Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
TORONTO — There will not be a quarterback change in the nation’s capital any time soon.
A second lopsided loss to Calgary in the last three weeks has some Ottawa REDBLACKS fans hitting the panic button, with a few even floating the question about Trevor Harris and whether he has what it takes to help his team contend in the East.
These types of debates aren’t harmful; if anything they can be fun and insightful with a wide range of well-informed opinions and viewpoints. And as a professional starting quarterback, Harris knows he’s not immune to critical evaluation, especially from frustrated fans after a tough loss.
But for the REDBLACKS, while losing to Calgary in the fashion they did was no doubt eye-opening, considering what the Stampeders have done to all of their opponents — leading the CFL in every statistical defensive category while holding opponents below 10 points per game — any move under centre would be done in haste.
The better question might be whether Harris, in just his second full season with an uncontested No. 1 job, is still the long-term answer at the position for Marcel Desjardins and Rick Campbell and co.
For many there’s no debate, as Harris has teetered on the brink of elite ever since 2015 when he stepped into the spotlight with the Argos for an injured Ricky Ray.
Others, however, see a quarterback who’s struggled to find the consistency of a championship-winning quarterback, who hasn’t been able to win big games in his career and who just turned 32 years old. Oh, and one who doesn’t have a contract beyond 2018, much like several other star pivots across the league.
Is Harris’ future with the REDBLACKS a sure thing? The writers weigh in with The Weekly Say.
What are the chances Trevor Harris is Ottawa’s starting QB in 2019?
Trevor Harris is looking for a bounce back game when the REDBLACKS host the Lions this week (The Canadian Press)
Marshall Ferguson: 107 per cent. Listen to the REDBLACKS live mic game against Ottawa and you quickly gain an appreciation for his knowledge of the game and ability to process so much at once.
Matthew Cauz: 100 per cent. Harris is a damn productive quarterback and let’s face, it no QB is putting up numbers against Calgary right now.
Chris O’Leary: 75 per cent. Calgary has a way of making good quarterbacks look like less than that, so I wouldn’t put a ton of stock in Harris’ performances against the Stamps. It’s bad when Calgary puts you in those situations, but it can be job threatening when other teams do it. A bounce back game against a depleted BC defence on Friday would go a long way for him.
Jamie Nye: 75 per cent. It’s hard to find quarterbacks in this league that you can believe in and while Harris has struggled early, there is more to it than just Harris. There are some offensive line struggles and Diontae Spencer has become a bigger part of this offence to stretch the field. But at 32, turning 33 next year, the REDBLACKS have to be looking for a younger option. Just not sure they can find one that can be as productive as Harris.
Don Landry: 50 per cent. There is still so much to be determined this season that it’s difficult to set that number anywhere else right now.
Jim Morris: I’d say about 50/50 right now. Harris can get better, so can the entire offence. But if the REDBLACKS want to make a change they had better start looking for somebody else soon.
Can the Stamps still win games without Bo Levi Mitchell?
Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is questionable to play in Week 6 (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Morris: Nick Arbuckle got the job done last week against Ottawa and I think will be fine this week against Montreal. His holiday will end soon, and Arbuckle will face a steep learning curve over the next few weeks if he has to start when Calgary plays Saskatchewan and Edmonton twice, plus BC and Winnipeg. Without Mitchell I don’t like the Stamps’ chances.
Nye: AB! SO! LUTE! LY! The defence is so good that they’ll be able to keep the Stampeders in any game this season with any quarterback being back there. They also have a good special teams group. The only impact a quarterback could have is a mistake here or there that puts the Stamps defence up against a short field. But still, they’ll keep them close.
Landry: With that defence? You serious? Of course they could. Next question.
O’Leary: They should be able to navigate an Als team that’s also dealing with QB injuries, and their defence has been outstanding in the first four games this season. That could be enough to get them through this week and maybe the next stretch of Sask and BC meetings. Nick Arbuckle looked good last week, but there will undoubtedly be a learning curve, bumps in the road, what have you, if Be Levi Mitchell is out for an extended period of time.
Ferguson: While it’s true that the strength of the Stampeders organization lies in their continuity at the most important positions – coaches and quarterback – Calgary has always found ways to evolve when faced with transition, turnover or injury. I think they stay among the CFL’s elite even if Bo has to miss a couple games.
Cauz: Fun fact, if you look up ANY of the major defensive statistics you will find the Calgary Stampeders at the top spot. They are allowing less than 10 points per game, they are plus-nine in turnover ratio and they can run the ball. That is a long way of saying yes, yes they can.
Is the Bombers’ second-half collapse vs. BC a cause for concern?
Andrew Harris tries to tackle Lions defensive back Anthony Orange after an interception (The Canadian Press)
Cauz: I mean you hate to take away too much from two quarters of football but wow did Winnipeg blow this game! I won’t say it’s a cause for concern because Matt Nichols is still looking to get back into form. Now if the offence struggles in their back-to-back games against the Argonauts then we can circle back to this question.
O’Leary: It’s a cause for concern if Mike O’Shea and Paul LaPolice don’t use this as a chance to examine some of their decision-making. It’s cost them the last two years in the playoffs and it cost them in BC. LaPolice said this week that he regretted not handing off to Andrew Harris in one of those short yardage drives they were stopped on, but short, chip shot field goals would have put a lopsided game out of reach and gotten Winnipeg its third win of the season. It also would have firmly planted BC in the West Division cellar.
Ferguson: Any time you lose in that manner there had better be concern. At some point every CFL team will be concerned about the direction their team is heading. The challenge is to turn that concern into a lesson and avoid repeating Saturday’s faults. The Bombers won’t do that again this year.
Nye: You see plenty of teams get that big lead early and for some reason it may allow complacency to set in. The Bombers were also close to putting that game away a few times and the Lions held strong and kept the Bombers from adding to the score. I wouldn’t be anywhere close to concerned because of a bad half of football, especially after scoring 41 the week previous. Those back-to-back and home-and-home sets are tough to sweep.
Landry: No it is not. It’s not the failure that is important, but rather how you react to it. This Saturday’s game in Toronto is a measuring stick for Winnipeg. I’m betting that the Bombers will be extra motivated, and looking much more like they did during the first half in Vancouver.
Morris: The Bombers suffered from self-inflected wounds, things that can be corrected. The defence took some dumb penalties. There were a couple of questionable third-down gambles and Matt Nichols made a couple bad decisions on turnovers. I would call this game a mulligan and move on.
