RedBlacks need better Harris, more pass rush vs. Argonauts

Trevor Harris can't fix missed opportunities, but the quarterback and the Ottawa RedBlacks are at the point where imprecision can come off like it is irreversible.

Flaws in technique or mechanics can be identified and repaired through practice reps. A team only gets one true test each week, though. For the RedBlacks and their QB, having three missed connections during their road loss against Grey Cup favourite Calgary last week was a microcosm of the past two months. All told, Ottawa has lost five of seven games.

No one should try to predict how the season will shake out for the RedBlacks (5-5-1), who host the Toronto Argonauts (5-7) on Friday. The CFL changes on a weekly basis. They have a tough finishing schedule that includes a long road trip to face the potent BC Lions, as well as home-and-away sets against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and resurgent Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

"It's everything, it's everybody - I've obviously got to be better,” Harris said on Tuesday. "I'm a professional quarterback and I expect greatness out of myself. You'll see an improved guy and an improved offence this week.

"There is a reason they say quarterback is the toughest job in the world. You have guys barrelling down on you and you have to make the tough throws. The ones I missed are ones I expect to make 100 times out of 100. Ones you miss get magnified and the ones you make, they say you should make them. That's the way it goes. You just have to stay focused on your group in the locker room and make sure you're doing your best for your teammates in each game.”

Ottawa started flat against Calgary. The self-assured response that strong teams produce - case in point: Calgary's habit of avoiding fourth-quarter mistakes, week after week - never materialized.

Harris is averaging 10.6 yards per pass and has a 13-to-2 touchdown/interception ratio. The more pertinent stats, though, are that Ottawa is 1-3-1 at home and sixth in scoring at 25.9 points per game.

"If you watch a video and watch me after a play, you'll see how frustrated I was (against Calgary)," Harris said. "I hit the ground a few times. I have to better keep my composure in those situations."

Ottawa also had only one sack against Stampeders QB Bo Levi Mitchell. Interim Argonauts QB Dan LeFevour is a scrambler with the strength to break tackles. Ottawa needs more disruptive plays from its front four. To that end, defensive ends Arnaud Gascon-Nadon (ankle) and Aston Whiteside (knee) were practicing on Tuesday. Neither has seen action since July.

"The guys we have been playing at D-end are natural D-tackles," Ottawa coach Rick Campbell said. "We've been lacking a speed pass-rusher off the edge. We're looking to mix in more natural D-ends with the tackles."

Whiteside had seven sacks in five games last season before tearing an ACL. The 27-year-old played in the first six games this season before opting to get more rest for the surgically repaired left knee.

"It was a good idea for the coaches to wait until I could get my knee a little stronger," Whiteside said. "It's been almost a full year since my surgery - it was last September 29. I have a lot more flexibility now.

"Just because I want to get out there, in my mind, doesn't mean the knee wants me to get out there. Just waiting on my turn was probably the hardest thing."

Gascon-Nadon had three sacks in five games before injuring his ankle after returning a squib kickoff on July 22. Like Whiteside, his return was gauged on feeling fully fueled.

"We're probably going to try use this game as a starting point for the rest of the year," the 28-year-old Montrealer said. "Every player will tell you that when they play the best is when they don't think, they just go, they just run. If you think about injury, if you think about it in the back of your head, you're likely not playing as fast as you can. You let your body heal correctly, and then can you go."

The 48-23 scoreline in Calgary was accurate, although Ottawa briefly drew within eight points early in the final quarter. A complete 60-minute effort - fewer points left on the field, more stops on defence - is proving elusive.

"We showed that we can do some stuff," Campbell said. "We know we are not a finished product."

The Toronto-Ottawa victor will claim the season series and gain a tiebreaker. Ottawa has also won its head-to-head matchup against the Edmonton Eskimos (5-7), whose best shot at making the playoffs will likely be as a cross-over team.