Will the real Mike Reilly Stand Up

Can Mike Reilly lead the Eskimos to a Grey Cup?

I don’t think so. And here’s why.

First let’s take a stroll down memory lane shall we.

It was Oct 19, 2012. Edmonton is in BC to take on the lions. Coming off back to back wins against the Ti-Cats and Roughriders, the Eskimos appeared to be on their way to salvaging their season. A win against the lions puts the Esks back at .500 for the year and quite possibly gets them closer to at least a home playoff game.

Heading into the game the Lions were rolling having won 9 of their last eleven games. And with Travis Lulay sidelined with a shoulder injury if only for precautionary reasons, the Lions started back-up quarterback Mike Reilly for his first ever CFL start.

And what a start it was.

At game’s end, Reilly numbers were impressive having completed 19 of 28 passes with 2 of them for touchdowns. The only blemish was an interception that came on his second pass attempt way back in the first quarter. Eskimo linebacker JC Sherrit pounced on an under thrown pass over the middle intended for Paris Jackson. Reilly shrugged it off and came back with performance most rookies only dream of when getting a chance to play. The Lions won the game 39-19 improving to 12-4 on the season while the Eskimos fell to an abysmal 7-9.

As an Eskimo fan watching this Reilly guy pick apart the defense like a seasoned pro, I wondered how great it would be to have a guy like that leading my green and gold on to victory.

My wondering powers must have been telepathic because rookie Eskimo GM, Ed Hervey pulled the trigger and got Mike Reilly for what amounted to a bag of deflated practice balls, a water bottle and some tackling dummies on January 31, 2013.

At first glance I thought it was a great deal. There appeared to be some stability on the horizon to the three ring circus that was the quarterback position in Edmonton. Much maligned QB Stephen Jyles was released prior to the Reilly trade so that left the all wise Yoda-like mastery of Kerry Joseph to mold the two apprentices into a strong tandem.

Ya, that never happened.

Third year QB Matt Nicholls had fully recovered from an ankle dislocation he suffered during the Eskimo playoff game 7 months prior was lost for the entire 2013 season after shredding his knee in a pre-season tilt against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

With Reilly signed and on the roster, there was no way in hell Kerry Joseph was going to be the starting QB in Edmonton. The fans wouldn’t have it and deep down, Ed Hervey and The Eskimos club as a whole knew that couldn’t happen either.

So Technically Reilly didn’t earn his starting role, he kind of fell into it. And he’s been falling a lot since then. The Eskimos let their QB’s get sacked 60 times during the 2013 season. GM Ed Hervey knew his offensive line needed to get better but they were downright…offensive at protecting their passers. 

Reilly’s first full season as a starting quarterback was nothing short of heroic but bordered on stupidity. Having no faith in your offensive line is one thing but to run as often as he did had the Eskimo brass wincing with every carry. Eighty four times Reilly rumbled down the field to lead the league in attempts and yards with 709. Impressive. Most Impressive; But he wasn’t acquired to be a rushing Jedi now was he?

As for his passing ability, everyone knew he could be effective. While with the Lions, he tossed the rock 75 times with 52 completions, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. That’s almost a 70% completion rate and a QBR (Quarterback Rating) of 104.84

His first full season as a starter in Edmonton, his passing numbers were impressive. Completing 305 of 512 passes for over 4,000 yards with 24 touchdowns. He threw 18 interceptions which was second the second highest in the league behind Henry Burris who turned it over 19 times. Reilly finished the season with a completing percentage of 59.3 and a QBR of 87.

All things considering, one would say he had a solid year. Did he improve in 2014? With a slightly improved offensive line, Eskimo QB’s were only sacked 46 times over the season. An improvement of +14 but that didn’t translate into more throws, more offence or more points scored.

Reilly tossed the ball 446 times with 288 completions, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. A completion percentage of 64.6 and a QBR of 88.7.

While Reilly’s numbers were improved in every aspect as a passer, the Eskimos solidified their running game when newcomer John White racked up an impressive 852 yards on only 123 carries. The Eskimo offence finally had some balance which should have reduced the number of Reilly rumbles down field but only slightly. Reilly still ran the ball 79 times for 616 yards.

What does all of this mean?

It means while there has been improvement on his part from a statistical point of view, I have no reason to believe he will get any better. And here’s why.

The game I referred to at the beginning was a thing of beauty by Mike Reilly. His pocket presence was outstanding. The oncoming rush never seemed to bother him. If he did sense trouble coming, he merely floated away and kept his composure or ran the ball to avoid a sack. With only 4 carries for 43 yards, Reilly controlled himself inside the pocket.

I’ve yet to see that from him as an Eskimo.

It seems he’s extremely eager to tuck and run once the protection has broken down. Is he trying to do too much? Probably. Or is it because he’s just not comfortable with the plays being called or the system the Eskimos have in place. It may be all of the above and it may be none of it. I don’t have an answer but I do know he panics an awful lot and runs more times than needed.

His passing game against the Eskimos that October day in 2012 was controlled mastery. Reilly managed his check downs extremely well. Defensive backs didn’t know where he was going to throw the ball because he set them up by looking one way and throwing it the other way. Despite an early interception on only his second pass of the game Reilly came back on the Lions next possession un-phased. On 2^nd and 6, Reilly tosses a ball over the shoulder and down the sideline to an open receiver for a big gain.  Throws like that at any level are difficult to make but Reilly did it like he was a seasoned vet.  

I’ve yet to see this from him as an Eskimo.

Reilly can’t seem to take the side blinders off when he’s in the pocket. Once he locks in, it’s all or nothing. When he does have a receiver open, the balls are overthrown, underthrown or picked off. And once he has a bad play, it effects the next play and the next play. Reilly appears to get flustered often and easily as an Eskimo. Now I’m not sure if it is because of the Eskimo system, if he isn’t preparing properly before games or a combination of the two but he just isn’t at the same caliber since his rookie start.

Feeling perplexed, I had to figure out what was wrong with Mike Reilly. After doing a bit of research, I came across his NFL Combine draft scout report and then everything made sense. It’s as if the football Gods granted me access into the mind of my confusing quarterback. It all made sense.

The report revealed the Mike Reilly of Central Washington was the Reilly I saw when he was a BC Lion. He had good timing and accuracy for the short and medium routes, a nice touch on the ball with accuracy for the deep pass. He had a cerebral composure about his game, read defenses well and could get through his progressions quickly.

Fast forward to his time as an Eskimo and I’m seeing the negatives of that scout report. A lack of arm strength is exposed when facing better competition. He over throws passes to prove he has arm strength. Reilly’s lack of foot speed behind the line of scrimmage is due to playing mostly out of a shotgun formation which limits his mobility even though he is athletic enough to take direct snaps. Needs to work on foot speed to become all around quarterback. His stats were inflated due to playing in a spread style offence.

I don’t think Mike Reilly is the right quarterback to lead the Eskimos to a Grey Cup. While fans love his guts and determination, after 2 full seasons as a starter, Reilly doesn’t resemble the player he was in B.C. 

Times change, Reilly should too.