Eskimos not taking former backup QB Jonathan Crompton lightly as he QBs Alouettes
Sept. 9, 2014 2 min read original
EDMONTON -
No need for the Edmonton Eskimos to roll out the red carpet for Jonathan Crompton this weekend, he’s been here before.
It wasn’t all that long ago, either.
And besides, he was probably seeing enough red on his way out after going from the team’s second-stringer a season ago, only to have Matt Nichols return and then get leapfrogged in training camp by newcomer Pat White — a West Virginia product who was touted as the team’s third-stringer and short-yardage handler well before the regular season got underway.
That left Crompton following fellow former Eskimos quarterback Jacory Harris into free agency to pursue other options.
“It was one of those deals where neither side could get worked out what they needed to work out and he just felt like it was best for him to move on,? Eskimos head coach Chris Jones said following Crompton’s release by the club on July 9.
Fast-forward two months and Crompton finds himself 2-0 as a starter with the Montreal Alouettes, moving them into a first-place tie in the East Division with the Toronto Argonauts.
The six-foot-four, 225-pound Tennessee product is completing 63% of his passes, for 451 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions as a starter, following a 20-10 win over the Ottawa RedBlacks before beating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 38-31 on Sunday — just two days after the death of his former fiancee due to ovarian cancer.
“I think we’re going to see a guy who is very confident in himself and believes in himself,? said Eskimos defensive back Marcell Young. “I think we’ll see a guy who wants to beat his old team, beat his teammates. Maybe prove some people in the organization wrong, or whatever.
“Whatever the case may or may not be.?
Indeed.
One thing’s certain, the Eskimos know what they can expect from a extra-motivated Crompton.
“He’s been playing good for the past few weeks,? Young said. “He faced this defence a lot in training camp, so we’re going to have to mix things up and disguise things and just stick to what we do.
“A big, live arm, give him all the credit in the world. When he was here, he could really wing it and he fed some tight spots. We have to close those windows pretty fast so he can’t wing it in there.?
Crompton and the Alouettes are riding a two-game win streak into Commonwealth, to face an Eskimos squad that has lost their last two. No one expects it to be a replay of the 33-23 win Edmonton earned in Montreal in their only prior meeting this season.
“I actually expect a lot from him because I think they’re a lot better team than the team we played earlier with Jonathan Crompton back there,? said Eskimos defensive back Aaron Grymes, who arrived in the CFL at the same time as Crompton last year in Edmonton. “I know Cromp and I know he’s got a strong arm. He likes to air it out and he’s got a lot of good receivers to throw to.?
But the familiarity is something the Eskimos will only rely upon so much heading into Friday’s game (7 p.m., TSN, 630 CHED).
“I would say a little bit just because I know he has a strong arm and he likes to use it, but when he was in our offence, he ran a whole different offence,? Grymes said. “So he’s not throwing the same routes to the same receivers, he’s not seeing the same reads. It’s going to be a lot different.?
gerry.moddejonge@sunmedia.ca
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