The Ottawa Redblacks are headed into their Week 8 bye, in search of answers as they sit dead last in the CFL at 1-6 to start the 2025 season.
Currently riding a 4 game losing streak, and likely without starting quarterback Dru Brown as he recovers from an apparent head injury suffered vs. Hamilton, the Redblacks faithful are beginning to grow restless with the team’s anemic play. Some have already begun to question whether a head coaching change is in the cards to try to turn things around.
However, despite the team’s poor play, GM Shawn Burke publicly backed his coach to reporters this week. “I know who Bob is as a leader. I know how he gets our team prepared,” said Burke in a radio interview Monday. “I think no one can question the effort of our team each and every week. There’s some things we’ve had to work on since the start of the year. We’ve trended in a better direction in terms of penalty totals and other outcomes.”
“And there’s other areas we have to get better. We have to be a better football club in the big moments when the game is on the line. We have to score on short fields, score touchdowns, knock in field goals and create big, explosive plays and prevent them. Bob leading the team gives a direction each and every week. He leads his staff and he’ll continue to be our leader.”
Ottawa is currently winless at home this year, a far cry from their 7-1 mark at TD Place in 2024. The team has also given up the most points in the league, allowing opponents to rack up 203 total points to date.
“We’ve dug ourselves a hole and it’s our jobs collectively, everyone rowing in the same direction, to get out of this,” Burke said. “I think the bye week came at an opportune time when you go through these types of stretches.”
“Sometimes getting away from each other is what you need. I think it gives a time for everyone to reflect as well. I know no one is going to work harder than our coaching staff to find what we’re doing right and wrong and try to correct it.”
Despite the public show of support, there’s likely some financial incentives to keep Dyce around. The club announced an extension for the head coach earlier this spring, locking him up through the 2026 season. And with the CFL’s antiquated rules around coaching salaries, Redblacks ownership isn’t exactly motivated to replace Dyce regardless of what the on field performance looks like.
Nevertheless, there remains a path to the playoffs for Ottawa given Toronto’s own struggles on the year if the club is able to turn things around coming out of their bye. The team will have a tough showdown with the league leading Calgary Stampeders on July 31st (though Ottawa has had their number of late, earning their only win of the year against the Western powerhouse). That will then be followed by a pivotal clash against the Argos on August 9th.
For now, the fanbase will wait and see what kind of changes Dyce & Co. put in place coming out of their bye week. But if things don’t begin to turn a corner, the calls for change in the Nation’s Capital will only grow louder as the season wares on.
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