LaPolice: Redblacks need to ‘figure out’ the best choice at quarterback

After a tough Week 7 loss that saw the Ottawa Redblacks fall to 0-6, head coach Paul LaPolice is looking at all options to get the team back into the win column.

Quarterback Caleb Evans, making his second start for the injured Jeremiah Masoli, led the Redblacks on a would-be game-tying drive, but his perfect pass was dropped in the endzone by receiver Darvin Adams, allowing the Montreal Alouettes to escape with a 40-33 win.

Evans completed 25-of-40 passes for 297 yards and one touchdown while adding 52 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Despite the loss, LaPolice was happy with the 24-year-old’s performance.

“We moved the ball well. I thought Caleb was able to do a good job putting the ball in the receiver's hands and using his legs at times. It’s unfortunate we had a couple of missteps in the redzone and a couple of drops in scoring position,” said LaPolice on TSN 1200. “He put us in a position to win the game at the end. There are a lot of things he has to get better at, but that was a good game for him.”

Newly-acquired quarterback Nick Arbuckle got his first reps in a Redblacks’ uniform on Thursday, completing one pass for 47 yards. LaPolice said the 28-year-old will continue to work out of short-yardage packages as he gets acclimated in the offence. 

“As Nick gets more comfortable and learns more he’ll continue to get more reps than he did last week,” said LaPolice. “As I told Caleb a couple of weeks ago ‘Get in there and use your opportunities to make plays. Make sure you control the depth chart’.

“Nick will continue in the short-yardage package. He might continue for a play or two after the short yardage but we always have to have an understanding that we need two guys in this league.”

Evans has shown flashes of starter-level play over his short career, including in Thursday’s loss. However, LaPolice says that being consistent is the key to being a starter in the CFL and Evans still needs to work on his ability to perform on a weekly basis as the team evaluates how to turn around its poor season. 

“Caleb did a good job but we’re also trying to figure out what the best choice is for us to stay on the field and score touchdowns. [Being a starter] is a week-to-week thing. I think it’s been 11 or 12 games and we haven’t won a lot of those games but I don’t want to put that all on him,” said LaPolice.

“I was really proud of him at the end of the game. There’s really good growth in Caleb but it’s a week-to-week thing. If you want to be a starter in this league you have to do that week after week and that’s what he has to continue to work on.”

A showdown with the Eastern Division-leading Toronto Argonauts is scheduled for Week 8 and LaPolice says the team needs to respond after suffering back-to-back last-second losses.

“It’s a four-point game against an Eastern opponent and we have to respond after two last-second losses and put ourselves in a position to get two points and keep pace with the East.”