Ottawa Redblacks not shocked by 2-0 start, which matches entire 2014 win total

Henry Burris, who can be as smooth with a simile as he is with a seam route, was quick to play down the obvious narrative about the Ottawa Redblacks.

Of course, no one this side of a monastery probably has the willpower to resist pointing out that Redblacks, out of the chute at 2-0 following Saturday's 27-16 home-opener win over the B.C. Lions, have already matched their 2014 Year 1 win total. Last year was last year, though, and that 2-16 finish did obscure that Ottawa was perpetually a play or two away last season.

"We don't remember last year," Burris said.. "Do we care? No. Let's let bygones be bygones. Last year we were pickles, cucumbers and olives from other teams. Now we're all Redblacks. We're making plays and our confidence is sky-high."

"We know we have that big-play potential now," the quarterback said after a night where the pertinent stat was his passing line, 23-of-29 for 296 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, instead of his age — 40. "As long as we have that, guys are going to go the extra mile."

It's chancy to make much of wins over the Lions (0-1) and Montreal Alouettes (1-1), each of which were forecast for mediocre years. Ottawa, though, has marched the ball steadily through two weeks and its defence has yet to allow a fourth-quarter point. Prized signing Chris Williams also took a punt 89 yards to the house in the first half to the delight of 24,376 fans, only to have the play cancelled by a penalty. Williams (four catches, 82 yards) did haul in a 38-yarder to set up the sealing touchdown.

It is also early yet, and between now and next week's visit to Edmonton, some hot taker will probably mention that the third-year 2004 Renegades opened 3-0 and missed the playoffs. That being said, though, a group that can look around its locker room and sees a rejuvenated runner in Chevon Walker (24 rushes, 103 yards on Saturday) and proven pass-catchers such as Williams, Greg Ellingson, Ernest Jackson, Maurice (Mo) Price and  Brad Sinopoli is more apt to get over the gumption traps.

"In pro sports most games are going to be close and you have to find a way," said head coach Rick Campbell, whom many thought might be on the hotseat if Ottawa didn't bank multiple wins in the first five or six weeks. "We talked at halftime about how belief is a big thing.

"Last year there was a good core group of guys here," Campbell added, "The team had a good heartbeat and they were a good group to build around. Now we have a few more weapons and we're able to make plays and that's the difference between winning and losing. People buy in when they see that."

Burris, with new left tackle SirVincent Rogers protecting his blind side, had time to make plays with both his arm and fleet feet and was only sacked twice against one of the CFL's best force units. On the other side of the ball, the Redblacks twice forced the Lions to settle for short field goals after being in goal-to-go situations. National D-lineman Zack Evans' stuff of Lions feature back Andrew Harris on a third-and-1 dive out of the shotgun with 2:57 left pretty much sealed the outcome.

Thursday's tilt against Edmonton will be a tall order for Ottawa. The Eskimos have had a bye week to break in new starting QB Matt Nichols after Mike Reilly was injured against Toronto on June 27. The Redblacks will get just two full practice days before winging west on Wednesday. The big takeaway from this win, though, is Ottawa is turning a corner when it comes to being tough at home. A big little play was B.C. getting a presnap penalty on an early drive that backed it up from Ottawa's four to the nine. Ottawa ended up forcing a field goal.

"For the new free agents to be on this side and the rookies, they were looking around in awe looking at everyone crowding into the stadium," Burris said. "For them it felt like a college football environment back in the States. We fed off of that.

"The crowd made it hard for B.C. to communicate in some critical situations, which is what this city is all about."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @naitSAYger.