2021-08-07 Game Tracker - Ottawa Redblacks vs. Edmonton Elks (6137)

[Jasmine]

@DaveDaHammer

I thought the play was legal. The worst ST call that I ever saw was the Music City Miracle. That was a forward pass by Frank Wychek

I agree the music city fraud was clearly a forward pass the one last night looked fine .

[HfxTC]

@pantsonfire

…have to solve the problem they had last year. Long drives ending in FG’s, untimely penalties. Biggest surprise for me - the Elk front 4 & 3 rookie LB’s are all between 22 & 27. It’s only Ottawa but I can see why Lemon & Diggs were let go. They really fly around. Moore & Boateng look like they’re ready for another big year. Why they didn’t use Ellilngson till late is a head scratcher.

I want to see Edmonton play a couple more games. Ottawa’s offensive line can’t be a proper measuring stick.

[pantsonfire]

@mikem

…rent Ottawa team, different coaches, much stronger DefenseWhy didn’t they throw to Ellingson sooner? Ottawa DBs were covering everyone, he eventually got open a few times late.When you say “it’s only Ottawa” - well judging my the 8 teams that played, Ottawa has the best defense so far.The trick punt return should’ve counted and Ottawa would’ve had the big lead and no need for the last minute drama

Best defence? Giving up 430+ yds is not exceptional. Of the 8 teams the most impressive defensive performance IMO is the job Winnipeg did on Hamilton. The TiCat depth chart showed 11 OL dressed & they used 7 to try to slow down Wpg, even 8 once, I believe. And the Bombers still got through. Betting on underdogs early in the season is usually a good bet. The underdogs went 4-0 vs the spread & 3-1 straight up this week. Ottawa did what it had to & Kanneh was a game changer. But the best defence? Elks have to prove they’re not a paper tiger. Bombers beat a club almost every scribe sees as GC champion & held them to 6 pts. BTW I’m not a Bomber fan.

[pantsonfire]

@HfxTC

I want to see Edmonton play a couple more games. Ottawa's offensive line can't be a proper measuring stick.

No argument there.

[prairiedog72]

@mikem

…rent Ottawa team, different coaches, much stronger DefenseWhy didn’t they throw to Ellingson sooner? Ottawa DBs were covering everyone, he eventually got open a few times late.When you say “it’s only Ottawa” - well judging my the 8 teams that played, Ottawa has the best defense so far.The trick punt return should’ve counted and Ottawa would’ve had the big lead and no need for the last minute drama

I would not say that Ottawa has the best defense. Full credit for some very timely plays and passing gut check time BIG time, but over 400 yards allowed was about as ‘bend-but-don’t-break’ as it gets. It’s also the kind of performance that is too delicate to repeat consistently. Again full marks to Redblacks D for keeping that house of cards standing for the full 60 minutes, quite remarkable for sure, but it was still a house of cards.

On the other side of the field Edmonton’s D was total shut down. Now no one expected Ottawa with a nicked QB and a bunch of no-name rookies and a brand new playbook to light it up, but it is extremely difficult to hold even the worst CFL teams under 100 net offense. 5 sacks. 9 offensive points. Those are truly insane numbers.

And as mentioned above, Winnipeg’s total handing of an offensive power like Hamilton says tons. They shut them down for 55 minutes.

Those are clearly the top 2 defensive performances. Ottawa might rank 3rd but it would be a fairly distant 3rd.

[Enda-M]

Disappointing start to the Elks Era. Hopefully the Offence can improve over the coming weeks. One CFL Preview I saw on a Discussion Group had the Elks winning the Grey Cup - I hope they are right!