OTTAWA — One of the biggest clichés in football, and possibly all of sports, held true last season for the Ottawa REDBLACKS.

You don’t win the turnover battle, you don’t win the game.

Rick Campbell knows the numbers. Third-worst in the league in giveaways. Dead-last in takeaways. A turnover differential of minus-12, which was better than only two teams, neither of which made the post-season.

The REDBLACKS were dipping into the red ink all season when it comes to the turnover battle, seemingly dooming them from the start. That notion hasn’t rested well with the gentleman going into his fifth season has head coach.

“You’ll usually find the teams with the better records have the best plus-minus turnover ratio,” Campbell said during a conference call with the media on Thursday afternoon. “So it’s something we’ll continue to work on.”

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Carelessness with the football and the inability to generate takeaways played a significant role in a 1-6-1 start. The REDBLACKS improved in both categories throughout the season, helping them finish 7-3 and earn a home playoff game. However, in the Eastern Semi-Final, they lost the turnover battle 4-0, leading to a season-ending 31-20 loss to the crossover Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The rest of the metrics for the REDBLACKS hint towards a team that’s better than its 8-9-1 record of a year ago. But the turnovers…

“We lacked making some big momentum-changing plays earlier in the season,” Campbell reflected. “We played some pretty decent football in stretches, but in big moments we either gave up a big play or weren’t able to create a big play and we lost some very close football games.

“As the year went on, we started to get more turnovers and do those types of things to make the plays in the key moments to turn those close games in our favour.”

There’s something to be said for the element of chance when it comes to takeaways and giveaways. It’s not like the REDBLACKS allowed a lot of pressure on offence (their 87 pressures allowed were the fourth-fewest in the CFL), and quarterback Trevor Harris‘ 30 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions made up a very good ratio.

Still, Rick Campbell is doing everything he can think of to avoid a repeat of last season. He knows that if his team can limit the giveaways and, with a more aggressive defence led by Noel Thorpe, generate more takeaways, it’ll contend for the East Division crown.

That emphasis has already started with this week’s mini-camp.

“I think it absolutely can be coached,” said Campbell. “It’s something we need to make sure we emphasize in practice with the defence trying to strip the ball out, regardless of the drill.”

Flying under the radar

In one of the busiest off-seasons in recent memory across the league, one name that sort of fell beyond the headlines was that of former BC Lion Josh Johnson. The 27-year-old defensive back returned from the NFL to sign with the REDBLACKS, and Marcel Desjardins and Rick Campbell believe they may have gotten a steal.

“He was just a guy that we kind of had an eye on for a little while and we reached out and had to be patient with his timeline, him and his agent and wanting to explore as much as possible down south, and also for us making sure it made sense from a cap perspective,” said Desjardins.

“When all those pieces were able to come together it was an easy decision both on our end and on his end.”

Johnson left the CFL after two seasons in BC to pursue NFL opportunities. He recorded 87 tackles over two seasons, playing all but two games and also recording two interceptions, a forced fumble and a touchdown.

What the REDBLACKS like the most about him is his versatility. They see Johnson fitting virtually anywhere in their defensive backfield, making him an idea fit for Noel Thorpe’s new system.

“The good thing about Josh is we all know he’s been up here, so he’s so familiar with the CFL game,” said Campbell. “He’s a versatile guy, he’s going to know all the positions on the back end which will be a big help.

“He also looks really good athletically,” he added. “He was moving around really well, was quick flipping his hips, doing all those things you want to see a CFL defensive back do.”

The REDBLACKS got their first real look at Johnson at this week’s mini-camp, where he showed he’s eager to settle into his new football home.

“He told me he’s excited to find a home to play football in and just wants to get out there and get going and you could tell, he came to mini-camp and meant business and had done his homework as far as learning some things,” said Campbell. “He showed up ready to go and I think he just wants to get focused and play football and I’m glad he’s going to be doing it for us.”