If this were any other team or any other year, rookie quarterback Tyler Donovan would be able feel pretty confident about his chances of making the team.
But the University of Wisconsin recruit is training with the Eskimos in a season where they've already got three veteran quarterbacks at their disposal.
"The situation we've got here is pretty unique, with the guys that we have out to fill that position, so he's constantly in catch-up mode, and he doesn't want to be left behind,"
acknowledged Eskimos head coach Danny Maciocia. "I don't know how you keep four quarterbacks. I don't know how you make it happen."
Both of Edmonton's quarterbacks from last season - starter Ricky Ray and backup Stefan LeFors - have returned, and the Esks have also signed Jason Maas back to the lineup. Maas played six seasons with Edmonton between 2000 and 2005, contributing to three Grey Cup wins in that time. Donovan will have to compete with all three of them if he's to secure a spot, and making the team will obviously be an uphill battle.
Nonetheless, Donovan feels himself up to the challenge.
"(I try to) get better every day, and pick up a little bit more of their offence and help the team as much as I can,"
he said after practice today.
And whatever his eventual fate with the Eskimos, he's been able to catch a few of his campmates' eyes in the meantime.
"He's doing a good job,"
Ray said. "He's a very good, very accurate quarterback, and he'll fit into (the CFL) very well. It's all about learning all the lingo and getting into his playbook and just making sure he's doing the right stuff out there."
"That's the most important thing, as a rookie coming in, just making sure that as a quarterback you can direct everybody where they're supposed to go and execute the plays the way they need to be done."
Donovan started every game for the Wisconsin Badgers last year as a senior, and led the team to the Outback Bowl against the University of Tennessee. In that time, he made 17 touchdowns, passed for 2,607 yards and completed 193 passes on 333 attempts.
Despite the odds, Donovan is intent on making his mark with the Eskimos.
"I'm here for a reason, you know? They wouldn't have hauled me all the way up here, all the way from the States, just to can me, so I'm just trying to get out there and take advantage of my opportunity and my reps, and help the team get better."
No matter how things turn out, though, Donovan's treating his time in Edmonton as a learning experience, and he's enjoying the friendly rivalry of camp.
"It's competitive, and you see guys fighting for their spots, but that's what it's all about at this level,"
he said. "I try to get better every day, and pick up a little bit more of their offence and help the team as much as I can."
"Collectively as a team you can see us making progress, getting better both offensively and defensively."
