It was another disappointing one in the Capital as the Ottawa Redblacks dropped a second straight home game. This time, it was a 29-23 loss to the B.C. Lions. The team did look better than in last week’s home blowout loss to the Montreal Alouettes. However, the team should make some improvements moving forwards, especially with NFL cuts coming soon. Here are a few key positions where the Redblacks improvements are most desperately needed.
Ottawa Redblacks Improvements Needed
Offensive Line
The offensive line has been one of the Redblacks biggest weaknesses all season, and the last few games have especially showed that. This has resulted in quarterbacks lacking enough time to make his decisions. The Redblacks have given up the most sacks against them in the 2016 season up to date. This is a huge drop-off from the offensive line that the team had last season. This should be a big focus area for the team to improve on, even before the next upcoming CFL draft.
Defensive Tackling
Poor tackling skills have hurt the Redblacks defence all season long, resulting in extended opponent drives. On second down especially, the team struggles greatly. Getting that second stop ends opponents’ drives and, most importantly, keeps the defence on the field for the least amount of time possible. You could say that the defence is left on the field too long, but it doesn’t excuse all the poor and even numerous amounts of missed tackles. This is another big area the team should look to improve in the upcoming weeks. Defence is one of the biggest keys to winning championships.
Discipline
There has been a lot of complaining about the CFL referees all season long. You can argue some the rules are complicated, or even terrible. But let’s take a look at the team from a disciplinary perspective. The Redblacks lead the league in penalties. If your team is leading in that stat, there probably is a bigger problem than just the referees: it shows discipline is a team issue as well. Every player needs to get it together if they want to be successful moving forward.
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