Redblacks offence stuck in neutral
The Ottawa Redblacks offence needs to be more effective — as soon as possible
When Ottawa Redblacks head coach (and offensive co-ordinator) Paul LaPolice talks about the struggles of his team's offence, he uses words like “explosives” and “big plays.”
Through three games, the Redblacks have seen nowhere near enough of either. Other than a spectacular 42-yard diving catch by R.J. Harris in a 23-10 loss in Saskatchewan on Aug. 21, there has been little to suggest the offence is capable of producing “explosives.”
There has been improvement — the Redblacks have progressed from 71 yards passing to 176 to 206. On one hand, there is a need for patience, with so many new faces on the offensive side of the ball; on the other, there is a need for urgency. The Redblacks need big plays, medium plays, little plays, any plays. And the jury is still out whether they can do it with this group of players.
Redblacks general manager Marcel Desjardins has taken some heat — he signs the players. But he doesn't throw or catch the ball, two areas his team has been weak in.
It's not on the GM that receiver Brad Sinopoli and offensive linemen Alex Mateas and Alex Fontana left the team in the weeks leading into training camp. It's also not on him that receiver Jalen Saunders, who could have been the breakaway threat the offence needs, was injured in a car crash.
Is there help out there? You hear the names Naaman Roosevelt and Manny Arceneaux (who has been playing in the Indoor Football League). Or maybe the Redblacks look to pounce on players released from NFL camps, ideally somebody with Canadian Football League experience.
LaPolice called Saturday's 24-12 loss to the B.C. Lions (in front of about 15,000 fans at TD Place) “unacceptable.”
There's not a lot of time to shake it off: The Redblacks host the Montreal Alouettes, who also have a 1-2 record, Friday night.
“When you don't get an explosive play, it's hard to score touchdowns,” said LaPolice. “I think we're close. We have to create our own explosives. We also have to finish in the end zone. We need more points; we've got to make sure you can get your sevens.”
“We had some great drives going on offence, we just keep finding ways to not end up in the end zone,” said Ottawa quarterback Matt Nichols. “All of us need to be better. Everyone takes these losses personally, it's `what can I do better?'
“As a quarterback, you always feel like no matter how the loss goes, you feel like there were a few opportunities for me to change the game. We can be upset about this for a day, but you don't have time to wallow in the loss. We have a challenge (Friday) in a team we play four times this year.”
One bright spot was the play of receiver Nate Behar, a star with the Carleton Ravens who didn't get much of an opportunity in 2019. He had five catches for 66 yards.
“There's a lot to clean up and there was some stuff left on the field,” he said. “Personally, I'm already thinking, how do I do more with the ball after the catch? It's not good enough to just catch it, brace and get the first down. We need to have game-breaking plays.”
Putting a finger on the problem is never easy. LaPolice probably wishes he had called some plays differently, Nichols probably wishes he had some throws back and made some different reads and they'd probably rather not have four turnovers. The odd thing is, as much as it looked like Ottawa's offence was in neutral, they had as many offensive plays, 57, as the Lions. B.C. had a slight edge in time of possession (30:29-29:31).
There were some receiver drops that would have bumped up the stats. Also, for anybody outside of the huddle or on the sidelines, we don't know how
When you don't get an explosive play, it's hard to score touchdowns
precisely run the receiver routes were, and precision and timing mean everything.
“It's cliché, but the way the coach draws it up is for a reason. It's just getting to those spots at the right time, at the right depth ... all those little things,” said Behar.
It's back to the drawing board this week, make some fixes and look to go out and beat the Als.
“There's nothing worse than sitting on losses; it's probably one of the worst feelings in sports,” Behar said. “Every single play where you may have taken a misstep, it plays over and over in your mind. You have to flush it and go.”
Behar says there's no need to panic. A lot of folks in RNation might disagree.