Thursday, July 2, 2009 10:37 PM
Lumsden's season in jeapardy?
David Naylor
It was the question pondered by so many CFL fans this off-season: could Jesse Lumsden stay healthy enough to contribute to the Edmonton Eskimos attack this season?
And last night, less than one quarter into his first regular season game in green-and-gold, we got the answer.
It’s unfortunate, but Lumsden’s reputation as a running back whose body can’t take the pounding of professional football got another pillar Thursday night when he went out after taking a pass out of the backfield from Ricky Ray and being hit by Winnipeg linebacker Siddeeq Shabazz (who at 6-foot, 205 pounds was giving up two inches and 21 pounds to Lumsden.)
Lumsden appeared to suffer a dislocated shoulder on the play, the same kind of injury that slowed and then ended his season last year in Hamilton.
And the worst possible news for Eskimos and Lumsden.
Lumsden has legions of supporters who will insist he’s merely the victim of bad luck (including is former coach at both McMaster and Hamilton, Greg Marshall). But the evidence suggests otherwise.
Which is why when Lumsden became a free agent this off-season, there wasn’t exactly a stampede to his door, despite his significant talent. CFL general managers and coaches simply didn’t feel comfortable building their offence around a player they thought could not be counted upon to handle even 10-15 carries a game. And the fact that Lumsden doesn’t play special teams made it even tougher to justify a large investment in him.
The Eskimos were willing to gamble more than most, but hedged their bet by signing him to a deal with much of his pay based on how many games he plays. And they have a Canadian running back in Calvin McCarty to back him up.
It's sad to say, but if this latest injury keeps Lumsden out for a significant amount of time, it’s fair to wonder just what kind of future he has in the CFL.