Redblacks control destiny despite a rough outing
The Ottawa Redblacks are not locks to qualify for the Canadian Football League playoffs in 2016.
Despite their lingering inconsistency, however, the Redblacks remain just one point out of top spot in the East Division and they have a game in hand on the first-place Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
So, then, there’s a “sky is falling, sky is still blue” feeling even after the Calgary Stampeders chased the Redblacks out of McMahon Stadium 48-23 on Saturday.
To begin with, there are no more bye weeks in Ottawa’s regular-season schedule.
For all the supposed physical and mental benefits from mid-season respites, the Redblacks must have noticed that they lost by 24 points (to the Montreal Alouettes in August) and 25 points (to the Stampeders) immediately after returning from extended breaks. What passes for the CFL regularseason routine can’t hurt.
“We have good players. Our players can play,” Redblacks defensive co-ordinator Mark Nelson said. “Now they have to do a better job, too. It’s a team thing. That’s what’s kind of neat about it.
“Technically we’re in second place with a game in hand. Golly! And it’s not like the Earth is ending or anything like that. If we just go and do what we’re supposed to and play the way we’re capable (for) the whole game, we can beat Toronto next week.”
Ah, yes, the Argonauts, third in the East at 5-7-0 and just one point behind the Redblacks. Each team has won in the other’s stadium, so the victor in Friday’s matchup at TD Place stadium will hold not only second place but also the season-series tiebreaker advantage in case it’s needed at the end of the schedule in November.
The post-game assessment of Saturday’s defeat also must include notice that the Redblacks really did have a chance well into the fourth quarter.
They shut down the Stampeders’ offence in the third quarter and had an opportunity to trim an 11-point deficit to low single digits after driving as far as the seven-yard line early in the fourth quarter.
However, quarterback Trevor Harris and wide receiver Juron Criner failed to connect on a second-down pass into the end-zone, so Chris Milo’s short field goal left the Stampeders ahead by eight.
The next Redblacks offensive series produced nothing, and the Stamps added insurance with a six-play, 66-yard drive capped by a juggling touchdown reception by Davaris Daniels. A subsequent fumble-return touchdown by Ja’Gared Davis and a field goal by René Paredes padded the margin as Calgary improved to 10-1-1 and became the first CFL club to clinch a 2016 playoff berth.
“I’m not going to try to pin (the loss) on anybody. We weren’t good enough at the end there,” Redblacks linebacker Damaso Munoz said.
“We were down eight with four minutes left and we just didn’t squeeze it out there at the end. We have to get better at the end of the games, finish them better.”
The rest of their regular-season doesn’t do many favours as the Redblacks (5-5-1) have no matchups remaining with the unsettled Alouettes (3-9-0) and only one against the West cellar-dwelling Saskatchewan Roughriders. That leaves them with single contests against the Argonauts and B.C. Lions (8-3) and two each against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-4-0) and Ticats (6-6-0).
Opportunity is there for the taking, but only if the Redblacks take it.
Veteran Jerrell Gavins, who made four tackles against the Stampeders in his return to the lineup at linebacker after missing four games because of a knee injury, said it would start with competing individually and collectively in practice.
“If we compete as a secondary and compete against the receivers, the receivers get better, the quarterbacks get better,” Gavins said. “We just have to see our mistakes and be accountable and have integrity and know what we need to do.
“It’s like one of those things where you know the dude is going to run the slant (pattern). Break on the slant. Why don’t you break on the slant? We’ve just got to take (the opportunity), that’s it.”
After a day off Monday, the Redblacks will resume practice Tuesday. Defensive end Arnaud Gascon-Nadon (ankle) is expected to rejoin the active roster and there will likely be a handful of newcomers on the field as the Redblacks take advantage of the 30-day window to expand their practice roster to 15.