EDMONTON -- Brad Watters was quieter, sounding almost shellshocked.

He even tried to bite his tongue this time, but he simply could not hold in the frustration.

"I don't have anything official to say," said the Renegades president and part owner, when reached on the phone in Ottawa following yet another lopsided loss, this one by a 57-16 margin to the Eskimos. Watters, however, then repeated some of the thoughts he blurted out after the disappointing loss to the Hamilton Ticats at home last week.

"I am as perplexed as anyone can be," said Watters. "It's something there is no easy answer to. The main thing is, we're committed to make this team better."

With powerhouses like Montreal and B.C. providing the opposition in a couple of back-to-back home games, Watters wavered slightly when asked if the playoffs were still reachable.

"That's still got to be our goal," he said. "We have a tough two games now, and you never know what's going to happen in the last six. But we're not going to do it the way we've played the last seven games."

And a coaching change is not something the team is considering, he said.

"We have to get the best players in we can," said Watters.

Unfortunately, that seems easier said then done.

FIRST AND 10: Joe Paopao refused to heap blame on Sandro Sciortino after his rookie kicker missed all three field goal tries yesterday, even though the nine points would have had his left his team with a lot more hope down 26-24 at the half. "He doesn't play on defence," said Paopao. "We gave up some big plays." He also wouldn't exactly pass along a vote of confidence to Sciortino, who has connected on just 12-of-20 tries this season. "We'll see," he said, when asked if the team could continue on with kicking like that ... Sciortino was as miserable as you'd expect, afterwards. "I feel I was responsible (for the loss)," he said. "Everything went downhill after my kicks." Sciortino added that he was using a kicking tee for the first time since high school, as it lifted the ball above the grass field at Commonwealth. He was successful using the team in pre-game practice. "It's no excuse," said Sciortino, who went tee-less on his third try. "There shouldn't be any difference. My hips just weren't square." ... Ottawa's offensive line allowed four sacks, but gave Kerry Joseph better protection. Alexandre Gauthier did a respectable job in his debut as a left tackle. "I think my guy got by me three times, and one time Val (St. Germain) helped me out," said Gauthier. "I still have a lot of things to work on, but I don't think I was that bad. My goal is to be 100% next game." ... Mike Pringle is now 191 yards shy of George Reed's all-time rushing record (16,116). And with his four touchdowns, he is just two shy of Reed's mark for most majors in a career, which is 135.

HIGH AND OUTSIDE: In the first half, Pat Woodcock was thrown two balls. One, he turned into a 10-yard reception. The other would have gone for a 95 yard TD had it not sailed over his head. The Renegades went back to Woodcock in the second half with one more pass, and even included him in a reverse that gained 30 yards, but not until they were trailing by 27 points. He may have a lot of friends in Ottawa, but for some reason Renegades continue to stay away from him ... Ed Tait's column in the Winnipeg Free Press yesterday says the Bombers are interested in trading for Renegades DT Clinton Wayne and OL Mike Abou-Mechrek. Bombers GM Brendan Taman admits he's had talks with Ottawa (every team has) and Abou-Mechrek's name has come up. "But we're also not about to give up a lot in a trade for a guy who has been benched," said Taman. And the Renegades aren't about to accept a tee for a six-season veteran Canadian O-lineman, so that one currently appears headed nowhere.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM...: Until yesterday, we were sure Edmonton LB Singnor Mobley was Mexican. Si, we really did ... Whatever the previous record was for most first-down measurements in a game, it was shattered yesterday ... Speaking of measurements, friends of gold-medal winner Lori-Ann Muenzer can provide a pleasant distraction when they're watching the game a few feet away from a guy ... Watching the Esks-Renegades game on a TV in a bar called The Sports Corner across the street from Wrigley Field in Chicago was Globe & Mail scribe David Naylor and his wife Kim. According to Dave, they were the only two patrons interested in the game. Shocking, isn't it?