Messam out for season, Eskimos’ ground game in trouble

Despite their win over Calgary in the West semifinal, the path to the Grey Cup was never going to be an easy one for the Edmonton Eskimos, as they'd still have to go into Vancouver and beat the first-place Lions in the West Final. That path just got even steeper with Tuesday's news that star running back and Most Outstanding Canadian candidate Jerome Messam will be out for the rest of the season with torn cartilage in his knee from a hit he took Sunday. The Eskimos' ground game wasn't the most consistent or effective even with a healthy Messam; with him out, it may get even worse.

There are some questions about the hit that took Messam out. It appeared that Calgary safety Demetrice Morley led with his helmet and hit Messam's knee, which is a cause for concern. Helmet-first tackling is inherently problematic and dangerous for both the tackler and the player being tackled, and it's an issue that persists across the league despite occasional fines and suspensions. We'll see if the league reviews this and applies any additional discipline to Morley. Helmet-to-knee hits may not have the same connotations as headshots, but they can be just as bad; they have the potential to give the tackler concussions and they can also blow out knees, as seems to the the case in this situation. Still, Morley's season is already over, so whether the league fines or suspends him is a minor point next to where the Eskimos go from here without Messam.

Messam (seen above running in for a touchdown Sunday) may not have been the best choice for the West Division's Most Outstanding Canadian, but he still had an outstanding regular season, picking up 1,057 rushing yards (third in the league) and six touchdowns on 195 carries (5.4 yards per carry) and becoming the first Canadian to break the 1,000-yard barrier since key trailblazer Sean Millington did it in 2000. His accomplishments are even more impressive when you consider that Edmonton's offensive line featured a rotating cast this season, and one that often wasn't all that effective. Messam didn't always break through for big gains, but he showed an ability to pick up yards even without the best blocking. Without him, the Eskimos will be without their unquestioned top back in a West Final that already looked pretty intimidating for them.

Of course, the Eskimos aren't completely out of options. They have import Hugh Charles, who they acquired near the end of the year from Saskatchewan, and non-import Calvin McCarty. Neither has been as consistent as Messam, though. Charles has an impressive 6.4 yards per carry average from this season, but that's on only 38 carries, so there's an element of small sample size involved. He's gained 242 yards with one touchdown and one fumble. Meanwhile, McCarty has picked up 209 yards on the year, but is averaging just 4.0 yards per carry. If Charles can maintain his impressive yards-per-carry average even with more touches or if McCarty can step up, then the Eskimos may be able to get their ground game in decent shape (providing their offensive line executes). If not, though, the loss of Messam may be a substantial blow to their playoff hopes.