Reilly learns from mentor

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This article was published 16/08/2017 (3000 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It seems strange to say but Mike Reilly became a better, wiser quarterback after he won his first Grey Cup title as a starter in 2015.

The 32-year-old product of Kennewick, Wash., has guided the Edmonton Eskimos to a 7-0 start, while displaying the sort of skill and savvy you see exclusively from the best players at his position. And to hear Reilly tell it, he was able to reach this level only after some intense talks with incoming head coach Jason Maas.

“I think my understanding of what it takes to win a football game has changed,” Reilly said on Wednesday following his arrival at Investors Group Field, where the Eskimos will take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers tonight at 7:30 p.m. (TSN3, CJOB). “Having coach Maas here has been a huge influence in that. We’ve had a lot of conversations about how important it is for me to be healthy and available for my team and how we can do that.”

Reilly, well-known as a reckless and impulsive runner for his entire career to that point, was told he needed to become more of a pocket passer. It was for his own good.

“That was probably the first conversation we had when I got hired,” said Maas, who replaced Chris Jones as head coach following the 2015 season. “I know how tough he is, there’s no questioning how tough Mike Reilly is. Part of being smart is this — I don’t ever want him to be afraid in the pocket. I don’t ever want him afraid to take off. I’m a guy who prefers a guy go through his progression and then if you have to be athletic after that, which he is, go be athletic.

“But when it’s second and 18 and you’re taking unnecessary hits on the sideline when you’re only going to gain two yards… It’s different if he was gonna gain 18 and he needed to take that extra hit to get the first down. There’s been plenty of times I’ve seen Mike in his career take unnecessary hits. And that’s more what we talked about. When you get out of the pocket, just be smarter with the ball in your hands. Make really good decisions because ultimately, he has a greater responsibility to our whole organization staying healthy. A lot of it is on him. It’s always on us as coaches to protect him when he’s in the pocket, but when he gets out of the pocket, he’s got to protect himself at times, too.”

Initially, Reilly resisted change but grew to embrace the idea.

“I spend a lot of time watching film with (Maas), with coach Carson (Walch) our offensive co-ordinator, Jordan Maksymic, our quarterbacks coach, and they do a good job every week preparing me to know where my outlets are. Just being in this offence for another year, as you progress through it, you really get the muscle memory of understanding when your first and second read’s not there (and figure out) how to get your eyes back to the back side.

“I watched (former Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony) Calvillo do it better than anybody else the first couple of years I was in this league. It was like he would almost be throwing the ball to his running back on a checkdown before his body and shoulder and eyes got back there. It was instinct for him to get there and I’m certainly not at that level yet but I’m trying to get there.”

The proof has come on the field.

Reilly, whose 96.3 rating is the CFL’s best under its complex rating system, has thrown for 2,329 yards and 13 touchdowns, which are the third-best totals among quarterbacks. His 177 first downs and 54.3 per cent conversion rate on second down are the best totals in the CFL.

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What’s more, he’s done it by keeping his freelance running to a minimum. Last week, in a 27-20 win over the Ottawa Redblacks, Reilly carried the ball 11 times for 51 yards, his highest total since a 10-for-66 output during the 2015 Grey Cup game.

“It’s hard to take that competitive desire away from a player but I think he’s bought into that and he understands that,” said Maas. “And he’s been better at that this year.”

As for Reilly becoming the league’s most outstanding player, Maas isn’t willing to express an opinion.

“I’m more concerned with winning championships than Mike Reilly winning MOPs,” Maas said. “I think he would tell you the exact same thing.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sawa14