For the past few years, the Eastern Conference of the Canadian Football League (CFL) has been critiqued by many as being the “little brother” to the Western Conference.
This year proved no better, as the Ottawa Redblacks were able to win first place in their division despite possessing a losing record of 8-9 to conclude the regular season.
To put that into context, in the West, the Calgary Stampeders, BC Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Edmonton Eskimos all qualified for the playoffs with a record of 10-8 or better this season.
Ahead of the Eastern Conference Finals on Nov. 20 between the Redblacks and the Eskimos, the Redblacks were presumed by many to be the underdog of the two.
Last season, the Redblacks fell to the Eskimos in the Grey Cup, though Ottawa did defeat Edmonton twice during the regular season this year.
Turns out that some critics may just need to learn to voice their opinions a little quieter, as Ottawa was able to book their tickets to their second Grey Cup appearance in as many years with a 35-23 win.
“We’re always confident no matter what [anybody] says,” said all-star defensive back Abdul Kanneh prior to the game. “We know that our defence is the best defence in this league and at the end of the day.”
In addition to having to switch between quarterbacks Henry Burris and Trevor Harris for most of the season due to injuries, the Redblacks were forced to endure plenty of early-season injuries to other key players such as all-star offensive linemen SirVincent Rogers, tailback William Powell, defensive back Jerrell Gavins, and offensive lineman Nolan MacMillan.
Harris, who was acquired by the Redblacks during this year’s offseason via free agency, had initially been penciled in to be the backup to Henry Burris for this season until an injury to Burris’ finger resulted in him receiving a promotion to the starting unit.
However, Harris’ early success during the season was short lived as he sustained multiple injuries in his right knee and foot.
“It was a difficult process,” said Harris before the game. “I’d never been hurt for an extended period of time before so I’m typically pretty durable.”
“It was a new experience for me trying to rehab and come back and [all of the other] compromises that your body makes to make other injuries heal. Obviously, injuries have hit every team,” he said. “We’ve had some big ones but we’ve weathered the storm, we are where we are and I really believe where we are is where we deserve to be.”
It’s become a customary theme in the modern era of football for teams to experience injuries to their players by virtue of the violent and merciless nature of the sport. They can ruin careers, derail the development of players, and essentially devastate an entire franchise over the course of a year.
For Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell, the plague of early-season injuries can be a nightmare to overcome considering how his team has been currently poised to be in a win-now-or-never situation for the last two seasons.
With their past two playoff wins coming off against formidable competitors in the Eskimos and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Redblacks have now made it clear to the entire league watching that they are here to stay and should not be underestimated.
“I think it just shows the strength of our coaches and the strength of our group to rely on each other during the game,” said offensive lineman Nolan MacMillan. “It shows that there is a lot of talent in the room.”
Over the 2016 season, the Redblacks ranked first in the league in passing yards (6,191), second in interceptions (16), and third in passing touchdowns (30) and rushing yards (1,691). Quite an astounding achievement for any football team. Now, figure in the estimated 23 players who have been listed on the injury report this year for Ottawa, and you’ve got yourself a sports miracle in the making.
Cinderella stories are always fun to see happen in any sport, and Ottawa may finally be the team of adversity that the CFL has been searching for this season.
“My favourite movie is ‘Dodgeball,’” Burris said. “I think of us as being the ‘Average Joes’, and [now] here we are in Vegas.”
The Redblacks will have to put that theory to the ultimate test on Nov. 26, when they face the Calgary Stampeders in the 104th Grey Cup at BMO Field in Toronto.
