Heading into their next game against the Edmonton Elks this Tuesday, many were wondering just what the future held for the Ottawa Redblacks. Just who (which QB) was going to start the next game? Especially after the disaster that was last Wednesday’s game against the Tiger Cats.

And with Dominique Davis and Matt Nichols out with injuries due to the aforementioned game with the Ti-Cats, the mystery grew that much more in scope after the 24-7 loss.

According to the Toronto Sun, Devlin “Duck” Hodges practiced with the team on Saturday and many had speculated that he would be starting come Tuesday in the game with the Elks, but according to the same article, that will not actually be the case.

Hodges played for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 and was only recently signed by Ottawa. Of Hodges and the expectations by the fans for him to play in Tuesday’s game, head coach, Paul LaPolice said:

“…People need to lower their expectations…He’s just a guy we signed, like other guys we’ve signed. Every year there are tons of quarterbacks who come up…We’re not asking him to be our savior; we’re not asking him to do anything besides learn our system, and everything will go from there. Sometimes you raise expectations too much. We don’t want to do that. I get he’s had a couple of starts in the NFL, but there are a lot of guys on this field who have had a couple of starts in the NFL…It takes 2-3 weeks to learn the systems. The nice thing about quarantine: All the playbooks are on video. It’s almost like they’re sitting in a meeting room…”

via Toronto Sun

Another name that has been thrown out there is Caleb Evans, who played his college ball with the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks.

And yet even another name has been thrown out into the stratosphere of CFL news, only worsening the mounting confusion in just who will start for the Ottawa Redblacks come this Tuesday.

That third name is none other than Taryn Christion, who played his college ball in South Dakota State, and also had a turn in the NFL…a stint with the Steelers.

And it would seem as though they’re leaving it to the last possible minute—the Redblacks are. They reportedly want to see how the next practice will go (as of this writing, it was to occur on Sunday), again only adding to the aforementioned conundrum. Of the last-minute decisions, LaPolice said:

“…We’ll see where it is as we get closer to Game Day, even though Game Day is pretty close…Thinking about this, the different scenario for me is they don’t even get a pre-season game…Chris Streveler (formerly of the Bombers) started as a true rookie, but he at least played two pre-season games. These guys have gone through camp without a pre-season game. They both have the ability to use their legs, if they need to. They’ve located the ball well. They’ve made some plays during camp. They’re pretty good in the meeting rooms. All of that is what’s kept them around. Now we just have to let them recognize full-speed stuff … That’s a different world…”

via Toronto Sun

A different world indeed, but what a world it is without a definitive answer moving forward…for the team and for the fans. Confusion and chaos can confuse the other team, yes, but in the end, it can also mean disaster for the one who can’t seem to make  decision out of fear of another loss. Some would say, sometimes, you’ve got to take a chance.

NEXT: Redblacks Situation Grows Dire after 5th Straight Loss—What Went Wrong?

“Peace of the sort that brings wholeness, harmony, and health to our lives only happens when chaos, confusion, and conflict are included and transcended.”

via Harrison Owen