The Ottawa Redblacks are becoming one of the more interesting stories in the CFL this season, as they’ve been inching themselves into discussions about legitimate contenders for the Grey Cup. They’re closer to first in the East (just three points back of Montréal) than to third (five up on the Argos), and did the Ticats the great favour of clobbering Toronto 41-27 last weekend.
Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich talked today about Ottawa being a strong team in all three phases and the Redblacks are noted for special teams and defence but their offence, while spotty at times as it was in a narrow victory over Hamilton in late June, can be dynamic behind quarterback Dru Brown, with former Ticat Jermiah Masoli in reserve. They’ve got a receiving crops so deep it’s been able to survive without the likes of injured Bralon Addison, Kalil Pimpleton and Jaelon Acklin, although Acklin returns to the lineup in time to face his former team at Tim Hortons Field on Saturday (3 p.m.) “Survive” isn’t a strong enough word: the Redblacks have lost only once in their last eight games.
So what does one of the anchors of the Ticat defence see when he looks at film of the Ottawa offence?
“What I see is gunslingers,” says defensive lineman DeWayne Hendrix, coming off a strong Labour Day game in which he recorded his third sack of the season. “A good O line; big receivers who can go up and catch the ball. Just overall a good team. Going in, we definitely have to be physical at the point of attack, run to the ball, just cause havoc up front.”
He and Front Four cohorts Casey Sayles, Nick Usher and Brandon Barlow, abetted by Trevon Mason, know that Brown likes to release the ball quickly and has the receivers to handle the rapid patterns and throws and that it’s up to the rushers to make him unload where and when he doesn’t want to.
“It’s going to start with us, it’s going to finish with us,” Hendrix says. “We know he gets the ball out really good but at the same time we know how good we are up front. We’ve just got to keep getting vertical, get in his face and cause a lot of havoc.
“We know if the coverage is tight on the back end, we have to get home, and vice versa. If we’re going to get home we know the coverage has to be good. Once all three phases have bought into what we’re doing and we’re getting home, I feel like we’re a great defence.”
Hendrix and Milanovich both said yesterday that there has been a lot of that ‘buy-in’ as Chris Jones spends more time with the unit since taking over running the defence a little more than three weeks ago. They played well in Winnipeg in a narrow loss and even better in bending but rarely breaking in the Labour Day win. Jones has been able to exert his schemes, and philosophy, in larger increments as he’s had more practice reps and meetings to work with the defence. It’s clear he’s after hotter, sustained pressure, sometimes from only three of the front four rushing, and more aggressive coverage in the secondary.
Having some recent success with that is positive reinforcement for the messages Jones has been sending his unit.
“I think it helps the buy-in any time you have success,” Milanovich said. “Defensive linemen don’t like to drop off but when you get a sack on a three-man rush, that helps because they can see that it can still be done and you’re helping with the coverage unit. So all that helps their confidence.”
Jones will likely add unexpected wrinkles and tweaks for Saturday—he always does—but he’s certainly got the support and confidence of the Ticat defence because of the increasing positive reinforcement.
“Absolutely,” Hendrix said. “Any time a DC comes in, you kind of want to see how things go and then when you see that a lot of success is coming from it, you buy into it more; of what he’s teaching and what he’s coaching. I’m really happy and excited that we got him and I’m looking forward to this game.”
CATS CLAUSES: Fans should take note that Saturday’s Hall of Fame Game against the Redblacks starts at 3 p.m., not 4 p.m. which was the originally-scheduled kickoff time. In June, the game was moved up an hour by the CFL, not the Ticats, in order to satisfy TV needs … as required by CFL regulations, all nine teams have to release the names of 10 players on their negotiation-rights list of American players. It happens twice a year, including today. Among well-known players whose names were made public in previous releases are current Ticats Tim White, Shemar Bridges and Tulia Tagovailoa, Ottawa QB Dustin Crum and RB Jamal Morrow … the 10 players the Ticats made public from their negotiation list today are: RB Spencer Brown ( Alabama-Birmingham); QB Jalon Daniels ( Kansas); QB Gavin Hardison (Texas-El Paso); DB Carlton Johnson (Fresno State); WR Jontre Kirklin (Louisiana State); QB Adrian Martinez (Kansas State); WR Lance McCutcheon (Montana State); QB Will McElvain (Central Arkansas); DB Quavian White (Georgia State); and DL Judge Culpepper (Toledo) … Culpepper’s father Brad Culpepper was an all-American at Florida, played nine years in the NFL and was on two seasons of the Survivor TV show
