HEART AND SOUL: Could Redblacks star returner DeVonte Dedmon be the next Speedy B?

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Moments after a disappointing 23-20 loss to the Toronto Argos at TD Place home field on Saturday, punting / kickoff superstar DeVonte Dedmon wiped his wet eyes, fighting back tears.

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The soon-to-be 26-year-old (his birthday is Nov. 23) had just been asked during a post-game Zoom media call why he had signed a one-year contract extension in the week leading up to Saturday’s game. to return. to the Redblacks, who in two weeks will conclude what has been a season that went wrong. Dedmon paused and excitedly answered the question.

“I love this organization,” he said. “They took a chance with a boy from William & Mary (University). They sent me home. I am back. It has been a journey. I love this city, man. There is no other place I would rather be. “

The Redblacks fan base loves Dedmon. On Saturday, he delivered the merchandise again, running the second half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. It was electrifying, taking the 18,000+ fans on another journey of joy in a season where the train derailed along the way. With five touchdowns back in his first 15 CFL games, Dedmon now holds a CFL record (Gizmo Williams had five touchdowns in his first 18 games).

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Another Zoom Call question on Saturday from TSN’s postgame hosts: “What’s going through your mind right now?”

“I worked hard for this,” Dedmon said, the wetness still in his eyes. “My family pushed me. I am very grateful for this opportunity. I am happy to be part of this team. I know things are not going well, but I will never give up anything. “

When thinking about buying a Redblacks jersey, pick number 17: DeVonte Dedmon. There are some really good guys, good players in that locker room and Dedmon is up there with any of them. He’s humble, he’s got heart, he’s got character, and his work ethic is off the charts. His peers love him and he loves them too. In his second CFL season, he became a star on and off the field.

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When asked about his last touchdown run, he said: “They’re my teammates, man. When I look at them, it gives me confidence. Where I come from, I don’t want to go back. Every time I get that ball in my hands, I’ll do what I can for the Redblacks organization. “

Yes, he is what a Redblack should be.

Here’s what the Redblacks will have to spend time thinking about moving forward, as they try to get through a season that now sees them stuck with a 2-11 record, with just one game on Nov. 19 in Montreal: How do they get it? Dedmon more involved, while keeping him healthy and on the football field? Without playing much offense, he is his best offense.

Dedmon excelled in his first CFL training camp, in 2019. He had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, but was injured (hamstring) in the team’s final set-up for the regular season. With doctors telling Dedmon he would be out for 4-6 weeks, the Redblacks “suspended” him. Dedmon went home to Williamsburg and worked hard, hoping for another chance. The Redblacks gave it to him. In early August 2019, he scored two return touchdowns, on a 111-yard kickoff return and a 95-yard standout punt return, where he broke six or seven tackles.

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Fast forward to 2021. Before injuring himself (ankle / knee) on October 16, and then missing two games, he was in the middle of another excellent season. He returned 41 punts for 637 yards and two touchdowns, while also returning 41 kickoffs for 1,011 yards. On offense, he had 10 receptions for 98 yards and rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.

With a different body type, could Dedmon become another Speedy B (Brandon Banks)? The excellent receiver for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 2019 when he led the league in receptions (112), receiving yards (1,550), receiving touchdowns (13) and scoring touchdowns (16). In 2015, Banks was named the league’s most outstanding special teams player when he scored four touchdowns on punt returns, averaging 12.40 yards per touch. He was not an impact player on offense, he had 22 receptions for 220 yards. It wasn’t until 2017 that he began to work steadily on offense; He had 1,011 years and 1,423 receiving yards before his season at MOP. So maybe that’s the route Dedmon will take?

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“You want to start building packages for him as a running back and wide receiver,” Redblacks coach Paul LaPolice said. “But you don’t want to make him work too hard, either. Man, he plays so hard he seems beaten up after every game. It does an amazing job. We have to keep growing and teach him to play elsewhere.

“He is an outstanding professional. Play at such a high level; our players love to play for him. He makes everyone around him better, makes them block harder, work harder. That is what you need. He’s a great special teams player, one of the best. “

When asked if he expects to receive more offensive touches, Dedmon said: “You know me. Those what if, I don’t mean that. I’m doing my job, staying focused on the little things and everything else will work out. I am excited to return. I’m excited to see where we go from here. “

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It will be a bye week for the Redblacks to watch movies and digest how they actually let one slip away. They had three interceptions and forced a fumble into Toronto territory. But they couldn’t capitalize. With many missed opportunities and three missed field goals, the Redblacks managed just one offensive touchdown, a quarterback pass from Caleb Evans. They couldn’t close out a game they led (13-9) at halftime.

“We’ve talked about trying to start faster in the second half,” LaPolice said. “We moved the ball a little bit in this second half, we just didn’t execute and we finished it off to score points. Offensively, we have to do more. “

Sort of a broken record, right?

THE REPORT CARD

Offense C: Making his CFL starting debut, QB Duck Hodges completed 8 of 22 passes for 90 yards. He also ran four times for 25 yards. He ran for his life for much of the second half. It didn’t work out well. When asked to evaluate his performance, he said, “When you lose a game at quarterback, it’s never good enough. So obviously it wasn’t good enough. I know I missed some guys wide open, it’s something we need to grow and improve on. ”Running back Timothy Flanders had his best game as Redblack, with 95 yards rushing, but 87 of those were in the first half.

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Defense A-: Some big plays, including three interceptions, from Brandin Dandridge, Avery Williams and Randall Evans. But there were also some major gaps in the secondary, especially in the second half when Argos QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson bit into big yards with his arm. Stefan Charles and Cleyon Laing had sacks, but the passing rush needed to put more in Bethel-Thompson’s face.

Special equipment B +: A spectacular 100-yard kickoff return for a DeVonte Dedmon touchdown, a forced fumble and a deep recovery in Toronto by Shaheed Salmon. Four special teams tickets from Kene Onyeka. Everything’s fine. But the generally consistent and superb Lewis Ward missed three of five field goals.