Ottawa Redblacks receiver Justin Hardy puts up big numbers

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Very quietly, Justin Hardy has become one of the CFL’s elite receivers.

There’s an emphasis on quietly: The 32-year-old pass catcher, in his third season with the Ottawa Redblacks, doesn’t make a lot of noise about his success. He’s humble, works hard and, for him, it’s always team first.

And, he’s good … really good … on the football field.

With 804 receiving yards 10 games into the CFL season, Hardy is on pace to break a Redblacks record for most receiving yards in a season, which currently is held by Greg Ellingson, who had 1,459 yards in 2017.

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For Hardy, it’s ‘don’t talk about it, just go out and do it.’

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“He’s a great person, he’s very humble,” Redblacks receivers coach Travis Moore said. “He doesn’t say very much, he’ll smile once in a while.

“Not only do I coach him, I look at him like one of my children, my son. I truly love the kid.”

In the next 2-3 weeks, Hardy could blow past the 1,009 yards in catches he put up a year ago.

Hardy thirsts for more. His goal every season is to improve on what he did before. So far, he has accomplished that as a Redblack.

“No matter what those numbers (from the year before) are, that’s the standard,” Hardy said. “There’s always room to get better … every day, every game.”

It’s not like Hardy is a late bloomer, there are a few NFL seasons on his resume. Back in 2015, he was a fourth-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons. He stuck around with the Falcons until 2019, putting 95 catches for 946 yards and nine touchdowns on the stats sheet.

After not playing in football in 2020, he got another NFL look with the Chicago Bears in 2021.

Leading into that, he made an impact in college football. After starting as a walk-on at East Carolina University, Hardy went on to play in 49 games. He finished his NCAA career with 387 receptions for 4,541 yards, averaging 11.7 yards per catch, with 35 touchdowns.

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In 2022, he decided to come north.

“He’s a pro, he comes to work every day. He studies film,” Moore said. “He was in the NFL for six years and he was actually playing. The younger guys here watch and learn from him. It’s easy to talk receiver play with him. If the other guys don’t understand what I’m talking about, sometimes I can see him talking to them, ‘Hey, this is what he’s looking for.’

“Justin Hardy is somebody you can hang your hat on. He’ll never give you a ‘no.’ And, he’s really a team guy. Of course, every receiver wants the ball. But you’ll never hear him saying anything. When his time comes, when he gets a chance to make a play, he makes the play.”

While last year was disappointing — the Redblacks won just four games — 2024 has been a big turnaround. Ottawa has a 7-2-1 record and is undefeated in its past six games. Up next is a Saturday away game against the B.C. Lions.

“We’re confident,” Hardy said. “Last year, we didn’t win a lot of games. This year, we’re winning close games, games we would have lost (in 2023).

“The confidence to finish games and win, that’s given us the energy and vibe we need. It’s a great vibe right now. Since Day 1 of training camp, we knew we could be special.

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“The arrow is still pointing up for this team.”

RECEIVERS STEPPING IN

Ottawa’s receiving corps took a big hit with injuries to Jaelon Acklin (concussion protocol) and Bralon Addison (hand). Replacing them Saturday will be Andre Miller and Eli Stove. Asked about the CFL rookies, Moore said: “These are two guys from training camp we knew we wanted to keep around. Eli got to play a bit more in the pre-season. He’s explosive, he’s got good hands. We’ll see what he does in a game. Dre, I call him Big Man. He got hurt in the first pre-season game, but he was really pushing to be active from the beginning. Now, he has a chance to shine. It’s a next-man up mentality. They’ve both been out here working hard and they have an opportunity to put something together.”

THE END AROUND

The Redblacks have signed receiver Maurice Ffrench, who spent time on the team’s practice squad in 2023. Before that, Ffrench played four games with the Edmonton Elks, making 15 catches for 190 yards, with a touchdown. He has also spent time with the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs following a college career at Pittsburgh, where he had 1,637 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns … An independent arbitrator has upheld the CFL’s indefinite suspension of Montreal Alouettes defensive lineman Shawn Lemon, a former Redblack, for wagering on CFL games, including one in which he played. The league suspended Lemon in April for wagering on CFL games in 2021 when he was a member of the Calgary Stampeders … Look for defensive lineman Mathieu Betts, released Tuesday by the Detroit Lions, to land back in the CFL sometime this week. Can B.C. or Montreal find enough money to sign him?

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