IT’S DUCK TIME: The Steelers legend is excited for the opportunity with the Ottawa Redblacks

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Devlin Hodges’ mom, Amy, and dad, Zane, took a while to get duck fever, but it has grown.

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While Devlin was at Samford University, coach Chris Hatcher began calling quarterback Duck because of the boy’s love of duck hunting and duck singing. Fast forward a few years. Hodges, who signed with the Ottawa Redblacks just over a month ago, will be in uniform as Caleb Evans’ backup in Saturday’s game at Hamilton. And Amy and Zane’s son is now Duck. That’s what people call him, that’s what he likes. He’s a legend to Pittsburgh Steelers fans, who held onto his personality and name when he started six games in 2019. The fans dressed up like ducks, made their duck calls, loved Duck. Now Duck Hodges hopes to make an impact north of the border in the CFL.

“When I got to the NFL, it was all the rage,” Hodges said. “It was amazing to see people in the stands wearing duck hats and hearing people trying to make a duck call. It sounded terrible, but the effort was there. It has been a super cool trip. Duck is who I am now, he’s how I’ve always been. “

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Even when Hodges left Pittsburgh, Duck Mania stayed alive. You can bet you’ll hear a lot of duck calls if Hodges enters the field at home: The Redblacks have back-to-back games at home, against Calgary on October 29 and against Toronto on November 6.

“People who became a fan of me still interact with me on social media,” Hodges said. “I think every time the Steelers play, I get a few tweets. ‘Bring Duck back, bring Duck back.’ That’s great. I love to hear that. But now I am a Redblack. The fans, man … I feel like I do a good job interacting with them, I try to make someone’s day every day. Even if it’s just a message response to someone, they freak out. I try to think, what kind of impact can I have on people? Man, the fans have blown me away, they’re the ones that keep me going. “

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Since Hodges arrived in Ottawa, veteran quarterbacks Dominique Davis and Matt Nichols have been injured and made the six-game disabled list. Evans became the starter and his backup Taryn Christion was injured in last week’s 27-16 loss to Montreal and is out for the long haul. That pushed Hodges, 25, up the pecking order and he’s likely to get reps against the Ticats.

“In the position I’m in, I’m one play away,” Hodges said. “I have been in this situation before. There’s definitely some excitement, I’m not used to being on the sidelines with a hoodie on. I feel like the more reps I get, the more comfortable I feel and the better pace I get.

“I love soccer, I love playing soccer. I’m excited to be here because I feel like I have a legitimate opportunity to play. A lot of people have asked me, “Did you come to the CFL to get back to the NFL?” I’m not worried about going back to the NFL. I’m worried about today, I’m going to worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. If I can come here and be a quarterback for six or seven years, there is nothing wrong with that. I have enjoyed my time here, I have been super happy. “

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CFL FIRES A SHOT: TSN’s Dave Naylor reported Tuesday that the CFL will crack down on unvaccinated players in time for the playoffs. The league, he said, has decided that any player unable to travel with their teams to away games once the federal government invokes its mandate on vaccines for air and rail travel on November 30 will be suspended and will not be will pay you for lost games. The CFL division finals on December 5 and the Gray Cup on December 12 will be directly affected by the new government policy. Quarterback Trevor Harris, who was traded from Edmonton to Montreal on Sunday, told reporters Tuesday that he had recently been vaccinated. Harris said: “I had a medical exemption that I was waiting to hear about and never heard from. During the bye week, I went to the United States to do whatever it took to be available to my teammates, coaches, and the organization I’m with. I will be able to play in any game no matter where I am. Anyone who says a rumor that I will not be able to play, it would be false, I will be available for any game. “

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THE FINAL AROUND: Wednesday was Antoine Pruneau’s 32nd birthday and his teammates sang Happy Birthday to him at the end of practice. When asked how he feels, the veteran safety said: “Almost always very good, I would say. I think the mental cost of everything we’ve been through this season is probably harder than the impact I’ve had on my body, I don’t feel any less fast. I have some things here and there that I would like to feel better about, but it’s not bad at all for my seventh season in the CFL. ” … RB Timothy Flanders missed practice for the second day in a row. It was listed as “not related to injury” on the injury report. It’s a “personal” matter… Excellent punt / kickoff return DeVonte Dedmon, who was injured against the Als, had no crutches on the field Wednesday, but was still limping. On crutches was long snapper Louis-Philippe Bourassa, who will likely be replaced on Saturday by Frederic Chagnon … OL Tyler Catalina could return this week … Redblacks catcher Anthony Coombs was a limited participant in practice … The Ticats injury report said wide receiver Brandon Banks (ribs) was a full-fledged participant in practice. Injured QB Dane Evans (oblique) had a full practice and is expected to back Jeremiah Masoli.