LEARNING ON JOB ISN’T EASY FOR LINEMAN
Lauzon-Seguin had setback against Argos, but is ready if he gets start against Bombers
Professional football players are often their own worst critics and Ottawa Redblacks offensive lineman Jason Lauzon-Seguin admits he didn’t play well last week against Toronto.
Lining up against former Redblacks defensive lineman Shawn Lemon, Lauzon-Seguin was beaten a few times. Possibly as a result of that, it’s possible he’ll take a seat while Jake Silas steps into the right tackle position Friday night at TD Place against Winnipeg.
“It wasn’t my best,” said Lauzon-Seguin, who the Redblacks selected in the first round of the CFL draft in 2016. “I think it’s the worst game I’ve played (in the past two years). We had a rough schedule — three games in 11 days — it’s not an excuse, but fatigue, stress, all that travelling ... I don’t know if that ended up working against me. You don’t want to be the guy who feels like you let the team down. I felt like I maybe made a couple of plays that cost us.
“I’m here this week not knowing if I’m going to play or not. I’ve kept my head up, had a good attitude and just kept working. I’m ready if they need me.”
If the Redblacks take LauzonSeguin out and put Silas in, they need to ensure they have seven starting nationals.
“We’re going to reserve the right to go either way on that,” Redblacks coach Rick Campbell said. “Ratio’s a factor. It was good to get (Silas) in and get him a lot of reps so that’s at least an option and we’ll make that final decision (Thursday).”
Lemon, who had 14 sacks in 2016 and four so far this year, is a tough load for anybody to handle.
“He’s not a bull-rusher,” Lauzon-Seguin said. “He’s more of a finesse guy. He’s got a lot of moves. I had a plan in my mind going against his moves and he did the opposite of what I expected. The game was going bad. My morale went down and his went up — that’s a bad combination.”
Lauzon-Seguin, 26, stepped into the starting lineup as a rookie in 2016, adapting quickly to the CFL pace.
“This is a learning experience for me,” he said. “It’s my second year, I have a lot to learn. In your daily routine, you’re going to make mistakes and you’re going to face adversity.
“I thought the first five games went well for me. I don’t know what happened (against Toronto). It’s never as bad as you think. I gave up a couple of plays, but that’s part of football. He’s going to win some, I’m going to win some. (Offensive line coach) Bryan (Chiu) knows that, he played in the league for a long time. We’re not always going to be perfect.”
TOP PERFORMER: Redblacks receiver Greg Ellingson has been named one of the Shaw CFL Top Performers of the Month for July. Ellingson leads the CFL with 643 yards on 39 receptions. Also named top performers were Edmonton QB Mike Reilly and Toronto LB Victor Butler.
“It’s nice, it shows I’ve been producing a bit,” Ellingson said. “But the glory kind of gets taken away a bit when you’ve only won one game. The focus in August is to have a winning month.”
HAIR-RAISING: When asked how he maintains his hair style, Ellingson laughed and said: “I just let it grow. Maybe gel it sometimes, whatever’s in the bathroom. Sometimes I just let it flow — air and wind and dirt.”
BOMBS AWAY: Campbell was asked what he thought about the high-flying Blue Bombers: “If I was a fan of the CFL, which I am, they’re obviously an exciting team to watch. There are big plays happening both ways. If you watch their games the past two weeks, they’ve been crazy games, pretty entertaining games. They’re well coached, they play hard, I think it’s going to be pretty evenly matched.”
QUINCY QUESTION: It’s looking like returner/receiver Quincy McDuffie will play Friday against his former team. “He’s been looking good so far this week,” Campbell said. “As long as he understands what we’re doing and he’s feeling healthy and good to go, we’ll give him a shot. He’s a dangerous guy because he has so much speed. There’s a bit of a fear factor there. I’m looking for him to be a great addition.”