MMQB: REDBLACKS can hold their heads high

11/04/2024 09:00 AM

The sting from Ottawa's 58-38 loss to Toronto in Saturday's Eastern Semi-Final hasn't worn off only a couple days later, which is fully understandable.

But I hope at some point in the not-too-distant future, REDBLACKS players, coaches and management look back at the 2024 season as an important and successful one. After all, Ottawa returned to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons and laid significant foundation for the future. If I'm a REDBLACKS fan right now, I'm looking forward to 2025.

That optimism starts with quarterback Dru Brown, who put together a largely successful first year as a full-time CFL starter. Acquired from Winnipeg in January, Brown posted an 8-6-1 record in 15 games as a starter and provided Ottawa with stability at the position they haven't had in years.

2024 CFL PLAYOFFS
» Matchups Set: Division Finals head to Montreal and Winnipeg
»Dru Brown, REDBLACKS, building toward future despite playoff exit
» Adams Jr., Lions fall short in pursuit of home Grey Cup
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Overall, Brown finished third with 3,959 passing yards and got better and more comfortable as the year went along. In fact, Brown's final two regular season starts saw him rack up 845 passing yards and seven of his 18 touchdowns before getting valuable experience in his first CFL playoff start. I can't wait to see how Brown hits the ground running in year two.

It was also great to see Justin Hardy build on his breakout 2023 campaign by absolutely exploding this season. Hardy led the league with 97 receptions and was second with 1,343 receiving yards while reeling in five touchdown catches.

If Ottawa can retain Hardy prior to free agency, he and Dominque Rhymes will once again make up one of the league's better one-two punches at receiver. Already under contract for 2025, Rhymes racked up 1,011 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown catches in his return to the REDBLACKS.

But Ottawa made just as many strides on the defensive side of the ball. When healthy, the REDBLACKS boasted a front four as good as any. The quartet of Laurenzo Mauldin IV, Michael Wakefield, Bryce Carter and Cleyon Laing combined for 24 of Ottawa's 39 sacks, with the first two tying for the league lead with eight apiece. All four linemen are due to hit free agency and should all be priorities to re-sign over the next few months.

SO NICE, HE DID IT TWICE!

Damon Webb has his second pick 6 of the game.

: #CFLGameday on @TSN_Sports, @RDSca
: Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/25dcnHqmDq

— CFL (@CFL) September 7, 2024

Don't forget what we saw in the secondary, either. Boundary halfback Damon Webb took another huge step and finished with 68 defensive tackles, five interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. SAM linebacker Adarius Pickett went for 52 defensive tackles and an interception in just 13 games played. Safety Alonzo Addae reeled in a pair of interceptions as part of a second straight strong season.

All three graded amongst the highest at their positions this season, per Bryson Vesnaver at Pro Football Focus.

The REDBLACKS didn't set out for moral victories and silver linings this season. They had their eyes on playoff wins and fighting for a championship. But in the big picture, and after four tough seasons well out of the playoffs there was a lot to like about this season in Ottawa.

And there are plenty of reasons to be excited for what's to come.

BC’S BIG QUESTION

The BC Lions have a lot to figure out after Saturday's 28-19 loss to Saskatchewan in the Western Semi-Final.

Can they retain defensive end Mathieu Betts after he returned to the fold in August? How much of a raise is pending free agent Justin McInnis looking at after leading the league with 1,469 receiving yards and 137 targets? What needs to happen for this talented squad to make it to their first Grey Cup since 2011?

But, with no disrespect, those questions all fall in line after the most pressing one: what are the Lions going to do at quarterback?

The outcome of that question, and how BC goes about answering it, figures to be one of the league's juiciest and most interesting this winter.

Vernon Adams Jr. signed a contract extension in January, which makes him as one of the CFL's highest paid pivots for the next two seasons. Of course, things got complicated in August when the Lions signed Canadian superstar Nathan Rourke to a league-shaking contract that also keeps him in Orange and Black through 2026.

It's one of the most interesting quarterback situations I can remember in quite a while. First off, Adams didn't do anything wrong. In fact, he finished this season as PFF's top ranked quarterback and was the Most Outstanding Player frontrunner before sustaining a knee injury in Week 9.

And yet, you can't really fault BC either. Rourke was a bona fide phenom in 2022 before trying his hand south of the border. The Lions couldn't pass on an opportunity to bring Rourke back to the west coast, even if the immediate returns weren't off the charts. In eight starts, Rourke completed 65.1 per cent of his passes for 1,781 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions.

But let's not forget Rourke joined the team midseason tasked with keeping BC's season on track, learning a new playbook and readjusting to the Canadian game all at the same time. I'm not ready to write Rourke off, especially knowing he'll have a full off-season and training camp prior to the 2025 campaign.

Considering Rourke's contract status and age (4.5 years younger than Adams), it stands to reason the Lions will probably be leaning his way. And, with the magnitude of both contracts, keeping both just isn't a tenable option. But that still doesn't fully answer the question.

If trading Adams is the path the Lions opt to choose, they'll have interest and the most obvious path may be one province east. After a frustrating season deemed unacceptable by their standards, the Calgary Stampeders have a glaring quarterback need. If the Edmonton Elks opt not to bring Tre Ford back, they too could provide an Alberta landing spot for Adams.

Regardless, knowing the two star names involved, what the Lions do at the game's most high profile position is one of the most league's fascinating off-season stories.