These aren’t same Redblacks fans saw early this season
After a rough start, Grey Cup champions are ‘getting better and better every week’
Let’s face it: This is not the same Ottawa Redblacks team you saw for the first eight weeks of the CFL season.
In their past three games, all victories, the Redblacks have shown the swagger you’d expect out of a team with many players who had their names etched into the Grey Cup last November.
On Thursday night in Montreal, there was little doubt who the better team was — one team trending up, the home team going in the other direction.
Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris said the team’s attitude has changed. There’s a belief right through the locker-room that they can be successful, that they can win. It’s certainly hard to argue with the results — following wins of 37-18 over Hamilton, 31-24 over B.C. and, most recently, 32-4 over Montreal.
“It’s not a statement, it’s just what we should be doing,” Harris said. “You’re seeing a team that’s getting better and better every week. Walking out of the lockerroom against Hamilton, I just felt this team was on a different trajectory. I think we had a defining moment earlier in the season when we were 1-6-1 — we all kind of all looked at each other and knew that we believed.”
Nursing an injury to his throwing hand, Harris completed 32-of-41 passes for 343 yards on Thursday. Nine players caught a pass for Ottawa. With 89 yards in receptions, Greg Ellingson went over the 1,000-yard mark (1,033) for the third straight season. Running back Mossis Madu Jr. was very good again, with 64 yards on 14 carries, plus three catches for 45 yards.
Diontae Spencer was a sparkplug, with 90 yards on six punt returns.
“We left some stuff out there offensively, we’ve played better,” Harris said. “But it was good that we stayed aggressive down the stretch, even when it was 24-4, and put them away, kept our foot on the gas.”
As strange as it sounds given the team’s early-season struggles in a string of close defeats, the Redblacks are in first place in the East Division. Toronto will look to retake top spot in a Monday game against winless Hamilton.
There were plenty of naysayers hammering away at the Redblacks when they were down. Fire the coach, change the quarterback, etc., etc. Predictably, the doom-and-gloomers have quieted down.
“We didn’t forget about them,” defensive back Sherrod Baltimore said. “That’s how the world works. They turn on you when you’re bad, when you’re up, they try to come back.”
With Hamilton struggling and the Als on a three-game losing streak, the prospects of the Redblacks making the playoffs look good. First place and a bye into the East final is the goal.
“It’s good that we’re in the East, it gives us some optimism,” Harris said. “We’re going to get better. We’re not going to by any means look at this game and be satisfied.
“We looked at a five-game stretch going into the Hamilton game and said, ‘This is going to define where we are.’ We’re three down, two more to go in this stretch of five.”
“This (game against Montreal) was all about getting into first place,” Madu said. “Everybody counted us out early this year, but this is a dang good team. It’s good when you’re winning, you have a different swagger about yourself and you have way more confidence.”
After a couple of days off, the Redblacks will get back onto the field and prepare for a home game Saturday against Hamilton. Then it’s back to Montreal for a Sunday game on Sept. 17.
“We have to remember to take it one game at a time,” Madu said. “Don’t look ahead. Right now our focus is on Hamilton.”
“We’ve got important games coming up,” Campbell said. “Football teams put a lot of time and effort through the week to get ready to play a game. When you reach the goal, which is winning, it makes you feel a lot better than if you don’t.” tbaines@postmedia.com Twitter: @TimCBaines
We’re going to get better. We’re not going to by any means look at this game and be satisfied.