Battles to watch as Edmonton Elks training camp kicks off

As teams move into training camp, with the Edmonton Elks training camp kicking off Sunday, the ultimate goal is winning the Grey Cup. A lot of things have to happen to achieve that goal: a great roster, limited injuries, executing at a high level, and a little bit of luck.

The Elks’ preseason consists of 13 practices, two walkthrough days, two preseason games, countless meetings, boxes upon boxes of tape used, a lot of treatments, and lots of food consumed. 

The Roster

The roster is broken down by

– 19 DB

– 16 DL

–  3 FB

– 1 K

– 9 LB

– 2 LS

– 15 OL

– 1 P

– 5 QB’s

– 6 RB

– 21 WR

Key Pieces

Offensively, this group is led by Cody Fajardo, Justin Rankin and newcomer Austin Mack.

Defensively, LB’s Nick Anderson, Brock Mogensen, and Joel Dublanko should set the tone.

Special teams are rounded out by kicker Vincent Blanchard, punter Jake Julien and returnman Javon Leake.

Battles to Watch

The major focal point of this camp will be offensive line play. 15 linemen are competing for five spots. There are veterans like David Beard and Mark Korte with free agents Coulter Woodmansey, Brendan Bordner and Jordan Murray. If the play of this group is improved, there is a win-win-win scenario for the team. If Cody Fajardo has a clean pocket, his accuracy (which has remains elite) turns the Elks into a ball-control machine. Justin Rankin will produce in the rushing game and by default, with those two facets improved, it should mean your offence is on the field more = a rested defence.

Arms Race in the West

A year ago, the Elks’ defence was a work in progress, learning a new system and language. With a large number of returning players, this JC Sherritt defence is poised to make a big leap. They will need to make it as the west QBs Nathan Rourke, Trevor Harris, Zach Collaros, and newly extended Vernon Adams are not going to back down and throw the ball everywhere and anywhere on the field. Has there ever been this type of QB field in the West? 

This brings us to the next competition: Who is the Elks QB of the future? Is he in this camp? Is he in this camp but on another team? Taylor Powell, Cole Snyder, and Zach Zebrowski are competing to be the next one. In the CFL, QB’s that step right into playing is a rarity (Ricky Ray being an exception). A little bit of seasoning and patience will pay off for any of these QBs. This is a battle worth watching.

Injuries

Last season, there were 1839 man-games lost (204.3 avg/team) in the CFL due to injuries. The Stampeders had a league high with 285, with the Redblacks right behind them with 281. The Tiger-Cats, Alouettes, and Bombers had the league low with 138, 147, and 150 games, respectively. The Elks had 188. Over the next few days, there are going to be cramps, rolled ankles, strained muscles, turf burns, bruises, scrapes, sunburn, cleat punctures, and a host of many other wounds that are going to happen. For some, the timing is going to suck, and a job is not gained. Training camp is an audition for the active roster, but with injuries playing a part of the game, you are also auditioning for spots on any team.

Luck

Sometimes a little bit of luck goes a long way. A tipped pass here, a punt bounces out of bounds there, maybe a fumbled snap by an opposing QB, or perhaps the ball slips off the kicking tee.

The coin toss is a random event, but last season, the Elks only won the toss six times, and when they did, they only won the game 33.3% of the time. 

Overall, the team that won the coin toss won 58% of the time and choosing to receive had a higher percentage at 67.6 per cent of winning than deferring to the 2nd half.