QB SAYS IT’S SEPARATED
Hopes to return in two weeks
Since he got hurt Saturday in a loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the injury to Trevor Harris’s throwing (right) shoulder has been called “bruised” and a “second-degree sprain.”
On Wednesday, the Ottawa Redblacks quarterback gave it another diagnosis, admitting it was separated, but said he hopes to speed up the recovery process.
“It’s depressing, it’s deflating,” Harris told reporters. “They told me a certain time frame (up to six weeks), but I plan on beating it. I plan on coming back after two weeks, that’s what I’m circling in my mind.
“It’ll heal. They said after the first week, geometrically, it gets better. Separations are kind of a tricky deal — in the first week, they get painful. I just have to make sure I manage that. (I hurt my) left shoulder earlier this year, so I have two of them right now. The left one’s all healed up.”
“I’m sure (Trevor’s) really frustrated; at the same time he’s the ultimate team guy,” said Redblacks coach Rick Campbell. “We still have a ways to go this year. We will see him again.”
While Harris does his work off the field, Drew Tate, his replacement, is pushing ahead and preparing for the Redblacks’ next game, Sunday afternoon in Montreal.
“I have an opportunity to give back to my teammates,” Tate said. “I feel like the only thing I’ve done is drop a snap to lose a game on a field goal. Other than that, I threw a touchdown pass to (Joshua) Stangby last game. I’m looking to help my teammates a bit more.
“I’m about to turn 33, I’ve been up here 11 years, I’ve had some pretty s—t luck to be honest. But none of that matters. I’m with a new team, a new system, I feel good, I love the locker-room. It’s just a lot of fun.”
Getting the start, with Ryan Lindley in a backup role, is a challenge Tate says he’s up for.
“It’s a big deal,” he said. “I just see me going in and completing passes, moving the chains and putting points on the board — literally, just leave it that way. I’ve done it before, I’ve played a bit of football. Just go play and have fun.”
Before being dealt to Ottawa in the off-season, Tate spent two years on the practice roster in Saskatchewan after eight seasons in Calgary, mostly as a backup.
“It’s kind of like riding a bike; he’s been there, done that,” Campbell said. “Hopefully he can get right back out there and go. I don’t think the game is too big for him.”
While there will be some finetuning, not much will change with the offensive schemes.
“(Tate) might be a little bit more of a guy who’ll improvise,” Campbell said. “We’re not going to adjust our offence drastically because of who the quarterback is. We adjust week to week according to the game plan. But as far as the quarterback, that won’t dictate what we can or can’t do.”
“He’s going to do a great job,” Harris said. “He sees the game a bit differently than me; he sees it his own way.”
THE FIRING SQUAD
Sunday’s East Division showdown against the Redblacks took a bit of a twist early Wednesday when it was announced Alouettes coach Jacques Chapdelaine and defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe had been fired. GM Kavis Reed will take over head coaching duties, quarterbacks coach Anthony Calvillo will call the offensive plays and defensive line coach Greg Quick will call the defence. The slumping Als have just three wins in 11 games, but are still three points behind first-place Ottawa. Here’s the rundown on head coaches in Montreal since 2013: Dan Hawkins, Jim Popp, Tom Higgins, Popp again, Chapdelaine and now Reed.
THE ODDS ARE
The CFL Simulation gives Ottawa a 90.09 per cent chance of making the playoffs behind Toronto (90.46). Hamilton is at 11.50, while Montreal is at 7.95. Toronto is given a 50.91 per cent chance of winning the East Division, while Ottawa is at 45.51. The Redblacks are at 43.85 per cent on appearing in the Grey Cup. The Calgary Stampeders are at 67.07 per cent for winning the Grey Cup, Ottawa is at 6.78. Somehow, Edmonton is given only a 0.86 per cent chance of winning the Cup with B.C. at 1.4.
THE END AROUND
Released by Ottawa and then Saskatchewan, DB AJ Jefferson has signed with Edmonton ... Redblacks receiver Diontae Spencer limped off the field near the end of Wednesday’s practice, but was soon back ... Receiver/returner Quincy McDuffie was back on the field ... Ottawa is sixth in the Nissan Titan Power Rankings ... Als DE John Bowman will play Sunday with a partial cast on his left hand due to a small fracture he suffered last week against B.C.