Redblacks, Stamps building intense rivalry
Ottawa players out to prove they can compete with CFL’s perennial top dogs
Like gladiators slugging it out in a coliseum, the Ottawa Redblacks and Calgary Stampeders will stare each other down for the third straight meaningful time Thursday night.
This time, the stage is McMahon Stadium, where the Redblacks have never won — their 0-3 mark includes lopsided losses by 48-23 (2016), 48-3 (2015) and 38-17 (2014). Ottawa got a measure of revenge in winning last year’s Grey Cup 39-33 in Toronto.
“(A win in Calgary), it’s on our to-do list,” Redblacks coach Rick Campbell said Wednesday. “We’ve done a lot of things in our three short years of existence. We’ve done it everywhere else except here.
“It’s crazy, we’re developing rivalries with people you wouldn’t think would be natural rivals. It’s because they’re a good team and we want to think of ourselves in the same light.”
“There’s a rivalry, for sure,” said Stampeders coach Dave Dickenson. “Any time you play a team over and over and over, you start kind of knowing what each other does, creating some dislike. Plus the games are so competitive, I don’t see why it would change this week. We’re expecting a dogfight.”
“We’re very closely matched,” said Redblacks defensive tackle Zack Evans.
“There have been only a couple of plays separating us.”
While hoping to get a monkey off their back and win in Cowtown, the Redblacks also hope to respond to a 31-31 season-opening tie last Friday at TD Place, a game in which the Redblacks had a two-touchdown lead with less than seven minutes to play.
“It feels like an extension, it almost feels like an elongated halftime for us to lick our wounds and get back at it,” said Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris.
“I flushed it the day after the game, but it sure does (seem like an opportunity to win the one that got away). You look at the clock, seven minutes left and you’re up 28-14 with the ball. Then you tie the game. It’s obviously disheartening, but it’s time to move on. They had opportunities to win the game. So I’m sure it felt like it got away for them, as well.
“I’m not big on emotion from the last game. If you have to do something to charge you up, you weren’t charged up in the first place. I’m not going to try any harder or less hard if it’s a preseason game, a regular-season game or a Grey Cup. In terms of last week being tied, it’s kind of unsettling. You want to go out and get a win.”
Harris has beaten all but two teams — Calgary and Hamilton — as a starting quarterback. Against Calgary, he’s 0-2 with the Argonauts and 0-1-2 with the Redblacks. So there’s that.
Harris, who banged up his throwing hand against the Stampeders last week, explained: “I got it smashed between a helmet and a couple of other things. I’ll be all right. It’s two good teams battling, trying to win a football game. It got pretty physical out there, I know a lot of guys were pretty sore.”
Four new starters will be on the field for Ottawa. Mossis Madu is in for William Powell at running back, Corey Tindal is in for AJ Jefferson at cornerback, Jake Ceresna subs in for Connor Williams (six-game injured list, concussion) at defensive tackle and Joshua Stangby is in for Kenny Shaw (six-game injured list) at wide receiver.
Said Campbell: “(With Jefferson), it’s a small injury, he tweaked something. We really like Tindal as well. It’s the same move with Madu. We have some good depth. If guys aren’t completely healthy, we don’t want to risk a guy going down early in the game.”
The Stampeders will be looking to put more pressure on Harris. Neither team had a sack in Week 1.
“We’re beat up on our D-line,” said Dickenson. “I thought they hit (Harris), though. We didn’t get any sacks, but I’m sure Trevor was sore after that game.”
The Calgary coach is also hoping his players find ways to make big plays at big times.
“(The Redblacks) just made a lot of great plays, a lot of great catches,” said Dickenson. “If we want to win, we have to be better. We had a chance to separate the ball from their players a few times and make some interceptions — it didn’t happen. If we want to win, we have to make those plays.”
Of course, preventing those big plays is on the mind of the Redblacks, who know they have to avoid costly turnovers.
“One of the things we have to improve on, obviously, is giving the ball up at key times,” said Ottawa receiver Brad Sinopoli. “You give them a short field, especially at that point in the game, and it gives them life back.” THE END AROUND: TSN 1150’s (he wears many other hats, too) Marshall Ferguson says the average pass for the Redblacks last week travelled 8.2 yards, last in the CFL (Edmonton led with 12.9 yards per pass) ... Sinopoli, a former Stampeder, says he avoids Twitter back-and-forths that some CFL players seem to like getting involved in: “I just sit back and watch that unfold on Twitter with other guys.” ... During Wednesday’s walk-through, the Redblacks all wore Legendary Canadians T-shirts celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday, with Bill Hatanaka’s name and number (16) on the back. The Stampeders honoured Ezzrett ‘Sugarfoot’ Anderson (No. 00).