‘NEXT MAN UP’ AFTER LOSING WILLIAMS
The Ottawa Redblacks have shown they can move the football up and down the field against the Edmonton Eskimos in 2016.
Twice they played the Eskimos, twice they beat them — 45-37 in overtime on June 25 and 23-20 on Aug. 6. In the season opener, Henry Burris and Trevor Harris combined to throw for 543 yards. In Ottawa’s home game later in the season, Burris threw for 341 yards.
One big difference, though — the Redblacks will be without dynamic receiver Chris Williams, who exploded for 176 yards in receptions in Game 1, with two touchdowns. In the return match, he had 62 yards with a touchdown.
Out for the season with a torn ACL, Williams will be missed, but the Redblacks offence has plenty more weapons to use.
“You can’t replace anyone like a Chris Williams,” Redblacks receivers coach Travis Moore said Friday. “He’s a great receiver, he has exceptional speed. But the mindset you have to have is it’s next man up. The good thing is we have other receivers who can step in and get the job done, so we’re ready to go.
“Any of our guys can make plays.”
It’s likely the ball will often go in the direction of the team’s three “other” 1,000-yard receivers — Greg Ellingson, Ernest Jackson and Brad Sinopoli — but Moore isn’t focused on that.
“You can’t worry about putting up a lot of yards. It’s about executing. If we execute and play our game, those things will just happen.” Tim Baines “We don’t know the situation with Milo, it’s day by day, we’ll see,” the 24-year-old Early said. “But I’ll stay ready.”
And if he gets the chance to win the division championship with his foot?
“I’d love to have the opportunity to win the game,” he said. “That’s what we live for as kickers. For me, every kick is the same. I hit an extra point the way I’d kick a 60-yarder. I’m locked in a zone, it’s just me and the ball.
“I don’t worry about the score, nothing.”
Whether Milo is on or off the field, he says his team knows what it has to do.
“We know what happened last year and we know what we did this year to them,” he said. “The way I look at it is to be the champs, you have to beat the champs when it matters ... and it matters on Sunday.”