HAMILTON - The climate within the Ottawa Renegades' football operations department has been just as catty as last night's opponents.

On two occasions this week, head coach and director of football operations Joe Paopao took veiled shots at general manager Eric Tillman regarding the quality of the CFL club's receiving corps.

Earlier this week, Paopao said super rookie Jason Armstead was "the only" receiver from the crew signed last year that "panned out."

He went further Thursday, saying the club couldn't afford to lose D.J. Flick to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who signed as free agent last winter.

"Free agency hasn't helped us," said Paopao, who nonetheless signed off on the decision to let Flick walk. "We lost a guy we couldn't afford to lose."

That wasn't the opinion in training camp when Paopao was calling the Renegades' pass-catchers the best group he had coached in three years with Ottawa.

Nonetheless, the coach suggested it was a mistake not to match Hamilton's generous offer of about $85,000 annually.

"(Flick) was one of the main reasons we did well last year," Paopao said of the speedster's team-leading totals of 60 catches, 917 yards and seven touchdowns. "He was one of our steady performers and our vertical threat. We offered to almost double his salary, but it wasn't enough."

Paopao said what is missed most is Flick's production in close games, where he excelled. Again this year, too few Renegades receivers have authored big plays, continuing a three-year trend in that category that shows up dramatically in tight games.

Tillman, who recruited and signed Flick and Armstead, was caught flat-footed by Paopao's statements, and leaped to his own defence about not recruiting enough quality receivers to Ottawa.

"In fairness, I don't know the context of the question, or the response, but I would strongly disagree with that assessment," Tillman said.

"And it certainly does not correlate with what Joe has said privately about this group of receivers.

"On more than one occasion in camp, the statement was that this group had the potential to be 'scary good,' given the big-play capabilities of Pat Woodcock, Demetris Bendross, Jason and (the released) Aaron Lockett, as well as the steadiness of guys like Yo Murphy and Sherrod Gideon. Every member of the offensive staff has given Curtis Jackson rave reviews. My sense is it was a statement of frustration about losing D.J."

As for Flick, he is a leading candidate for a second straight East Division all-star honour, though it is a weak crop of wide receivers.

He said Thursday that he had not understood why the Renegades went shopping for a No. 1 target in the offseason in the form of Woodcock, and that he suspected he would lose time to Armstead.

"In Ottawa, I just didn't feel comfortable. I felt like I had the tools to be an impact receiver and I didn't feel the opportunity was there," Flick said. "My future wasn't clear. Maybe I got greedy going into just my third year, but that's how I felt.

"I have no regrets at all. I'm having the time of my life in Hamilton."

Flick, who had 55 catches for 962 yards and seven touchdown heading into last night's game, was moved from the seldom-used "field receiver," who aligns to the wide side, to the short-side receiver about one-third of the way through the season.

Since, he has flashed the "superstar" potential that Paopao said he possessed.

"In the last half of the season, he has gone from good, solid and hard-working to one of the top receivers in the league," Hamilton head coach Greg Marshall said of Flick.