Story Archive for 07/31/2010
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Eskimos Win First Game; Can Falcons Be Title Contenders?
Published on July 31, 2010 at 12:39AM
Well, congratulations to the Edmonton Eskimos who won their first game of the CFL season in a 28-25 decision over British Columbia. As I learn more about the Canadian Football League, I begin to understand how majestic its history is. For instance, the first Grey Cup (the CFL’s equivalent of the Super Bowl) game took place in 1909, which is almost 60 years before the Green Bay Packers won the first Super Bowl. Incidentally, the Eskimos are just as storied as the Packers and even have the green and gold color scheme. Thus, when the Eskimos started 0-4 this season, it’s understandable that team management and local media became adamant that things had to change swiftly. Friday, in a hardfought win over the Vancouver-based Lions, Edmonton recaptured some of its old magic. Leading the way was Ricky Ray (25 of 34, 360 yards, 2 TD’s, INT) and Arkee Whitlock (18 car, 102 yards) while even after British Columbia took a 25-21 lead in the 4th Quarter on a 54-yard interception return for a touchdown by Davis Sanchez, the Eskimos refused to quit. Their gumption in fighting back saved head coach Richie Hall’s job (at least for another week) and suddenly in North America’s City of Champions, the loyalists are beginning to believe again. Next week’s game against Toronto should be an interesting challenge.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons, to me, are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. This is a prevailing notion to me as I lay down my weary head to bed after writing these (hopefully) illustrious articles for your perusing pleasure! I can just envision the likes of quarterback Matt Ryan (263 of 451, 2,918 yards, 22 TD’s, 14 INT’s), wideout Roddy White (85 receptions, 1,153 yards, 11 TD’s), tight end Tony Gonzalez (83 rec, 867 yards, 6 TD’s) and tailback Michael Turner (10 TD’s) improving their stats in 201. Furthermore, an opportunistic defense featuring studs like safety Thomas DeCoud and defensive end John Abraham will live up to its potential by dethroning last year’s Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints, in the NFC South. I just like how the Falcons do things and they seem to have all the pieces in place. I would like to see young defensive end, Lawrence Sidbury, assert himself as a complimentary end to Abraham. The Falcons fans would definitely deserve a Super Bowl title and while I love my Denver Broncos more than any other team, there’s a soft spot in my football-loving heart for teams with low profiles (such as the Saints) who excel on the grandest stage the game has to offer. If nothing else, I expect a champions’ heart to be forged on the practice fields of Atlanta suburb, Flowery Branch, Ga. as the Falcons engage in training camp. Thanks for reading!