REDBLACKS KNOW IT’S ‘GO TIME’
They need to transform good play into a good win against Bombers
Funny enough, the team with just one win six games into the CFL season is favoured by 2½ points over the team with three wins in five games.
Yep, the Ottawa Redblacks, returning to the field after a 10-day break between games (the latest setback was a 27-24 loss in Toronto) are the pick of oddsmakers to knock off the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Friday at TD Place. The Redblacks have sprinkled plenty of good things into their six games — losing four of them by a grand total of 10 points.
“It’s one of those things, you look at it and you’re like, ‘Man, 1-4-1, ah.’ It just looks terrible,” Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris said Thursday: This isn’t a 1-4-1 team, we’re a good football team. We know it’s go time, we have to win some football games.”
Blue Bombers running back Andrew Harris, a key to Winnipeg’s offensive success with 58 rushes for 240 yards and 37 catches for 298 more, said the Redblacks are “a lot better than their record shows, you can see it on film.
“I think they’ve just been a victim of a tough schedule to start with. We have a lot of respect for them.”
It’s not like the Blue Bombers are a pushover. With quarterback Matt Nichols and Harris leading the way, the team’s offence has averaged 31.5 points per game, tops in the CFL. Even missing elite receiver Weston Dressler (who has been moved to the sixgame injured list with a “lowerbody” injury), the Bombers are dangerous. Last Thursday, the Blue Bombers scored two touchdowns in the final 44 seconds to miraculously topple the Montreal Alouettes.
Blue Bombers defenders were ball hawks in 2016 with 30 interceptions. Winnipeg was also plus29 in turnovers — a huge factor in the club winning 11 games.
“It’s about making more plays than them,” Harris said. “This is a defence that can turn you over and really affect the outcome of the game. A lot of people don’t talk about it, but their defence scored a lot of points (in 2016). You create three or four turnovers a game, it’s hard to lose those games. As long as we keep the turnovers down, protect the football and make sure we’re executing our game plan, things will be all right.”
The Redblacks are coming off a hellish stretch of three games in 11 days. It took its toll physically and mentally.
“I needed days off,” said Harris, who took some big hits. “But my dad told me I’m a big wimp, that I need to stop being hurt. I’m like, ‘I’m fine, I haven’t told you anything.’ He just keeps telling me I’m a big wimp.”
It’s been almost like a bye week for the Redblacks since facing Toronto, but the Redblacks aren’t worried they’ll come in stale.
“It seems teams that come off byes are sluggish at first,” Harris said. “It’s just about maintaining your focus, being effective in game-planning, staying aggressive and going out and throwing the first punch.”
Making his second straight start at safety, with Antoine Pruneau again filling in at SAM linebacker for Nick Taylor (six-game injured list), Keelan Johnson is optimistic Ottawa’s defence can handle what the Bombers bring to the table.
“Defence is all about reaction,” he said. “Regardless of the points they put up on previous teams, I know our defence is capable of holding them to a lower amount of points than they’re used to. We’re a team that can get on a hot streak and I think it’s time to go ahead and start that fire and get this thing rolling. Our confidence has never wavered. It’s not that we’re terrible, we’ve just had terrible results.”
Quincy McDuffie, signed this week, will make his Redblacks debut as a returner. Defensive back Imoan Claiborne is also back, with linebacker Kevin Brown going to the one-game injured list ... Jake Silas is listed as the starter at right tackle, backed up by Jason LauzonSeguin. Interesting the Redblacks are looking at dressing seven offensive lineman, with Evan Johnson also on the depth chart ... Mossis Madu Jr. is listed as the backup running back, but there’s a good chance he’s a game-day scratch.