Elks look to Canadian QB Ford to get motor running

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This article was published 09/08/2023 (841 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON — They’re winless, scoring the fewest points in the CFL, and committing more penalties than anyone.

Say hello to the trainwreck known as the Edmonton Elks.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-2) are in town and looking to make things even worse for Edmonton (0-8) as the two sides meet Thursday at 8 p.m. CT at Commonwealth Stadium.

The Elks, who are coming off a bye week, look like a team without any hope or direction, but they might, just might, have something positive to squeeze out of 2023 if Canadian quarterback Tre Ford can impress.

After watching Taylor Cornelius fail over and over again, head coach/general manager Chris Jones has finally agreed to give Ford, a second-year player out of the University of Waterloo, a shot.

Thursday will be Ford’s first start of the season. The eighth overall pick of the 2022 CFL Draft made three starts as a rookie and went 1-2. The 25-year-old completed 58 per cent of his passes for two touchdowns, five interceptions, and 461 passing yards. Ford also had 149 yards rushing on 19 attempts.

“I would’ve liked to have gotten the opportunity a little bit sooner, but it’s just how professional football works. But I’m definitely just going to try to make the most of the opportunity and go out there and compete,” said Ford after Wednesday’s walkthrough at Commonwealth Stadium.

“It’s not going to be one guy (to turn the season around), it’s going to be a spark. If I can just provide some team morale, like just to get the team going, say a play that maybe Taylor would’ve got sacked on, maybe I can escape and get the first down. That’s going to help the defence, they can relax a little bit more on the sideline, and it’s just a spark for our offence to continue drives.”

Former B.C. Lions pivot Nathan Rourke, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, showed last year that Canadian quarterbacks can succeed in the CFL. Ford, from Niagara Falls, Ont., hopes he can continue that trend.

“Yeah, the Americans come from bigger schools, more people, but Canadians can still compete. I think you can see that across the board. Look at Andrew Harris, look at Brady Oliveira right now, Nic Demski, Winnipeg guys. They have Canadians who aren’t just competing, they have Canadians that are dominating in the league. I think getting Canadians in the right spots and giving them chances to succeed is big,” said Ford.

“I don’t feel like I’m at a deficit or that I’m behind. If there are other Canadian quarterbacks that do feel like that, hopefully this gives them a little bit of hope that, ‘Oh, I can compete at that level.’”

Ford is very familiar with the Bombers as his twin brother Tyrell played for the team last season. Tyrell, a defensive back, is currently in training camp with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. Ford, an elite athlete who was the highest Canadian quarterback taken in the CFL Draft since 1980, had workouts with the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots this past offseason.

“He’s probably got a lot of people telling him, ‘Hey, be a quarterback, make sure you’re doing this and that.’ I told him ‘Be Tre Ford. Be Tre and do what made me want to draft you in the first round,’” said Jones.

Ford was in his third year of university the last time the Elks won a game at home — a 19-6 victory over the B.C. Lions on Oct. 12, 2019. Since then, they’ve been defeated 21 times in front of their fans which is a new record for most consecutive home losses among North America’s major professional leagues.

The Bombers defeated the Elks 28-14 two weeks ago at IG Field.

“I’m pretty sure that they’re stressed out, but that’s really none of my concern,” said Bombers receiver Kenny Lawler, who spent last season in Edmonton.

“They seem to be struggling, and you can simply just say, ‘This game is going to be a win.’ Or, if you want to be a great player, you can say it doesn’t matter what their record is. We still have to go because we know as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers that we’re gonna get everybody’s best. We’ve seen that.”

Jones won a Grey Cup in his first stint in Edmonton in 2015, but Round 2 has been a colossal failure. The Elks are 4-22 since he took the reigns prior to the 2022 campaign.

“We’re coming off a bye and I’ve looked hard at myself. I looked hard at our processes, how we practice, and how we prepare… We’ve looked at everything,” said Jones.

“I think that youth has hurt us a little bit, but we’ve got good young kids that play really hard so we’re gonna hang in there with them and just keep playing.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31