Sports

Photo credit: Steve Kingsman/Freestyle Photography/CFL

The CFL has the reputation of being a passing offenses’ league. Succeed in that area and your team has a good chance of being successful overall. More accurately however, it is a passing defenses’ league, at least this season.

Success thus far in 2018 has hinged on the ability of CFL defenses to stop the pass. It is no coincidence that the six teams currently in playoff position rank somewhere in the top six in passing defense. Ranked sixth, just above the three current non-playoff teams, are the East-leading Ottawa Redblacks.

The Redblacks pass defense plagued the team last season. Along with giving up the third most passing yards in 2017, the secondary tallied the CFL’s second least interceptions. It was a weakness that Ottawa’s opponents recognized, resulting in the secondary facing the most pass attempts in the league. The Redblacks fared no better in 2016, finishing second last in pass defense.

Following the end of the 2017 season, Ottawa brought in Noel Thorpe to reshape and retool the defense. Thorpe spent five years with Montreal as their defensive coordinator before being fired last September. Heading into 2018, he took over for Mark Nelson in Ottawa as both defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. Along with a different approach, Thorpe has installed a brand-new defensive system. This year’s secondary features returning defensive backs like Antoine Pruneau and Jonathan Rose, as well as new additions such as Rico Murray and Loucheiz Purifoy.

Pruneau, the only Ottawa defender to be selected to the 2017 East Division All-Star team, says he notices a clear difference in the secondary’s approach this season. This includes an increased importance placed on team discipline.

“We have a new system so it is really hard to compare with last year but I like what we’re doing so far,” said Pruneau.

Depending on how you look at it, the Redblacks have both elevated above and remained stagnant in their pass defensive woes. They have allowed the fourth most passing yards, but are forcing opposing quarterbacks into the worst completion percentage in the CFL (59.1%). This means that Ottawa is not giving up many pass completions, but when they do, they are giving up huge chunks of yardage. The Redblacks have been punished by deep throws so far this season.

The Ottawa defense is tied for last in giving up the most big-play passes (30+ yard pass completions) in the CFL. Both Ottawa and Edmonton have already conceded 12 such plays.

“We have to be consistent back there. I think you saw last game [against the Lions] that we had a couple double-moves [that beat the defense]. Guys have to be more solid and consistent in coverage. I have been happy with our performance overall,” says Thorpe.

Alternatively, it has been difficult for the Redblacks defense to create impact plays themselves in 2018. A lack of pressure up front certainly plays a factor in the defense’s ability to defend the pass and vice-versa. They are currently tied for third last in the CFL in both sacks and interceptions.

Forcing interceptions in particular has been a worsening issue for the Redblacks since 2015, when they led the CFL with 26. In the preceding two seasons, Ottawa tallied 16 (2016) and 11 (2017). The Redblacks have notched 4 interceptions through nearly a third of the 2018 season.

“The big thing was creating those turnovers. That’s kind of what we had been missing last year,” said Ottawa Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell after a three-interception effort in the season opener. The Redblacks defense has picked-off only pass since that first game against Saskatchewan.

Among the secondary’s early achievements however has been their ability to break up passes. The team is leading the league in overall pass knockdowns and first-year Redblack Loucheiz Purifoy is tied for second in the statistic individually.

“A lot of it is good habits. In practice we always try to put our hands on that ball. Even if we know it’s a catch, we still have to go fight for it on every down,” said Pruneau.

You can cherry-pick a multitude of individual statistics to argue whether the Ottawa pass defense has been effective or not, but it is clear that their major hurdle at this point is not inadequacy but rather inconsistency. Through only five games with new starters and a brand-new defensive system, mixed results may be a positive sign.

“If we can minimize the deep-ball throws that have gotten over the top of us and hold quarterbacks to 60 per cent passing, then I think we are doing a pretty good job,” says Thorpe. “The guys have bought into the system and are playing together”.

The next challenge for the Redblacks secondary will be Tiger-Cats quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and the CFL’s second-ranked passing offense. If the season so far has served as any indication, this Saturday’s key East division matchup could be decided by Ottawa’s ability to stop Hamilton’s prolific passing game.