Is the Ottawa Redblacks defence coming together in time for redemption against the Argos?
Nine months after getting obliterated in the Eastern semifinal, the Ottawa Redblacks defence is returning to BMO Field coming off its best game of the season.
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It's also getting a boost with two key players — defensive tackle Cleyon Laing and linebacker Davion Taylor — back from the injured list for Saturday afternoon's crucial showdown with the Toronto Argos.
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But it's the often-maligned Ottawa secondary that's especially on a high after making three interceptions in last week's 31-11 victory over the Calgary Stampeders — the third-fewest points given up by a CFL team this year.
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'With the secondary, confidence is everything,' defensive coordinator Will Fields said after the team's walkthrough at TD Place on Friday. 'So I think they're all riding the wave right now. They just want to take the next step, but they're feeling good about themselves. And when you do well like that, you're more locked in the next week.
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'So I think we had a really good week of practice as a defence as a whole, but secondary-wise, the guys communicated, and I think they're all locked in.'
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Fields, a former defensive back, was the Argos secondary coach and defensive co-cordinator when they ended Ottawa's 2024 season with a 58-38 thumping last November.
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Two months later, he was given the reins to the Ottawa defence as Barron Miles' replacement.
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There has been an adjustment period under the new DC — with just 10 sacks in nine games, the Redblacks still need to generate more quarterback pressure and only Toronto has given up more 'big plays' to opponents — but after last week's performance, Ottawa is tied for fourth in overall defensive rankings with Hamilton.
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'I hope so,' Fields said. 'It looked that way. I think it definitely was a confidence booster for our defence. Like I say every week, as long as we take steps forward, we're going to be right where we need to be, and I think we took a big step forward. We've still got steps to go, but that was a good game to build off.'
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What did the Ottawa 'D' do especially well against Calgary?
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'I think we took the game plan to the field,' Fields said. 'Sometimes you come up with all these ideas and then, when the ball is snapped, you only remember half of them. But I think this time, the guys took it upon themselves … the game plan was a little simpler and they just played fast and hard, and got us to win.'
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Aside from the 61-yard pick-six by Alijah McGhee and the two other interceptions by Deandre Lamont and Amari Henderson, who stood out most when watching game film?
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Fields says it was a collective effort by the group.
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'I think that was the best thing about that game,' he stated. 'There were so many guys who stepped up and won their individual battles. So I wouldn't say anybody in particular, but the defence as a whole. They all played above what they've been playing.'
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Why was it important for the secondary to have a breakout game?
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'Every time the secondary gets a chance to play well, it's a plus, because you get that much closer; that is a group that takes the longest to jail and to get right,' Fields said. 'We're kind of taking it game-by-game, but I think they're playing together. They're understanding each other's abilities and being able to play off of each other because with our defence, we allow the guys to communicate, and you have to know what the guy next to you is doing.'
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How much does practising against the Argos offence for three years help Fields prepare for Saturday's game?
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'It definitely helps knowing their tendencies, but more so the body mechanics, just knowing the guys that were over there, knowing what they like to do, what they have difficulty with,' Fields said. 'It does help, but RD (Argos head coach and offensive coordinator Ryan Dinwiddie) is a great coach and I'm sure he's got some things, some wrinkles, he's going to throw at us that we haven't seen before. We're going to have to adjust on the fly.'
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What roster changes are the Redblacks making for Saturday's game?
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Just two, with Laing and Taylor replacing starting right tackle Zack Pelehos (foot) and linebacker Lucas Cormier.
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Receiver Justin Hardy, who scored two touchdowns against the Stamps, missed two practices with a back issue this week but was back on the field Thursday and Friday and is ready to go.
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'Justin is such a smart, intelligent player who has played a long time … He doesn't have to practice every day to be 100 percent ready to play,' head coach Bob Dyce said. 'He went out (Thursday) and had a great practice, so we're extremely excited. I'm sure the quarterback is excited, the offensive coordinator is excited, and we're excited as a team. We're all excited.'
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What's at stake for the Redblacks and Argos on Saturday?
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With both teams at 2-6, the winner moves into sole possession of third place in the East, but will not be in a playoff spot because the B.C. Lions defeated Hamilton. If the season ended today, the 4-5 Lions, who are fourth in the West, would cross over and play the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern semifinal.
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'We're two teams with the same record and we're in the same division, so it's a very key game,' said Dyce, noting that it's also the halfway point of the season. 'As we move forward, your opportunities start reducing from here, so you've got to take advantage of the ones in front of you. That's our goal and our mindset, to do that this weekend.'
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Because the two teams only face each other twice and Toronto won the first game 29-16. If they finish the regular season deadlocked in the standings, the tie-breaker will be points differential.
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'We know they won by 13 points the first time we played, and we got to go out there and make sure we're ready to go,' Dyce said. 'That's why we want to take advantage of every opportunity throughout the game to put us in a situation that we're able to take care of that.'
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