‘LOTS OF FIGHT:’ Ottawa Redblacks hope to fall in last two games

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It would be easy to write off the Ottawa Redblacks for what will be the last two games of their CFL season; with just two wins, they haven’t given RNation much reason to be optimistic.

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They will face Toronto, then, after a week off, Montreal, two teams battling for top spot in the East Division. Therefore, both teams should be highly motivated.

The Redblacks? The motivation will not come from fighting for a playoff spot. As if they were too early in a horrible 3-15 2019 season, the Redblacks ended up as a dinner party. It does not mean that you will not see the effort. Some of these guys are fighting for their CFL lives – a spot on a CFL list comes and goes. There’s not much comfort in a best effort, but there were some positives in Friday’s 26-13 loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

“There’s a lot of fighting between the guys,” said Justin Howell, who made three tackles on defense (while replacing the injured Antoine Pruneau at safety) and another two on special teams. “(When you’re losing), it’s extremely difficult, especially for the guys who have been around. I am very proud of that dressing room, that room is still attached. You see it on the field with the way we compete and fight. We are not going to turn around regardless of the playoff situation. It’s definitely frustrating, but we still have work to do. “

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“Whether it’s three games, four games or five games to go, we have to finish it,” Redblacks quarterback Caleb Evans said. “Prepare to go 1-0 every week, prepare to play like you’re entering the playoffs.”

Evans looked strong in the first half. While the Redblacks scored just one touchdown, a good jump grip from Kenny Stafford in the end zone, they held a 10-3 lead at one point. However, something happened in the third and fourth quarters. It’s been kind of a running theme throughout the 2021 season.

Despite an anemic offense that sputtered too much, defense and special teams often contain them. Once again, the defense was able to stand up, despite missing several key players, including Don Unamba, Sherrod Baltimore and Pruneau. But while the offense was able to move the ball a bit, it couldn’t find the end zone in the second half, settling for a Lewis Ward field goal.

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“It’s a recurring thing, we play the first half well, then we let things get away from us,” Redblacks coach Paul LaPolice said. “The third and fourth quarters, the execution is not good enough.”

While backup quarterback Duck Hodges played significantly last week at Hamilton, Evans was the kid during Friday’s game. He completed 15 of 29 passes for 173 yards. Very important, he didn’t throw an interception. In his previous five games, he threw nine interceptions. Evans also continued to provide presence in the race, rushing 68 yards on Friday.

On the media availability of the post-game Zoom call, when asked why Hodges didn’t have game time with his sights set on the future, LaPolice said: “We thought (Evans) was doing a good job. He had a good first half and in the third quarter some things went wrong, it’s not his fault. We are here to win a soccer game, I want these players to win a soccer game. “

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With a home date against Toronto on Saturday, the Redblacks will look to play spoilers. As a team that hasn’t played well enough at TD Place, with only two wins since 2019, Ottawa needs to play well; owes a lot to the fans. But in the next two games, it makes sense to give others time to play. Winning is great, but the evaluation and development of the players is huge.

The Redblacks need a deeper look at Hodges and others as they look to 2022. You can bet they’ll be active in next year’s CFL free agency, but they need to determine who should stay and who should leave long before then. That, of course, will be in the hands of a new general manager with the Redblacks looking to fill the job in the next month or two after Marcel Desjardins was fired on Monday.

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Running back De’Lance Turner, who had 55 yards rushing on 11 carries on Friday, left the game with an injury. His backup, Brendan Gillanders, who was playing his 100th CFL game, was injured on the first play of the game and was later on the touchline with a walking boot and crutches. Maybe Justin Davis is ready to come off the six-game disabled list. Timothy Flanders started the year as a starting running back but is listed for “non-football related” reasons.

THE REPORT CARD

Offense C-: The stats don’t stand out. There was only one offensive touchdown, but that’s slightly better than the zero they scored in six of their other games. QB Caleb Evans completed 15 of 29 passes for 173 yards (with a touchdown). He also ran for 68 yards. He’s still making youth mistakes, but at least he didn’t throw an interception (he had nine in his previous five games). Running back De’Lance Turner had 55 yards rushing on 11 carries. Calgary took advantage of an inexperienced offensive line from the Redblacks, especially in the second half, and sacked Evans five times.

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Defense B-: I’m sure they would have liked to put more pressure on Calgary QB Bo Levi Mitchell; the Redblacks didn’t have sacks. Mitchell completed 22 passes for 242 yards. The defense also gave up 103 yards on 16 carries to talented Stamps running back Ka’Deem Carey. They only got one takeout – a forced fumble and Avery Williams’ comeback – but they really did make some big plays at the rear end, things that can win football games.

Special Teams B: Nothing spectacular, but they hit hard on punts and kicks. Kicker Lewis Ward was consistent, as usual, converting both of his field goal attempts. Punter Richie Leone had a net average of 41.1 yards.