Team readies for rigorous stretch
No complaining among Ottawa players as they gear up for three games in 11 days
The Ottawa Redblacks are about to get thrown into the worst part of their CFL schedule from hell.
Three games in 11 days, four games in 17 days. No matter what kind of spin you put on it, that’s dangerous. It has to put the players at greater risk of injury, right?
It all starts Friday night in Edmonton. Next up will be Montreal here next Wednesday, then it’s off to Toronto for a Monday night game.
In the middle of all this, the Redblacks will be trying to establish some momentum after a start that hasn’t rewarded the number of good things they have done.
“You just trust that the league knows what it’s doing and it’s OK to play four games in 17 days,” said Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris. “Does it seem like a lot? Do you want to get into four car accidents in 17 days? But it is what it is.
“We’ll make sure we’re ready to play on game day and that’s really all that counts. We’ll be just fine. We have great depth. Hopefully, we can stay healthy through this. We’ll keep trusting the game plan and take it one day at a time.”
The Redblacks will be looking for their first win of the season against a tough Eskimos team that’s 2-0 and rested coming off a bye week. There are, of course, plenty of familiar faces in the Eskimos organization, starting with GM Brock Sunderland, the former assistant GM in Ottawa.
Then there’s Edmonton coach Jason Maas, the former Redblacks offensive co-ordinator.
On the roster, there’s running back Travon Van, quarterback Danny O’Brien and defensive back Brandyn Thompson. Defensive back Forrest Hightower and offensive lineman Colin Kelly are on the six-game injured list, while receiver Scott Macdonell and defensive lineman Mike Moore are on the practice roster.
Knowing it’s going to be anything but easy, the Redblacks are preparing for the rigorous stretch of games as best they can.
“You just have to take care of your body,” said centre Jon Gott. “It’s going to be a lot of cold tub and massages. You also have to get your sleep. You can’t be out partying and running the streets. You get your rest and your body will heal.
“I’m looking forward to it. Let’s see how tough we can be,” said defensive back Jerrell Gavins.
“We can’t do anything about it,” said receiver Brad Sinopoli. “Whining or talking negatively about it doesn’t make it better. It’s a tough stretch. Just like in a game, there are going to be tough stretches — you have to buckle down, we’re going through it as a team. We’ll just prepare as best as we can.”
The Redblacks will be back out practising Wednesday, then they’ll have a walk-through on Thursday before leaving on a charter for Edmonton.
“We had planned it out ahead of time,” said coach Rick Campbell. “You do a lot of walkthroughs, you have to limit the physical activity. We’re not going to worry about that this week.”
While the Redblacks have just a 31-31 tie to show for their first three weeks, it’s not like they have embarrassed themselves. In the three games, the difference has been a total of five points, and minus some meltdowns and mistakes, Ottawa could be sitting at 3-0 right now.
While there’s been some negativity among fans on social media, the players still believe in themselves.
“It’s the mentality you have to have to play football,” said Sinopoli. “There are going to be bad plays. You don’t think about it and you go on to the next play. There are still 15 games left, it’s a long season. We’ve been close. It’s not like we’re getting blown out and in trouble.”
“Winning’s the name of the game, we’re not looking for moral victories,” said Campbell. “The margin of error between teams that win and lose so far in this league is very slim. It comes down to the end. We’ll find a way to make a couple of more plays and get it done.”
ANOTHER PICK GONE
The Redblacks announced they have released linebacker Kevin Jackson. With that, the Redblacks have just one player — offensive lineman Jason Lauzon-Seguin — from their 2016 CFL Draft remaining on their roster.
Defensive lineman Mehdi Abdesmad, Ottawa’s third-round pick, is with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.
And even though he was listed as retired, receiver Jamal Kett, a seventh-round pick, could wind up back in Ottawa when he recovers from a knee injury.
THE END AROUND
Offensive lineman Nolan MacMillan, who missed last week’s game, practised on Tuesday ... Harris has been taking a beating so far this season, sacked nine times already (tied for secondworst in the league with Toronto, B.C. has 10). But Campbell said his quarterback is OK. Said the coach: “His arm’s doing well.” ... The Redblacks (ranked second last week) have fallen to fifth in the CFL Nissan Power Rankings — behind Calgary Edmonton, B.C. and Toronto ... Meanwhile Oddsshark.com lists the Eskimos as a six-point favourite over Ottawa ... The Redblacks added three players on Tuesday — receiver Austin Reuland (Yale), receiver R.J. Harris (whose hometown is Wurzburg, Germany) and defensive lineman Teidrick Smith (Mary Hardin-Baylor).