Powell lone bright spot on offence after loss
Passing game under the microscope after Thursday’s struggles against Stampeders
After a loss in the second game of their Canadian Football League season, there will be questions for the Ottawa Redblacks.
Most of those questions will focus on an offence that was at its worst on almost every play the ball wasn’t in running back William Powell’s hands.
Fans will ask what was wrong with quarterback Trevor Harris, who seemed off during Thursday ’s 24-14 loss to the Calgary Stampeders. They will also ask why an elite running back who was so good in the first half (seven carries for 87 yards) was used so infrequently in the second half when those around him sputtered.
Good questions. So far there are no answers.
Here’s another one, too: What will the Redblacks do without veteran linebacker Kyries Hebert when they face the Alouettes July 6 in Montreal?
Hebert was suspended for one game by CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie Friday because of a hit with his helmet on Stampeders receiver DaVaris Daniels. The suspension was announced following a telephone hearing involving Ambrosie, Hebert and a representative of the Canadian Football League Players’ Association.
As for Harris, it looked as if something was wrong after he fought off ankle and knee injuries to return to the lineup for the start of the regular season, then got whacked by a helmet and needed stitches in his right elbow during last week’s home victory against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Harris was off target Thursday. Maybe it was timing, maybe it was a good Stampeders defence or maybe it was just an off game for Harris, who completed 13 of 29 passes for 135 yards, 56 yards of which went to Greg Ellingson on a single play. Harris was replaced late in the game by Dominique Davis, who completed five of seven attempts for 41 yards and a touchdown. One of the incompletions was a potential touchdown pass Diontae Spencer should have caught.
Asked if there was anything wrong, Harris said: "I’m fine. I’m trying to work on not being such a hard critic of myself, but I’m always thinking I need to be better. It was a tough night, but it doesn’t mean you reinvent the wheel. We had a tip-pick (interception) in our own end, which was a big gamechanger. We weren’t moving the ball and when we finally did, we got down in the red zone and stalled at the one (when the Stamps stuffed Davis on a third-down gamble). There are always things you want back, but you have to credit Calgary’s defence. They were able to generate pressure with four (rushers), they were in good coverage and they cut off lanes for us to step up in the pocket.”
Head coach Rick Campbell said the Redblacks “just didn’t ever seem to get into a groove. It was a messy game where it was a grind all the way into the fourth quarter. It feels bad when you lose. I told them that you should feel bad; it means you care. Whether you win or lose, you’d better learn and try to get better. That’s the key to being a good football team. The thing I like about our football team, in general, is we have a lot of fight and spirit. It was there for the taking in the fourth quarter.”
Offensive lineman SirVincent Rogers credited the defence for keeping the Redblacks close.
“The defence played well all night. That’s what we need them to do moving forward," Rogers said. "Offensively, we have to do our part. We didn’t do that. We have to get back to work and be better.”
Before his suspension was announced, Hebert said football is a team game with offence, defence and special teams all needed to succeed.
“We have to finish games,” Hebert said. “It’s not a three-quarter game. We have to play four quarters. We played against a good team. This is a test of our character. It’s not often you win every game in the CFL. When was the last time you saw a team finish 18-0?”
Because of injuries, the Redblacks’ defensive depth was put to the test. Defensive backs Antoine Pruneau and Jonathan Rose left the game, but returned. Defensive linemen Avery Ellis, Jonathan Newsome and A.C. Leonard also left.
“We definitely got thin in the fourth quarter," Campbell said. "The bad news is those guys didn’t come back and play. The good news is there’s no definite injury from what I’ve been told. Hopefully they’re back sooner rather than later."
REPORT CAR D
Offence: D
This could easily be an F except for the continued brilliance of Powell, who turned 13 carries into 123 yards. Puzzling was why he didn’t get the ball more on a night when Harris didn’t have it. It wasn’t a golden moment for Redblacks receivers or the offensive line, either. Calgary ’s defence, playing without a couple of injured starters, deserved credit, too, as that unit has shut down Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa to start the season.
Defence: ATough to not give love to this unit. With its depth put to the test — Andrew Marshall and Nigel Romick, who rarely see defensive snaps, got significant time and played well — because of the injuries to Ellis, Newsome and Leonard. The defence gave Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell (19-for-35, 251 yards) all kinds of headaches. Special teams: B+
Nothing spectacular here, but another solid effort. Lewis Ward made both of his field-goal attempts. Punter Richie Leone was good, averaging 51.5 yards (38.9 net) and smartly angling a couple of them out of bounds deep in the Stampeders’ territory. As usual, the Redblacks’ cover units were solid.