Underestimate the Redblacks? Ticats insist they won’t
Steve Milton sizes up the risks of taking 1-4 Ottawa too lightly
They’ve lost four in a row, surrendered 96 points in their past two games and score less than any team in the league.
So, it would be easy for the Ottawa Redblacks to become invisible. One of those teams your eyes can look right through on the way to somewhere else, which for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats is some muchneeded down time.
But the tired Ticats insist they’re front and centre, mentally and physically, for Wednesday night’s rare midweek trip to the nation’s capital and won’t take the 1-4 Redblacks lightly.
And they shouldn’t, even though Ottawa hasn’t shown much more than a few glimpses of anything promising after a season-opening win over Edmonton.
The Ticats start their No. 3 quarterback again, although David Watford showed poise and ball control in his first pro win last Friday against Calgary, while Jeremiah Masoli has had more time, and a few more practice reps, to fortify his injured ribs and elbow.
And the Redblacks had 10 days off to rest and ramp up for a critical game in which a loss would hurl them further from playoff contention.
The Ticats had only four days off and this will be their fourth game in 17 days. After Wednesday night, Hamilton plays just twice in the next 29 days, both at home.
“No one is overlooking anyone,” says Ticats defensive tackle Dylan Wynn, coming off an excellent performance against Calgary.
“They’re a dangerous offence. They’re coming off a bye week. We’re fully expecting them to play their best game of the year against us, because that’s traditionally what happens against us.”
The Redblacks could be a dangerous offence, but haven’t been. They show moments, but they are banged up on the offensive line, are thin at receiver and have moved from Matt Nichols to Dominique Davis at quarterback.
Davis threw for 333 yards on a whopping 51 attempts against B.C. on Sept. 11, but they still registered only 13 points, and none in the second half of the Lions’ wipeout win.
The Ticat defence returns intact from last Friday when they were aggressive across all three tiers on the field. They got their arms in the way of a lot of pass attempts as the Stampeders tried to get rid of the ball quickly.
Despite some costly lapses the past couple of games, the defence seems to be rounding into the form expected of it.
The front four of Wynn, Ted Laurent, Julian Howsare and Ja’Gared Davis, were dominant in 2019 and are showing signs of moving in that direction again. The group is experienced, in the league and with each other, and is well supported by backups rookie Mason Bennett, Eddie Wilson and Valentin Gnahoua.
If they’re on, especially early, they should be able to penetrate
a struggling Ottawa offensive line and pressure Davis. With the emphasis on should. The Redblacks are at home, rested, and in dire need of reversing where they’ve been headed.
“There’s definitely something to be said for guys being used to working with each other,” Wynn says. “Me, next to Ted, next to How, next to J.G., next to Sim (linebacker Simoni Lawrence). There’s definitely continuity that comes with familiarity. We’re starting to click a little faster.”
The Hamilton offensive line is buoyed by a successful outing against Calgary. They were assisted by 30 running play calls, periodic running and blocking roles assigned to receivers, and Watford passes which stretched the field in width although certainly not in depth. That will likely be the intent in Ottawa, too.
“It had a big impact,” Ticats centre Darius Ciraco said of the frequent running plays. “We definitely enjoy pass blocking but, just as most offensive linemen do, getting after the run is what we really like to do. We just like to hit out a little more.”
Before the Ticats won both games against Ottawa in 2019, the Redblacks had won four straight and five of the previous six. And, of course, there was that infamous Henry Burris to Greg Ellingson — both ex-Ticats — desperation pass in 2015 which kept Hamilton from a third-straight Grey Cup appearance.
In sports terms, that’s all ancient history. The recent history is that the Ticats showed some improvement last game on the offensive line, and are feeling like themselves on the defensive line. And football games are won in those trenches.
However, Lawrence offers this caution: “(The Redblacks) are grown men, too, they get paycheques, too. You can’t take anyone for granted in the CFL because teams can change faster than you- know-what.”