year.
Many will point to the tenure of Chris Jones coming to an end, but I am not in that camp. The latter half of the season has shown that the process is starting to work and I think consistency will pay off in the long run.
As far as the players are concerned, the next two weeks will be critical in showing if they are a part of that process.
“Guys grow over the course of the season,” Manny Arceneaux said post-game, “But this is pro football. We are in the business of winning and that’s winning right now. ‘Almost’ only counts in horseshoes. Each individual has to look in the mirror right now and hold themselves accountable. This is how you feed your family. Have to show up to work and put your best foot forward.”
They get another chance to put that foot forward next Saturday, in the final home game of the season, against the Montreal Alouettes.
