Redblacks 'locked in' for massive Friday matchup vs. Tiger-Cats

The Ottawa Redblacks play their biggest game of the season when they take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night.

Ottawa (3-8) is a game back of Hamilton (4-7) for third place in the East Division and the Week 14 game is the last regular-season matchup between the two teams.

The Tiger-Cats defeated the Redblacks in their two previous matchups this season to take the playoff tie-breaker, which only increases the significance of Friday's matchup.

"We know the importance of this game. It's an Eastern team that's one game ahead of us," Redblacks head coach Bob Dyce told TSN1200 on Tuesday. "They do have the tie-breaker, so we have to seize the opportunity in front of us. We also know it'll be us, not them, who dictate our success, so we just have to be locked in and focused on us."

The Redblacks are coming off a bye week, where Dyce and his coaching staff had time to self-scout his own team and really break down the things they do well and the things they don't. Prior to the bye week, the Redblacks were on a five-game losing streak, including a 30-20 loss to the last-place Edmonton Elks on Aug. 27.

The Redblacks are coming off a bye week, where Dyce and his coaching staff had time to self-scout and break down the team’s recent performance. Prior to the bye, the Redblacks were on a five-game losing streak, including a 30-20 loss to the last-place Edmonton Elks on Aug. 27.

Dyce said the extra time also gave the coaching staff an opportunity to take a deeper look at themselves and how they can communicate better with their players.

"The biggest goal for us is to make sure we put the players in a position where they can be successful," said Dyce. "You come in and sometimes we have great ideas, but we got to make sure it's something everyone is able to do. Something I may see as simple may not be so simple to them. I don't take it as a personal thing where they have to do it my way, I have to make sure they're able to do it and if they're not, then I have to change things."

"It can't be about my ego."

Ottawa's bye week also allowed the players a chance to heal some of the bumps and bruises they've accumulated throughout the season. It also gave players on the injured list an extra week to get healthy for the stretch drive.

Two of the players Ottawa is looking forward to having back in the near future are safety Justin Howell and linebacker Frankie Griffin.

Howell, 29, is on the six-game injured list with a head injury and has 19 defensive tackles in six games this season. The 5-foot-10 safety had recently come off a three-game stint on the injury list due to a hamstring injury.

Griffin, 27, is on the one-game injured list with a concussion. He has 39 defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, and one interception in seven games this season.

"If you look at the number [Griffin] put up, he was one of the top tacklers in the league before he was injured," said Dyce. "[Howell] has such great experience in his team here and he's a great with the communication in the secondary. So we're really happy to have those guys back and up"

While Dyce wouldn't confirm that Howell and Griffin would be back for Friday's game, he did say he expects some change to the lineup.

"I wish I could give a 100 per cent answer on that but I can't," said Dyce. "Whether it's change or people moving to different spots, I think there will be some change in that regard."