OCTOBER TOUTS REDBLACKS’ RECEIVERS
Receivers coach knows what it means to fumble too many balls and turn it around
Winston October believes in the Ottawa Redblacks receivers; he figures they’re the best group of pass-catchers in the CFL.
October, the Redblacks’ receivers coach, is trying to get them to play up to that ability — to ride through what has been a sometimes-bumpy road in 2018 and focus on the now, not the then.
Asked about the potential of a starting receiving corps that includes Brad Sinopoli, Greg Ellingson, Diontae Spencer and RJ Harris, October said: “What is potential? Potential just means you haven’t seen it yet. I would say consistency is what we have to do a better job of. Across the board, I believe the guys we have are the best in the league. When we are playing the way we should, man, it’s awesome to see. That’s the great thing about the CFL and pro football — that’s why there are 18 games. Right now, the most important thing is B.C. (Ottawa plays in Vancouver Friday night). It’s making sure we can channel and be on the same page ... that started (on Day 1 of practice this week). That’s how it starts.”
It looks like Julian Feoli- Gudino will step in and start Friday in place of Dominique Rhymes at the other receiver position.
October, at times, has to be part psychologist. He can’t let doubts creep into his players’ minds. As a group, the Redblacks have dropped too many passes this year. October, who played two years in Montreal and four in Edmonton, has experiences to pass along to the players.
“We’re playing Winnipeg, it was a game for us to clinch first place — I’ll never forget this,” October said. “I fumbled the ball three times. I remember everybody yelling at me. I remember Coach Campbell’s dad (Hugh) walked up to me and said, ‘You’re going to catch the next one, aren’t you?’ Boom, my focus went back to, ‘OK, this play ... don’t worry about the three fumbles.’ I remember catching it and going 40-something yards.’ You have to be able to say, ‘Hey, man, that’s over with.’
“It’s not about what I’ve done, it’s about their experiences. I can give them advice about what they’re going through — it’s similar, but not exactly the same. I talk to all of them, the whole group. I love this group. We have a ‘when one guy shines, we all shine’ mentality, just like if one guy fails, we have a ‘we all fail’ mentality.”
Spencer is one of October’s projects. Spencer has flashed superstar ability. He has 47 catches for 484 yards and will likely pass last year’s 71 catches for 922 yards. His punt and kickoff return numbers are down, though he does have a punt return for a touchdown. Still, everyone — Spencer included — expects more.
“He is hard on himself,” said October.
“I just think it’s more me trying to do things when I don’t have the ball, I just have to get myself going,” Spencer said. “It’s football. The guys across the ball are pros, too. Sometimes the guy across from you makes the play. Sometimes, with the luck of the draw, I make those plays. You just have to stay focused, stay detailed. Sure, we want to go out and make every single play. But it’s how you respond when things aren’t going the right way. We have to make plays for (quarterback) Trevor (Harris) — he’s counting on us to go out there and make plays. We have to be better.”
Asked about Spencer’s play, GM Marcel Desjardins said: “It’s on him, but it’s up to the coaches to get him on the right page. He’s still doing some things very well for us. But for who he is — and he understands this — we need more from him. Again, it’s not just one guy. It’s easy to point to one guy because of a drop here or there.”
Working out issues with the receiving corps is just part of the puzzle. There were leaks all over the place in last Friday’s 21-11 loss to Montreal. But, with a 6-4 record this season — good for first place in the CFL East — the Redblacks have also done a lot of good things in 2018. A 44-21 win
We have a ‘when one guy shines, we all shine’ mentality, just like if one guy fails, we have a ‘we all fail’ mentality.
last month in Winnipeg was a highlight-reel of goodness.
“You’re asking 12 guys to be in sync,” October said. “That’s what happens for the good teams. What you can’t do is look at the Winnipeg game and say, ‘Hey, we have to be like we were in Winnipeg.’ Then you’re trying to be your former self. Every day is a new day, every game is a different game.
“My years in Edmonton, I remember in 2001, we were 9-9. We started off really bad, we got on a run, then we got bad again — it was, ‘Whoa, what happened?’ Even the year we won the Grey Cup (2003), it was the same thing. You have to treat each game as an individual game, don’t look back to the past. Everybody talks about how bad we played (vs. Montreal), they also talk about how good we played (in Winnipeg). You can’t focus on those things, you have to focus on the next play. If you’re thinking about (the past), something happens to you in a game and you’re thinking, ‘Oh, this happened in Montreal ... shoot, we lost that game.’
“So we want to focus on B.C., focus on how it’s going to be on the road, going into a hostile environment — getting a good night’s sleep and making sure we’re on our game.”
THE END AROUND
After leaving last Friday’s game against Montreal with a lowerleg injury that looked worse than it was, Redblacks linebacker Kevin Brown vowed to be ready for this week’s game in Vancouver. Said Brown: “I knew I was going to be OK. It was kind of a re-injury. Somebody fell on my ankle — I think one of the O -linemen — we got it X-rayed and everything was cool.” ... Defensive end A.C. Leonard and offensive lineman Alex Mateas, who missed much of Tuesday’s practice, were also back Wednesday and it looks like they’re a go for Friday. Said Campbell: “There’s going to be a couple of days where guys are nicked up, I’m going to take the advice of our medical staff. The most important thing is to have people available for game day.” ... Defensive back Jonathan Rose went down in practice — he was replaced by Randall Evans. Said Campbell: “I talked to (Rose) for a bit and I think it may be just a scare. I’m guessing he’s fine, but we’ll check and make sure.” Asked about Evans, Campbell said: “He’s good. He played in Hamilton in the pre-season. We’ve had him here for a few weeks and we like him. He’s an athletic guy and a physical defensive back — I’m sure we’ll see him at some point this season.”