Why July 3 was a 'good date' for Ottawa Redblacks coach Bob Dyce and his No. 1 quarterback
It was with cautious optimism that the Ottawa Redblacks head coach enjoyed what he saw Thursday — No. 1 quarterback Dru Brown smoothly taking all first-team reps at practice for the second day in a row.
Article content
Bob Dyce has enough life experience to know that what he has one day may be gone the next.
And so it was with cautious optimism that the Ottawa Redblacks head coach enjoyed what he saw Thursday — No. 1 quarterback Dru Brown smoothly taking all first-team reps at practice for the second day in a row.
Recommended Videos
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Why July 3 was a 'good date' for Ottawa Redblacks coach Bob Dyce and his No. 1 quarterback Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Ready to confirm Brown as your starter for Sunday’s game against the Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium, Bob?
“As I’ve told you guys, we’re going to take it day by day,” Dyce said to the small, inquiring group of media members. “It’s kind of like when I was young … you could have two good dates, and you never know what happened on the third. So we’ll just go day by day and carry on from there.
“But I really like what I’ve seen on the field.”
What’s undeniable is how much the 1-3 Redblacks have missed Brown, who has been sidelined since suffering a hip injury on the second-to-last offensive series in the season-opening 31-26 loss to Saskatchewan.
Brown had the best Week 1 of any CFL QB in that setback, a game that might have ended differently had he physically been able to throw the ball downfield on the last drive.
Before the injury, he completed 34-of-41 passes (82.9%) for 413 yards and no interceptions against the Roughriders’ third-ranked defence.
Since he went down, Ottawa backups Dustin Crum and Matt Shiltz have connected on 53-of-86 (61.6%) throws for 556 yards (185.3 average per game), two touchdowns and four interceptions.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
“He’s QB1 for a reason,” Dyce said of Brown after Monday’s practice. “I think you saw it versus Saskatchewan. He’s an A-level quarterback in this league, and you want to see him playing. I think we’d all be excited to see him play.”
That Brown was able to practice without problem for a second straight day was important because it meant he had no lingering after-effects from Wednesday’s session.
Brown, in fact, said he has noticed a lot of improvement “within the last four or five days” but was still hesitant to declare himself good to go.
“We’re out on the field and taking a bunch of reps, like you would in a game, and it felt good,” he said. “I’m optimistic and excited for the opportunity (to get back). I just hope it continues to progress.”
What has kept Brown from returning sooner?
“I think it’s important that you know you can contribute and help the team win, and throughout the (recovery) process, it’s been a little bit frustrating, but there were times where I felt like that wasn’t the case,” Brown said. “I didn’t want to have us at a disadvantage just because I wanted to be out there. I wanted to be the best version of myself to help us.”
Was the injury movement limiting or simply too painful to play through?
“It was a little bit of both, and kind of a domino effect type of thing,” Brown said. “So that was the frustrating part about it. But it’s feeling really good, so hopefully it trends that way.”
What has been the problem with the Redblacks’ offence in the last three games from Brown’s vantage point?
“I think with a lot of teams, there’s a certain amount of plays in the game that are very bad, whether it’s procedural penalties or lack of awareness of situations,” he said. “For us, we’ve got to eliminate those plays and just continuously move the ball forward and keep the yards we gain. I felt like (not doing that) has hurt us in the past.”
After missing what will be a month of action, will there be some rust that he needs to shake off in a restart?
“No, I don’t really feel that way,” said Brown. “I think that you study, and you have a plan, and in order to physically execute the plan, as long as you’re healthy and you can do that, then it shouldn’t be an adjustment.”
tap here to see other videos from our team.
How difficult has it been to stand back and watch the offence struggle?
“Anytime you’re not out there, it’s hard to watch,” Brown said. “Obviously your role changes, and you support the guys that are in there, and you try and help in whatever capacity you can. I thought the guys fought, competed, and did some good things, but at the end of the day, it’s still early, and we’re still fixing things that need to be fixed and addressing them.
“I’m excited for an opportunity coming up here to kind of show that we can play and execute and play good football.”
How has Brown fared in the past against the Elks?
Last season, his first as a starter, he was the winning quarterback in both of Ottawa’s games against Edmonton.
On July 14 at Commonwealth Stadium, Brown threw for 480 yards and two touchdowns in a wild, 37-34 victory, and five days later, he passed for 257 yards in a 20-14 outcome at TD Place.
What local connection does the newest member of the Redblacks have?
Among the most recent additions to the Redblacks’ practice roster is global defensive lineman Baptiste Pollier, a 6-foot-2, 250-pounder who was born in Grenoble, France and played for the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
