The Stamps defensive line was not satisfied with their performance in Week 1 against the Ottawa RedBlacks.

Although the men in the trenches battled hard all game and put pressure on opposing QB Trevor Harris, there is a number of things they’d like to clean up before the rematch on Thursday.

“We gave up a lot of run yards, so we’re not too happy about that,” said defensive lineman Bryan Hall. “We definitely want to tighten that up. We played solid, but there’s a lot of improvements to make, nothing to hang our hats on.”

The Stamps allowed 116 rushing yards, which is a far cry from last year’s 72.4 yards per game.

Defensive line coach Corey Mace agreed with Hall’s assessment and expects his team to come back with a bang in Week 2.

“There’s a couple things that we need to focus on,” said Mace. “Starting the game, I think that Ottawa did a good job coming out and being physical. They bullied us around a little bit. The guys noticed and it’s on film so that will be a point of emphasis.

“We need to be the hammer, not the nail.”

With names like Charleston ‘The Sackmaster’ Hughes and Micah Johnson joining Hall on the defensive line, it’s not often the Stamps are held without a sack. Last season, the unit was led by Hughes, who finished first in the CFL with 16 sacks.

They know that with the skill they possess, it’s just a matter of time before the sacks come if they continue to work hard.

Bryan Hall during the 2017 season-opener in Ottawa (Photo by Scott Grant)

“We just have to keep going,” said Hall. “He was getting the ball out extremely fast. That can deter a defensive line from coming off, but I thought we did a good job of pressing the gap all game. We know those sacks are going to come, we know the hits will come, we’re going to keep pressuring him and we’re just going to do our job.”

But while sacks are exciting and can be game-changing plays, they know they need to contribute in all aspects for the defence to be successful.

“We’ve got to do a good job stopping the run and stopping their quick game,” Mace said. 
“Whether we’re knocking down passes or we’re helping rally to the run, then it allows us to pin our ears back. Of course, score dictates, our offence has the ability to put up some points. So we’ve got to do our job as a whole defence and then if we get a nice little lead, we’ll be able to pin our ears back.

“We’ve got to have pride and play the full game. It’s not always about sacks. It’s about playing the run, running to the ball in the quicks and getting our hands on some balls to disrupt the passer.”
Mace is preaching a physical mentality heading into Thursday night’s rematch.

The former Stamps player wants his line to come back with a vengeance and torment the RedBlacks offensive line and quarterback.

“We want to walk away knowing that we were the bully,” stated Mace.

“This is a physical sport and we’ve got to be felt out there.”