The Eskimos did a smart thing this week and signed veteran CFL receiver Paris Jackson this week. Fake Mets Jerseys . He was signed to help with depth to the receiving corps because of the loss of Shamawd Chambers to the 6-game injured list. Losing starters and especially National starters is difficult to overcome and to try to get the same level of productivity in the position. That is why it is so important for teams to have as much depth as possible at National positions. Like all teams in the CFL, the Eskimos have had their share of injuries to deal with this season. They have faced some serious National challenges pertaining to roster depth at the defensive line. In addition to losing Chambers, they lost starting defensive lineman Don Oramasionwu early in the season as well as Eddie Steele and Gregory Alexandre in last Fridays loss to Saskatchewan. That is why they had to sign defensive lineman Bo Adebayo from Montreals practice roster to provide help and depth on the defensive line. Paris Jackson has been released twice in the past year, first by B.C. and then by Ottawa, an expansion club trying to find their way in the first season. He had only six catches for 34 yards in three games with the Redblacks before he was relegated to a backup role. He eventually was released because Ottawa probably felt comfortable with the young receivers they had and did not need to have a higher than average salary for a backup. Another difficult thing for general managers to decide is that after the ninth game, the salaries of CFL veterans are guaranteed, meaning if you were to cut them and send them home, they would still be paid and would count against your cap. So why sign a 34-year-old player who couldnt make the starting lineup of the Ottawa Redblacks? Why not put a younger player on the roster and let him develop instead of an older player with a short shelf life? This is a question I hear a lot and want to take the time to talk about why it is so important to have a veteran presence on your roster, especially at the end of the year. At this time in the season, there is probably not a lot of young talented National receivers on the practice squads of other teams or at home waiting for a call. Because of the attrition of the season, the expansion of the CFL rosters by the Redblacks, plus one more non-import on each team, finding available Nationals is difficult. Many people I talk to say there is as little depth as they have ever seen that is not on rosters already at National spots. But for me, the most important and best part of what I hope Paris will bring to the Eskimos is experience; experience in the position he is playing, experience in the stadiums in the division, experience in the meeting rooms, experience in the locker room. There is no substitute for guys who have been in games and know what to do in as many situations as they can remember. Coach Dave Ritchie, my former boss in Winnipeg in 2002 and 2003, used to say that you lose a game for every rookie that you start. He believed they would make mistakes because of a lack of experience that would cause you to lose a game. As a receiver, Paris should have a great understanding of the cadence in the CFL and more importantly, the Waggle, where receivers run towards the line of scrimmage. I cannot tell you how that can be limiting and how difficult it can be for rookie receivers. I would think you would have less of a chance of Paris being offside than someone who has little or no experience with the waggle. Paris understands the contact that is allowed by defensive backs downfield and will know how to counter it. I cant tell you how many rookie receivers are amazed when a defensive back collides with them 10 yards downfield and dont know how to counter it. Many pass concepts are similar in the CFL, so Paris will have to learn the Eskimos terminology but he should have an general understanding of the role of each receiver in the concepts and what they are trying to accomplish. Players with experience at any position understand that the ball can be punched out of bounds to recover a fumble. They understand most of the rules pertaining to the kicking game as well as what will get you a penalty on and off the field. The Eskimos, who have positioned themselves nicely in a battle for the division title, need guys who can come in and be productive but not make the crucial self-destructive mistakes like penalties or not understanding what to do on a given play. When I was the head coach in Winnipeg, I struggled and always lost in arguments with the general managers insistence to never sign players from other teams. He believed in signing rookies and rookies alone would be the way we would fix any roster issues and or injury problems. That is why we always had the youngest team in the CFL each year. Often times, he would say why do we want a guy who was not good enough to play for them? A couple of reasons: one, they understand the rules and systems of the CFL and two, they may be a better fit for our roster than the team that released him. Some guys may be better than what we have on the roster, which is not what the GM wanted to hear but was sometimes true. What the general manager did not understand is that rookie receivers may be faster on the stopwatch when you are scouting them running down a line. A slower veteran will play faster most times in the game because he knows what to do and what he is doing so those guys can play faster than rookies and the QBs will trust the veterans because they are in the right spot at the right time. Many players are excelling in the league today with very average 40 times. Another example during my time as head coach in Winnipeg involved signing a rookie International defensive lineman early in the 2012 season over several options that had CFL experience. This player not only had not played in the CFL, he never had played defensive lineman. He was a linebacker who we moved to defensive line. This player did not have a training camp to learn the fundamentals of the position of DL or to learn the rules of the CFL. He was thrown into a very difficult position to be successful, especially early on and also the position coach who had to try to groom a LB on how to play defensive line was also put in a position you normally dont do in professional football; that is teach a player a position he never has played before. True to form, we had an injury at the defensive line and the player had to start the next week with only four days of practice. He struggled for two or three weeks with lining up offsides, having not had a lot of experience with the yard off the ball. He took three penalties in his first game just lining up offsides. The general manager was frustrated by the penalties and would try to say it was the coachs fault for not explaining that to him or my fault for not teaching him about it. We actually kept track of offsides daily and did extra work when we went offside in practice but these things will happen to young inexperienced players and the best way for them to learn is through game experiences alone. That is how the player will get better at the position, game reps alone. At this point in the season, teams like the Eskimos dont want to have players who have to be taught everything and may make mistakes if they get in a game. It is the push to first place so they need players with experience. The right veteran players should understand how to conduct themselves in the meeting rooms and within the team atmosphere. Some rookies come up and have different priorities than doing what is best for the team, day in and day out. It is an adjustment being in a new city, getting attention as a professional football player, being able to do what you want when away from the facility. Some rookies cannot handle that, so when you sign a veteran, you are getting someone who has maneuvered through all those things before and you hope can provide the role that he is needed on the team. Role is a big word in organized football and lastly, one that I think players with experience understand. I believe that Paris Jackson will know his role and do his job. Do your job and your job alone and you can have a very successful team and a successful career individually. I am sure or I hope that Paris is not thinking about taking catches away from Adarius Bowman and Fred Stamps and thinking about how he can help the team win. He has been through the starter to backup role before and should know how to handle it. I am sure the Eskimos did there due diligence and spoke to people about how he handled himself in those roles. I am sure it helps that his former teammate Jarious Jackson is on the coaching staff. In 2009, when I was the offensive coordinator in Saskatchewan, I replaced Jason Clermont on the roster with Chris Getzlaf early in the year as Chris was playing very well. Jason was a veteran football player and handled it like a true professional and the players in our meeting room had all the respect in the world for him. He continued to be a positive force in our push to the Grey Cup. He would help us in games down the stretch and, when he got opportunities to play, he would make plays and could be counted on. As the Eskimos prepare for the home stretch, it is great to see that Paris Jackson is getting an opportunity to help them in their search for the Grey Cup. I am sure that he will do his best to help the team in any way possible. His 11 years of experience will be of use for the Eskimos during the stretch run. Custom New York Mets Jerseys . "Opinion: Womens World Cup is the best Soccer of the year," Hanks tweeted to his 8.73 million followers on Friday. "Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. Wholesale Mets Jerseys .com) - Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined for 51 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder took down the struggling Bucks 114-101 on Tuesday. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/ .C. - The housecleaning continues for the B.(SportsNetwork.com) - Its an early-season battle of undefeated teams Tuesday night when the Houston Rockets head to AmericanAirlines Arena to battle the Miami Heat. The Rockets reached 4-0 on Monday night with a 104-93 road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Houston is undefeated, but the quality of opponents has lacked a bit. The combined records of the four teams the Rockets toppled thus far is 2-13. However, the Rockets have handled whats been in front of them. Each victory was by double-digits and Houston has averaged 105 ppg, while allowing only 91.5 ppg. We struggled tonight, so were going to have to do a lot better tomorrow, head coach Kevin McHale said after the Sixers victory. 4-0 is better than 0-4, so Ill take that. We have stuff to work on. James Harden led the way on Monday with 35 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He went 17-for-18 from the free-throw line. Trevor Ariza went 6-for-9 from 3-point range en route to 24 points. He added seven assists and Dwight Howard registered a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Isaiah Canaan was the only other Houston player in double figures with 13. Things get tougher for Houston, not just in facing the four-time defending Eastern Conference champions. The Rockets return home Thursday and play the San Antonio Spurs, then host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. The Heat also defeated the 76ers this seasson and have a pair of home victories over the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors, a pair of playoff teams last season in the Eastern Conference. New York Mets Pro Shop. Were three games into this so it could quickly go the other way if guys start to feel comfortable and try to start to do it on their own, head coach Erik Spoelstra said, and thats not the makeup of this group. Thats not at all a referendum on our personnel, its the power of working together that will make us more successful. The Heat have the first Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Chris Bosh. He is averaging 25.7 ppg and 11.3 rebounds and has been spectacular early in the campaign. Against the Raptors on Sunday, Dwyane Wade scored 19 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists, and the Heat continued their dominance over the Toronto Raptors with a 107-102 win. Bosh tallied 21 points with 11 rebounds and four assists for the Heat, who have opened the season with three straight wins for just the fifth time in franchise history. It was a good win, particularly having to go through the emotions of playing a very good team, Spoelstra said. Luol Deng and Shawne Williams netted 18 and 16 points, respectively, in the victory. The Rockets won at home in March of last season versus Miami and that snapped a seven-game series losing streak. The Heat have won five in a row as the host against the Rockets. ' ' '