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The only thing worse than preparing to face a former MVP quarterback on a comeback run is actually playing against him.
The Eskimos have been gearing up for the new Casey Printers-led B.C. Lions all week as the West Division comes down to a one-game pre-playoff duel tonight.
"It's tough with a different quarterback, it changes things up quite a bit," said Eskimos safety Scott Gordon.
"Our main focus this week is to make Printers a drop-back quarterback. That's important, we can't have him scrambling around and making plays because he's going to once he gets outside. He's so athletic."
The Eskimos secondary is looking to establish the pace of the game from the opening kickoff instead of having things come down to the wire like in their last meeting.
Lions slotback Geroy Simon scored the game-winning touchdown in the dying seconds to sink the Eskimos in Commonwealth Stadium the last time they played.
"We have to go in and dominate and set the tone early and to do that, shut those guys down early and make him have to go to his second and third reads," Gordon said. "When you do that, you buy time for our line to get pressure, or our linebackers. It puts the pressure on the quarterback to have to get rid of the ball and things happen: Turnovers and two-and-outs.
"We'd like to set the tone early and that way we don't have to go down to a last-minute play."
It might not be the same Casey Printers that earned the CFL's 2004 Most Outstanding Player award. He is winless in two prior starts this season.
"Yeah, but both games he was in they could have very well won," Gordon said of the Lions' last two games, which they dropped by a total of five points. "He's performing well.Regardless of not winning ,he's still a factor and I see a lot of the old Casey."
