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The Grey Cup is just around the corner. Here is the continuation of my preview series.
Season record: 8-9-1
Regular season finish: first, Eastern Conference. fifth overall.
Definitely the underdogs heading into Sunday’s 104th Grey Cup game, the Redblacks, back-to-back Eastern Conference champions, are into their second straight championship game after dispatching Edmonton, crossovers foes from the Western Conference, last week in the East Final, exorcising some demons in the process, for it was the Eskimos who beat Ottawa in last year’s Grey Cup game.
Unlike last year, where it was all Henry Burris all the time at quarterback, it’s been an up-and-down season for the Redblacks, who gave Trevor Harris meaningful snaps at quarterback as well, and whose losing record is very much emblematic of the overall weakness of the East conference as compared to their western cousins.
Ultimately, though, none of that matters. The Redblacks are in the Grey Cup game and, when it comes down to it, they have as much chance as Calgary do of becoming Canadian Football League champions. Two teams on the field makes it a fifty-fifty proposition.
That said, undoubtedly the task is harder for the Redblacks. They will need to rely on a flawless game from Burris, their forty-one-year-old veteran, and the good news is that their passing offense has been prolific this season, with four receivers recording thousand yard seasons – a record in the Canadian Football League.
Brad Sinopoli, Greg Ellingson, Ernest Jackson and newcomer, the former Arizona Wildcat star Juron Criner, are as good a receiving corps as there is in the League, and one of the few areas where you can make the legitimate argument that they are as good as or better than Calgary.
It’s a dangerous group, for whom the ball only needs to me marginally in the area for them to latch onto it. Hard not to like what these guys are doing at the moment, and I believe that this is the best quartet of receivers in Canadian football, thus making for Calgary’s biggest defensive test of the season.
On the ground in the driving snow at touchdownPlace Stadium in Ottawa, the Redblacks might’ve unearthed a good one in Kienan Lafrance who ran for 157 yards and a game-sealing touchdown in relief of the injured Mossis Madu, who left the game in the first quarter. It goes without saying that the Redblacks would love to have Madu in their line-up, but Lafrance showed enough to suggest that he’ll be a pretty good replacement if needed.
Make no mistake, Ottawa’s chances come down to their defence. If they can’t force Bo Levi Mitchell and the Calgary offence into multiple 2-and-outs – a few turnovers wouldn’t hurt, either – you can shut the gate. The Redblacks can’t win unless their defensive group plays the game of their collective lives.
Linebackers Taylor Reed and former Boise State Bronco Jerrell Gavins are big stars in Ottawa, and lead the way for the Redblacks. With Calgary’s Deron Mayo out, you can argue that Ottawa has the stronger – and, at least, more experienced – linebacker group taking the field in Toronto on Sunday.
Up front, CFL East All-Star defensive tackle Zach Evans, a Canadian from Regina, Saskatchewan, will lead the surge to get pressure on Bo Levi Mitchell, which is no easy task, as opposition teams have learnt all season. It’s simple: if the Redblacks can’t generate some sort of pass rush, Mitchell’s going to pick them apart – and he’s going to have all day to make throws.
No pass rush means major problems for the secondary, which has enough on it’s plate as it is. Watch for Abdul Kanneh from his defensive back position. He had a strong game against a tough Edmonton offence, and his definitely an x-factor for the Redblacks. The entire secondary needs to be buttoned down or there’ll be trouble.
On special teams, the Redblacks have Tristan Jackson, whose 77-yard punt return touchdown in the East final set Ottawa on fire. He’s as dangerous as there is in the CFL, and the Stamps will try to keep the football well away from him. Starting place kicker Chris Milo was out of the East Final line-up with injury, and Ray Early kicked in his place, with great success.
We’ll see how that goes on Sunday. And don’t forget that the Redblacks turned the football over on a kick-off against Edmonton. Giving Calgary a short field is not a good idea. In fact, it’s a horrendously bad one – and should be avoided at all costs.
Most of the experts suggest that the Redblacks are over-matched against Calgary, but many of those critics didn’t give Ottawa much chance against Edmonton, either, and look how they turned out. We’ll see what happens on Sunday.
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