EDMONTON -- If it all works out, Brody McKnight will step onto a CFL field for the first time Saturday in Hamilton to give a leg up to an Edmonton Eskimo team that has lost its last two games on missed last-second field goals. "I prefer kicking, but if the coach needs me to punt I can do that as well," said McKnight after practice Thursday at Commonwealth Stadium. "If they call on me, Ill be ready." The 22-year-old Vancouver native was traded to Edmonton from Montreal Wednesday for kicker Derek Schiavone and two draft picks. Edmonton head coach Kavis Reed said Grant Shaw will kick against Hamilton, but said McKnight may dress depending on how he performs in practice. "From the stuff that we charted he was OK (in the first practice)," said Reed. "We dont expect him to be perfect right now because he just got off of a really, really, really late flight last night." Reed also said theres a worry given that the 5-5 Eskimos are in a dogfight for a playoff spot and the new kid is, well, just a kid. "Any time you put someone on who doesnt have experience, who really hasnt done anything in terms of kicking in this league -- (given) the angles, the width of the field, (and) the 12th man -- there are concerns," said Reed. The Eskimos have a lot of concerns heading into the matchup against the 3-7 Tiger-Cats. The offence is sputtering and the kicking game is erratic. The Eskimos are second last in points scored per game (23.8) and last in average yards passing per game (253.7). Shaw has been handling field goals, punts and kickoffs since punter Burke Dales went on the nine-game injury list after hurting his plant foot against the Calgary Stampeders on Labour Day. The concern is the workload is too much for Shaw. He shanked a couple of punts against the Stampeders in the Labour Day rematch loss last Friday and missed a 42-yard field goal attempt that would have won the game. Edmonton lost 20-18. Four days earlier, he missed a last-second 48-yard kick in a 31-30 loss to Calgary. Asked about McKnights arrival, Shaw said its whats best for the team. "Its just unfortunate that Burke got hurt. It has just brought about having to make some changes," he said. "For all of us its all about adapting and doing the best job we can." McKnight kicked for the University of Montana and was the top pick of the Alouettes in 2011. This year he was behind Sean Whyte after coming back from failed tryouts with the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. "I feel more at home here than I did in Montreal, to be honest with you. Its closer to home," said McKnight. He said he has Oct. 19 circled on his calendar, the day the Eskimos play the Lions in B.C. "My family is all there. Ive got a lot of blood in Vancouver." He said he grew up watching and emulating kickers like Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts. Vinatieri became famous in 2002 with two clutch kicks in blizzard conditions to lead the New England Patriots to a controversial playoff win over the Oakland Raiders in what is now referred to as the infamous "Tuck Rule Game." "Im big on the clutch kicks. Ive always had a lot of respect for kickers who make those kicks. He (Vinatieri) is a guy I really look up to and aspire to," said McKnight. The key to clutch kicking, he said, is zoning out all the surrounding noise. "Its hard to explain, but youve got 80,000 fans (surrounding you). Youre only human, but you gotta do the best you can. You almost have to be robotic with your approach." Saturdays game will be the first meeting between the Esks and the Ticats in 2012. Kerry Joseph will start for the hobbled Steven Jyles at quarterback. Its the third consecutive start for Joseph. The 10-year veteran said the more reps he gets, the better hes playing. "It comes back to you. You can see it a lot in practice and when you start to get into game situations you can slow that mental picture down and it helps a lot," he said. "I try to play the game in my mind, seeing the field, what to expect on certain plays. That way when it happens (in the game), Im not caught off guard." Joseph has seen action in eight games in 2012. He is 73 of 110 for 996 yards passing with five touchdowns and six interceptions. Notes: The Eskimos have acquired fullback Darcy Brown from the Ticats for defensive back Ricardo Colclough and a draft pick. The Eskimos need help at fullback with Mathieu Bertrand hurt. "Its a position of need and it doesnt hurt that he (Brown) is Canadian," said Reed. Wholesale nfl jerseys . The Easts top seed was dominating overmatched Philadelphia but with 70 seconds remaining, the storyline suddenly changed. Cheap NFL Jerseys . Hes hoping for an encore. The right-hander was sent from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Dodgers on Friday after Los Angeles claimed him on waivers. http://www.cheapchinajerseys.us.com/[/... . The Padres designated the 37-year-old Suppan for assignment on Friday. Suppan was 2-3 with a 5. [url=http://www.cheapchinajerseys.us.com/]Wholesale Jerseys . Catch all the action live on TSN2, beginning at 8pm et/5pm pt. The Heat have not played since a home win Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Miami owns a four-game winning streak and has captured eight of its last 10. Wholesale Jerseys China . Ron Tugnutt is the Canadian teams goaltending coach and has personally experienced that kind of pressure. In addition to a long NHL career, Tugnutt twice represented Canada at the mens world championship. TORONTO, ONTARIO -- The worst team in MLS. The lowest attendance at BMO Field for a league game this season. The first team officially out of the 2012 playoffs. It was yet another night of lows for Toronto FC, a soccer team consistent over the years only in its mediocrity. Toronto (5-17-6) went out with a whimper Wednesday night, in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire that was nowhere as close as the score suggests. In truth, another early exit seemed a foregone conclusion as far back as May when the club lost its ninth straight to open the 2012 campaign. Wednesdays loss extended Torontos current winless streak to eight (0-6-2) and Paul Mariners team has not won since July 18, a 2-1 decision over Colorado. Mariner pointed fingers at everything from fitness to mental fortitude, suggesting that some TFC players were destined only for the exit. "Its all about analysing whats going to be around next year," said a disgusted Mariner, who called it the low point of his tenure as manager. The former England international, who succeeded Aron Winter in June, has a weak squad that has been ravaged by injury to key players like Torsten Frings and Danny Koevermans. Those given the chance to step up have not grasped the brass ring. Instead they have fumbled it or given it away. "You can come up with all the excuses in the world -- international call-ups, injuries to key players and so on and so forth," Mariner said. "But I was brought up in an environment where you were dying to get your opportunities to play at such a great place as BMO (Field) or Old Trafford or Highbury. And when your chance came, you made sure that you stayed in the team and you made sure that the manager couldnt drop you. "That simple equation, that simple statement, you can all draw your own conclusions from what you saw tonight." It does not bode well for Andrew Wiedeman, Logan Emory or Quincy Amirikwa, all substituted by Mariner who changed bodies and formation in a bid to inject some life into his team. But there were plenty of poor performances all round. "Theres one thing that youve got to have in a football team. And thats fight," Mariner continued. "If you dont fight for the right to play, if youre not fighting for your own personal pride first and foremost, then thats a problem." It was a rare public roasting from Mariner, an old-school footballer who, while not averse to a tongue-lashing, would much rather put an arm around one of his players shoulder. But it seems like its finally time for some tough love. Toronto, which has six league games remaining this season, has never made it to the playoffs in its six-year existence. The club has now given up 50 goals this season. And it is a telling 5-73-21 all-time when conceding the first goal. The only good news is not many fans were on hand to see the latest debacle. There were plenty of empty seats for the 7 p.m. local start with an announced crowd of just 14,623. Uruguayan midfielder Alvaro Fernandez and veteran Chris Rolfe scored for Chicago (14-8-5), which moved into second place in the East. The Fire have won five of six. French striker Eric Hassli replied for Toronto in the 79th minute as the home side finally showed some signs of life late in the contest. Toronto was missing two starterss due to international duty: midfielder Terry Dunfield (Canada) and forward Ryan Johnson (Jamaica).dddddddddddd Fullback Ashtone Morgan, who did not play for Canada on Tuesday night in Panama, was on the six-man Toronto bench. Things got so bad that Morgan, who did not get home until 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, was thrown on in the second half. Mariner did not even speak to his players after the match. But he did decide to replace a scheduled day off Thursday with a practice. Toronto hosts Philadelphia (11-8-15) on Saturday. The Toronto manager said football players should be striving to climb up the club pecking order, to be the best. "I dont see that from some of the players at the Toronto football club. And the mentality will change, starting tomorrow morning." Mariner, perhaps optimistically, maintains that the team is only four new players away from respectability when he has his full squad. But he raised the possibility that some of his current squad are unable to perform under the scrutiny in a "big-time" city. "Its a bit of a conundrum to me at the present moment. I know were (all) cut from different cloth but if Im playing in front of this crowd, in this city, with the backdrop and all there is, Id be ripping it up. But thats me." Mariner also bemoaned that his team tends to play better when it was trailing -- when the pressure was off, as he noted. He pointed to defenders Richard Eckersley and Darren ODea as two players who performed OK on the night but it was lukewarm praise. Milos Kocic returned to the Toronto goal after giving way to Freddy Hall the last four games. Kocics wife Evelyn gave birth to triplets on Sunday night. Hassli started after being sidelined with a rib injury. After a dreary opening, Chicago went ahead in the 13th minute on a header by Fernandez. Pavel Pardo sent over the cross after hitting the goalpost on a three-on-one attack in what was not the Toronto defences finest minute. The goal, triggered by an Aaron Maund miscue, seem to wake the home side from its stupor, however, and Toronto launched several attacks. Chicago went ahead in the 42nd minute on a corner after two headed clearances only sent the ball to Rolfe whose shot went through a forest of legs in make it 2-0 after 42 minutes. "There is absolutely no excuse for that first half," said Mariner, who told his squad at the interval that "we were their (Chicagos) best player." Hassli finally gave the Toronto fans something to cheer about when he sidefooted the ball in after being sent in alone by Luis Silva. A subdued ODea, nursing a cold and still feeling the effects of a 17-hour trip from Kazakhstan where he played for Ireland during the international break, agreed that the performance was "poor, to say the least." "Its not good enough," said the Toronto captain. "Its not been good enough for a while." "Where do you start?" he continued. "I dont know. But we certainly need to get together and figure it out because the run were on at the minute is so far off anyones standards, its incredible." ODea spoke in a largely empty dressing room. Down the hall, Hassli peered out from the private part of the locker-room. When he saw a clump of reporters, he retreated. ' ' '