Pruneau providing some safety
In his first three seasons with the Redblacks, Antoine Pruneau had three interceptions in 53 games.
Last Thursday in Montreal, the Ottawa free safety registered his third pick of 2017. What’s changed? “He’s learned how to catch, which is good,” head coach Rick Campbell said with a laugh. “We don’t want a knock-down, we want an interception.”
With only seven as a team, the Redblacks are closer to the bottom than the top of that statistical category.
Campbell had a another theory explanation for Pruneau’s emergence as a ball hawk.
“He’s getting more and more comfortable playing free safety,” Campbell said. “He was always a guy that wanted to be as close as possible, and play tight up against somebody, especially when he was playing man-to-man. I think he’s getting a better feel for playing that centre-field position, where he can roam around, cover a lot of ground because he’s got good speed, and read the QB and what’s going on. He’s made some big plays for us.”
Pruneau said his coach was right about both his improvement in catching and covering.
“The play is slowing down in front of me,” he said. “I think a huge part is also the trust I feel from my coaches and teammates. Playing safety, you’ve got to be really patient, but you’ve still got to sometimes be aggressive and make your plays when they come. Now I have the confidence on breaking, and I’m not scared something is going to happen behind me. I’m just going for that ball now when the situation permits it. I think that’s been the main difference.”
Meanwhile, on a lighter note, Pruneau is determined to make another improvement this season — his standing in the Redblacks’ NFL fantasy league.
“It hasn’t been too good the first two seasons, so this year I’m making the playoffs,” he said, adding his belief that athletic therapist Nick Mercuri drafted the best team. “If it’s not him (winning), it’s going to be me.”
Pruneau said the draft, which included 18 participants, took more than four hours to complete.
“We’re taking this seriously,” he said.
How many fights were there in the four hours?
“We’re so well-organized, and really civilized,” he said, before joking: “I think it only happened four or five times.”