EDMONTON ā It has all the ingredients of an awkward partnership. But, so far, the Edmonton Elksā quarterbacking tandem of McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Tre Ford are doing and saying all the right things.
Ford emerged as one of the most exciting players in the CFL last year. His scrambles and scampers made more than a few highlight reels through the year. And, by the end of the 2023 season, the Niagara Falls, Ont. product looked to have the inside track to be the Elksā starting quarterback going into 2024.
But, in the off-season, Elks coach and general manager Chris Jones turned heads when he inked veteran Bethel-Thompson. The former Toronto Argonauts pivot had spent a season in the USFL with the New Orleans Breakers and wanted to come back to Canada.Ā
In 2022, he led the Argos to the Grey Cup and topped the CFL with 4,731 passing yards.
So, as training camp opened in Edmonton this week, Bethel-Thompson was at the top of the depth chart, while Ford slid in as No. 2. But, through the first days of practice, Jones has decided to use a ādouble-barrelledā approach on the offensive sets, meaning both quarterbacks get the same amount of reps.
Bethel-Thompson said that the chance to work with Ford was one of the reasons he decided to sign with the Green and Gold.
āI donāt notice any awkwardness,ā said Bethel-Thompson Tuesday at Commonwealth Stadium after the Elks completed their first session with the pads on. āI love working with Tre, I love his potential, and heās a huge reason why Iāve come here, right? You can see what he represents and why itās important to have great Canadian talent in this league.Ā
āI love the opportunity to play my best and help take this team someplace, and also give everything I possibly can to Tre.ā
The Elks finished 4-14 last season, but were 4-6 with Ford as a starter. The Canadian quarterback threw for 2,069 and added 622 yards rushing ā a whopping 9.4-yard average per carry. But Jones said there are areas where Ford needs to improve, such as getting the ball out of his hands more quickly and not always relying on his legs to get him out of trouble.Ā
āThey both are extreme professionals,ā said Jones. āMcLeod has got a plethora of experience, playing at a lot of different levels. Treās a smart enough guy to go, āhey, let me tap into that part of his game.āā
But Jones said while Bethel-Thompson is at the top of the depth chart, the door isnāt closed on Ford.
āWe have a pecking order. We have a depth chart for a reason. Everything is charted. We look at the completion percentage, where the throws are, the accuracy of throws. Everything is a competition, but thereās a position chart for a reason.ā
Jones said the situation reminds him of 2017, when he coached the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Kevin Glenn was the established veteran, who had thrown for thousands of yards in his career, and the young upstart, Brandon Bridge, was waiting in the wings. Glenn threw 25 touchdown passes that season, Bridge added another 10.Ā
āIām just going to make the most out of the opportunity,ā said Ford. āMcLeod is here, he is a great dude. Iāve connected with him, for sure. Iām learning a lot from him. So Iāve got to soak in all the knowledge that heās providing and use it improve my game.ā
Bethel-Thompson admitted heās still shaking off the rust, and heās not past being the ānew guyā with the Elks.Ā
āOn the football field, itās getting comfortable and getting my eyes in the right place. Itās about getting comfortable with the plays so Iām not passive, Iām aggressive and my eyes are ahead of the play.Ā
āOff the field, itās just getting to know your teammates and learning how to get to the lunch room, and how to interact with new guys and make sure youāre putting names to faces. Itās a lot of new people. Both of those (on field and off) are sort of brick-by-brick operations.ā
And while he doesnāt regret spending a year in the USFL ā he led the league in passing yards in 2023 ā heās happy to be back in Canada.Ā
"That was a made-for-TV product, right?" he said. "They did a good job, they had a lot of resources behind them. I think that league is going to be around for a long time. It was a different operation.Ā
"I enjoyed my time there, I enjoyed being with my daughter every day. I enjoyed being back in the States. But Iām happy to be back in the CFL. This league has a long history, and hopefully it will go for a lot more years and have a brighter future ahead."Ā
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2024.
Steven Sandor, The Canadian Press
