LIVESTREAM PPV: BC Lions @Edmonton Eskimos, Friday, June 21, 7p (9p EDT, 3a June 22 CEDT)
EDMONTON — It’s a homecoming of sorts for BC Lions quarterback Mike Reilly.
Reilly will play against his former teammates for the first time as his Lions take on Edmonton Friday night at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
The Lions dropped their season opener against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last Saturday, losing 33-23, while the Esks defeated the Montreal Alouettes 32-25 at The Brick Field.
Reilly expects a mixed reception when he takes to the field Friday night.
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“Most of them will cheer and be appreciative of the time that I spent there right until the game starts. Then after that they’ll probably boo me every second,” Reilly laughed, talking to the media on Monday. “Which I would expect nothing else of an opposing team’s fan base, especially a great fan base like Edmonton.”
Reilly first came to Edmonton in 2013 after spending three seasons as a backup in BC. The Washington native went on to win a Grey Cup and a Grey Cup Most Valuable Player honour in 2015, a Canadian Football League All-Star selection in 2017, and that year’s Most Outstanding Player honours. The 34-year old then left for the Lions in the off-season, signing a four-year contract.
Former teammate and Edmonton defensive tackle Almondo Sewell was all business when he fielded questions about the departed signal-caller.
“Business is business,” Sewell said. “He had to do what he had to do. We’ve got Trevor (Harris) right now. We’ll just concentrate on what we have here.”
“It’s getting a bit too much, but that’s alright.” Sewell added, when asked whether he was tired of answering questions about Reilly.
Harris joined Edmonton during the off-season after spending the last three seasons as the REDBLACKS starter, winning a Grey Cup in 2016. In his first regular season against Montreal last week, the Ohio native threw three touchdowns for 447 yards. Edmonton had over 600 yards of offence against Montreal, but Harris gave all credit to his offensive line and running back CJ Gable.
“The truth of the story is, it’s our offensive line,” Harris said. “Those guys up front dominated the offensive line, the line of scrimmage. CJ was able to get some free open spaces and when he does that, he’s going to make the first guy miss.”
Despite the strong start, Edmonton will have to soldier through with a number of injuries. In addition to offensive lineman SirVincent Rogers being out indefinitely with torn triceps, receiver Anthony Parker and defensive back Don Unamba now find themselves on the six-game injured list.
“It’s never a good thing when you’re putting your starters on the bench, or on the injured six-game list.” Edmonton head coach Jason Maas said. “But like we’ve said in the past it’s the ‘next man up’ mentality. We talked about it early in training camp. Everybody who made our team better be ready to play, because at a moments notice you’re going to be called upon.”
DAVARIS DANIELS IS IN THE LINEUP THIS WEEK AFTER MISSING THE TEAM’S SEASON-OPENER (ESKS.COM)
The Esks will have previously injured receiver DaVaris Daniels in the lineup. He was on the one-game injured list and missed the Alouettes contest. The 26-year-old spent the last three seasons with the rival Calgary Stampeders before joining Edmonton in the off-season.
As for BC, they don’t have as many walking wounded, but Canadian running back Wayne Moore won’t be available for the team and he’s been placed on the six-game injured list after reportedly hurting his left shoulder against Winnipeg last week.
Head coach DeVone Claybrooks will get another crack at earning his first-ever win as head coach against a tough West Division opponent.
“I would say any team in the west is a rival in the sense. It’s going to be such a dog fight,” Claybrooks said. “Every week, you want to get the team’s best effort. So you just make sure that you come out, be ready to play, and be mentally in every game.”
BY THE NUMBERS
607 — The number of net offence yards registered by Edmonton in their opening week victory over the Montreal Alouettes
154 — The amount of rushing yards piled up by Esks running back CJ Gable versus the Alouettes last week, leading all running backs.
4 — Trevor Harris now has four 400-yard passing games after passing for 447 yards against Montreal
153 — Lions receiver Bryan Burnham picked up that many receiving yards for BC last week against Winnipeg, giving him 12 career 100+ yard games.
243 — The amount of combined yards amassed by Brandon Rutley of the BC Lions last week versus Winnipeg. 226 of those yards came off kickoff returns.
AFI, Yare Media and the CFL
American Football International is collaborating with Yare Media and the Canadian Football League to present 2019 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the top flight TSN network television broadcast.
LIVE STREAM: CFL – BC Lions @Edmonton Eskimos, Friday, June 21, 7p (9p EDT, 3a June 22 CEDT)
