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    Ottawa Redblacks Thread

    After last year's outstanding performance as a injury replacement, William Powell is looking to become Redblacks #1 RB.

    A year ago, the Ottawa Redblacks went into the season with Chevon Walker as their starting running back. By late August, Walker was gone, with Jeremiah Johnson getting the bulk of the carries. A foot injury to Johnson in early October opened the door for William Powell.
    And that’s where we stand four days into Redblacks training camp — with Powell solidly entrenched as the starter, looking to build off a good run where he showed flashes of being capable of being an elite player at his position.
    In 2015, he ran for 447 yards in seven games. The guy they call WiPo (pronounced WeePo) is ready to go and while he doesn’t really much get into talking about himself, he’s hoping this is a season where the offence hits new heights.

    “Everything’s moving along well,” the 28-year-old Powell said on Wednesday. “We’ve built that chemistry from last year going into this year and I feel we’re going to be that much stronger.”
    Can he lead the league in rushing?
    “That would be a compliment to our offensive line, that would be stating how good they are also,” Powell said. “I don’t like to dig deep into that. I like to come in no matter where I’m at with the mentality of working hard and getting better every day. I take it day to day and strive for greatness. “As an offence as a whole, we want to lead as many categories as we can. We have a very dynamic offence and I can be a major part in helping that excel and get to the next level.”
    http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...o-running-back

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    There have been changes in the Redblacks secondary, but the approach is the same.

    At the core of the 2015 Ottawa Redblacks, in their amazing run all the way to the Grey Cup game, was a talented group of defensive backs who were tagged DBlock by their coach, Ike Charlton.
    Guys like Jovon Johnson, Jerrell Gavins, Abdul Kanneh, Jermaine Robinson and Brandyn Thompson — with help from subs like Forrest Hightower, Brandon Sermons and Jeff Richards — became the soul of the team. At times, they chirped, they dared opponents to test them. But talking the talk is only good if you can walk the walk. And these guys were probably the best secondary in the CFL.
    Gone are Johnson (to Montreal) and Thompson (unsigned), but the DBlock mentality isn’t going anywhere — with a big tip of the cap to Charlton, who has a fierce passion for football and makes sure his guys represent with an edge, a swagger and a belief in themselves.
    “It starts with me, it goes from the top down,” said Charlton on Wednesday following his team’s practice at Carleton University. “I named them DBlock. It’s an attitude. When I played, I had the same mentality. I don’t care who you are, I’m going to dominate you. That’s what I try to instill. If you play scared and worry about not making the play, you’re going to get beat. We want to do things that other DBs refuse to do. We don’t want to give up more than 250 yards passing (in any game). If we do, it’s a failure. Even if we win 40-0 and we give up more than 250 yards, we’re upset about that.
    “Losing Deuce (Johnson), he’s an all-star for a reason, losing BT is huge, too. But you can see with the play of Forrest, there’s no dropoff. We just have to have the mentality that we’re the best.”
    It’s an all-for-one and one-for-all mentality and no matter who lines up in the secondary, it’s an instant buy-in. And, in a league where most defences prefer zone coverage, the Redblacks have the stones to go man-to-man coverage, daring opposing quarterbacks to throw at them.
    “Jovon was the oldest in our secondary and he was one of our leaders,” Kanneh said. “But everybody’s a leader in the secondary. It’s not just because he was the oldest, he was the No. 1 guy. Nah, we were all leaders, we feed off each other, we coach each other up. We started this as a group. Last year, it didn’t matter who jumped in or who jumped out — the secondary still had the same focus, the same mentality. Same thing this year, our focus is being the No. 1 secondary in the league. It doesn’t matter who jumps in, you just know if you jump in, you have to step up.”
    No question that the high-powered Ottawa offence was a key factor in a 12-6 regular season and a Grey Cup appearance a year ago. But the defence was as tough — mentally and physically — as they come.
    “Defence has been doing it since Year 1 here,” Charlton said. “We led the league, we were the best team in getting off the field on second down, giving our offence the ball. These guys take it on the chin, they take it personally.
    “I already told them that people are going to be gunning for them. We had three all-stars last year, my goal was to have five. I feel in my heart if Jermaine was healthy, he would have been an all-star in the East. If we stay healthy, we’re going to do some good things this year.
    “I like the attitude. Everybody’s competing. Everybody wants to be in the DBlock. In the CFL, the ball’s in the air. They run the ball what, 10, 12 times a game? There’s a lot of pressure for these guys to step up and play.”
    The defensive backs give Charlton a lot of credit for the way they attack the game.
    “One of the biggest leaders in our room is Coach Ike,” Gavins said. “He allows us to be adults, he doesn’t nitpick. Coach Campbell, too, he lets us be ourselves. You want to be comfortable, having fun and laughing. Even if I make a mistake, I don’t let it get to me.”
    http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...-same-attitude

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    Former Argo Brendan Gillanders is trying to establish himself as a presence in the Ottawa backfield but has some National competition.

    Running back Brendan Gillanders, acquired from the Toronto Argos as a free agent in February, has a chance to do what no Canadian has yet accomplished with the Redblacks — establish himself as a running threat out of the backfield.
    Head coach Rick Campbell believes it is doable. When he doesn’t play tailback, Gillanders, 25, will see time at fullback and on special teams. “I’m a big believer in him as a tailback,” Campbell said after Tuesday’s training camp session. “I think he’s the real deal. My best comparison of people I’ve been around in this league is Matt Walter, a kid who was No. 14 in Calgary (released by the Stampeders, Walter is now in Saskatchewan’s camp). “They have a lot of the same skill set — very fast, very strong, tough runners. I think definitely (Gillanders) could be capable of playing tailback. The good news on him is he can play fullback, too.”
    Barely used out of the backfield by the Argos the past two seasons (one carry, seven pass receptions), Gillanders is thrilled to be in Ottawa, where family and friends are quickly snapping up game tickets and Brendan’s No. 25 Redblacks jersey from local outlets.
    “It’s great to be home and it’s great to be on a championship calibre team,” says the former Gee-Gees captain.
    Of course, having his own personal cheering section is only part of the reason for this Orleans native to come home.
    “I’m a competitive guy and I thought there would be a little bit more opportunity to get involved on the offensive side of the ball here,” says Gillanders, 5-11 and close to 215 pounds. In the CIS, where he rushed for 768 yards and nine touchdowns in 2013, Gillanders played at 203 pounds.
    “Whatever role they have for me I’m going to embrace, whether it’s blocking out of the backfield, catching out of the backfield or getting a handoff as a true running back,” he says.
    Last fall, William Powell established himself as a go-to American tailback.
    At tailback, Gillanders would compete with Canadian Kienan Lafrance. At fullback, he could be paired with former Laval FB Patrick Lavoie, plucked from the Montreal Alouettes in the 2013 expansion draft.
    Lavoie, 28, is more than a little excited at having added Canadian strength in the backfield with the acquisition of Gillanders. “I don’t want to say something I’m going to regret, but I’m pretty sure we’re the best fullback duo in the league right now,” Lavoie says. “I think Brendan is a great athlete. He runs fast, he’s got good hands, runs good routes. He’s more a running back-slash-fullback, I’m more of a fullback-slash-tight end/receiver.”
    Would Lavoie like more carries? He’s had just one in two seasons, a lonely rush against the Tiger Cats in 2014. “Absolutely not,” Lavoie deadpans. “I’ve got one carry in this league and it was for minus-four. After that, I’m done.”
    http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...r-in-backfield

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    Burris's reworked contract raises questions for former Argo Trevor Harris.

    Remember that neat and tidy arrangement that had Henry Burris playing one last CFL season before stepping aside for the heir apparent, Trevor Harris, in 2017?
    Well, scrap that. Maybe. Or maybe not.
    Anything is possible now that we know Burris re-worked his contract some time ago to ensure he’s around in 2017. As if you hadn’t heard, 2017 is going to be a special year in Ottawa sport, CFL included, with Ottawa all but certain to be the host city for the Grey Cup game.
    “If there’s a chance of us getting the Grey Cup here for next year, I want to definitely be a part of this team and having a chance to win that. I mean what better way to close a career?” Burris said after Monday’s training camp session at TD Place.
    Blame it on the Super Bowl. Burris watched 39-year-old Peyton Manning hang on to win with the Denver Broncos in Manning’s last game and said, ‘I’ll have what he’s having.’
    Burris will be 41 on June 4 but is in supreme condition, and led the Redblacks to a surprise Grey Cup appearance in 2015, the Redblacks’ second season of operation. Entering his 21st professional season, Burris starts camp with a rookie’s energy and enthusiasm.
    In other words, same old Henry, although he’d really appreciate it if you dropped the “old” part of the equation.
    Harris, who turns 30 on Tuesday, was a significant acquisition for Ottawa on the first day of free agency in early February. In Toronto, Harris played behind another legendary CFL veteran, Ricky Ray. In a breakthrough season, Harris emerged as the starter for most of 2015 while Ray rehabilitated a shoulder injury before reclaiming his job in October.
    To the surprise of some, the Argos opted to go with Ray as their starter again in 2016, leaving Harris free to sign with the Redblacks. The transition from Henry to Trevor seemed about as perfect as a football handoff could be, at least in theory.
    “We wanted to secure a starting quarterback for 2017,” said Redblacks general manager Marcel Desjardins when he signed Harris on Feb. 9.
    Harris may yet be that 2017 starter, and he will be paid like one, but Burris has served notice he will be in the picture, too.
    The newest Ottawa quarterback doesn’t seem fazed by the idea of two more years of Henry, instead of one. He expected to be a backup this season, and that hasn’t changed. But surely he wouldn’t have signed here without an assurance he would get his chance to start in 2017.
    He is placing his faith in the organization, and his own talent.
    “The easiest way to not have a quarterback controversy is you don’t have one,” Harris says. “They’ve done that so far this year and I’m sure they will next year. They will have a plan.
    “Whatever the plan is moving forward, we’ll go with that. I’m just going to focus on being the best leader I can possibly be.”
    Head coach Rick Campbell suddenly has an embarrassment of riches at the most important position. Behind Burris and Harris are two other interesting quarterbacks in Brock Jensen and Danny O’Brien. So far, so co-operative, Campbell says.
    “All cards were on the table,” Campbell said, when asked about keeping his quarterbacks content. “There were no surprises, anything like that. Everyone knew the situation they were getting into. They’ve been nothing but great so far, supporting each other and supporting the team.”
    A lot can happen between this year and next to put the quarterback conundrum in a different light. And if the worst that happens is that two strong-armed CFL veterans are going head to head next June, that’s not so bad. Tricky transitions of power are common in sports, business and royal families.
    http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...-redblacks-yet

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    HC Rick Campbell is going to have a game-like scrimmage Sunday to take into account they are the last team to play a pre-season game.


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    Greg Ellingson talks about his role as a veteran in Redbrick TC:


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    Day 6 of Redblacks TC:


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    Comments from Alex Pierzchalski on Day 7 of Redblacks TC:


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    Special Teams Coordinator Bob Dyce, Offensive Coordinator Jaime Elizondo, and Defensive Coordinator Mark Nelson discuss the energy, progression, and competition at Redblacks TC.

    http://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2016/06/03/redblacks-coaches-talk-tc16/


    Last edited by jerrym; 06-05-2016 at 09:37 PM.

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    Redblack's rookie DB in TC Dior Mathis is another football player for whom football was his salvation.

    Football was always the saviour, the place Mathis turned to for answers. ...
    Sure enough, the Hurricanes offered the high schooler a scholarship. He wanted to snap it up and be a Hurricane, but coaches were fired, things changed and he decided to look around, visit other schools. And he became a Duck.
    “(Oregon) blew my mind,” said Mathis. “I was going to be able to run track as well. I knew that was the place for me.”
    It wasn’t smooth sailing at first as he looked to find his place in the Ducks’ lineup. It was gut-check time, a character builder.
    “I was 17, a real Detroit kid. I’m a city guy,” said Mathis. “I wasn’t used to being so far away from family and friends. I had some growing up to do. I had to find myself and evaluate if football was really what I had a passion for doing. Once I found out, everything worked out.”
    Now the kid is trying to earn a living playing professional football. While he’s 5-foot-9, he can flat out run: he clocked an unofficial 4.2-second 40 a couple of years ago.
    The Redblacks called him a few times before he agreed to come to Ottawa. Mathis was holding out hope for an NFL opportunity, but agreed to join the Redblacks a couple of weeks ago. Before getting on his flight, he learned as much as he could about the nation’s capital.
    “Before and after I signed, I was probably on Google maybe like 10 times a day learning stuff about Ottawa, stuff about the team, stuff about Canada period,” he said. “Before I came here, I’d never been to Canada.”
    Now that he’s here, he’s hoping to join a defensive unit that’s among the best in the CFL.
    “I’m just coming every single day, giving it my all,” he said. “Whether I do good or bad, I try to take something at practice and try to get better the next day.”
    http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...-the-redblacks

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    Juron Criner brings NFL experience to Redblacks TC in hopes that it will help him make the team.

    A fifth-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2012, he lasted two years there — catching 16 passes for 151 yards in his rookie season. Then, after being released by the Raiders, he spent 11 months on the practice roster of the New York Giants, who cut him loose last September following training camp.
    Criner is in training camp with the Ottawa Redblacks. He doesn’t look back at his NFL experience bitterly. It’s just something he’s looking to build on, hopeful he gets a chance to play football in Canada’s capital city.
    Determined after being let go by the Giants, he worked out and waited. The Redblacks came calling and signed Criner in mid-April. ... “You just stay on top of your game, stay in the best shape you can and be ready when the opportunity comes,” he said. ...
    “He catches the ball, I know that,” Redblacks coach Rick Campbell said. “It seems like every time the ball is thrown his way, he makes catches. And, most importantly, he makes contested catches, not just the routine catches. When a guy is right next to him, he makes difficult catches. I’m excited to see him play in live action because he’s shown well so far.”
    http://www.ottawasun.com/2016/06/02/...redblacks-camp

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    SOME SIMILARITIES, SOME WRINKLES FOR REDBLACKS’ OFFENCE
    http://www.cfl.ca/2016/06/07/similar...lacks-offence/

    Danny O’Brien, Brock Jensen battling for No. 3 QB spot with Redblacks
    http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...with-redblacks

    ROGERS, CAMPBELL AND BURRIS ON FIRST INTRA-SQUAD SCRIMMAGE OF TC16
    http://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2016/...uad-scrimmage/

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    Redblacks players have high praise for their Offensive Coordinator, former Argo coach Jamie Elizondo.

    http://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2016/...-for-elizondo/

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    Newcomer DL O J Mau is having a quick baptism of fire into the CFL.

    Defensive tackle O.J. Mau, one of three newcomers at practise with the Redblacks for the first time Wednesday, used to teach the Haka to teammates at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina. He also used to play cricket, describing himself as quite the bowler, and he expressed immediate interest in checking out some of the action in Canada’s capital.
    First, though, Mau has to concentrate on earning a roster spot with the Redblacks, who announced the signing of the 6-foot-1, 310-pound lineman and two others before beginning the 10th day of on-field training camp workouts. Also joining the team heading into its third CFL season were defensive lineman Taylor Sheridan (Montana State) and running back Travis Greene (Bowling Green).
    “I had never heard of Ottawa, I had never been in Canada before. This is my first time,” said Mau, who accepted the Redblacks’ contract offer after being released by the National Football League’s Baltimore Ravens. “I was like, ‘I’ll take it.’” ...
    Now he’s just a CFL rookie trying to earn a spot with a team that has 15 defensive linemen in training camp and space for little more than half that number on the regular-season roster. Plus, like Sheridan and Greene, he’s behind those who have had an additional nine days in camp plus, in some cases, a three-day mini-camp in April.
    “It is easier for me to catch up (as a defensive lineman), but right now I’m still in the learning process, still trying to learn the basic stuff, the fundamental stuff, the plays,” Mau said. “I have to learn the plays. I got here (Tuesday) and they threw me right in. It’s hard for me, trying to catch up on the plays.”
    Redblacks defensive-line coach Leroy Blugh said one practice was not enough to assess the newcomers, “but hopefully we’ll see some flashes that they’re getting the basic, fundamental understanding of what we’re doing on defence, our basic fronts, and the most important thing, I guess, is to see them get better until they are here long enough where they should be performing at a high level.”
    Head coach Rick Campbell said it was important to get newcomers such as Mau into camp now in part because of the Redblacks’ compressed schedule: Ottawa is the last CFL team to play its first pre-season game, at home against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Monday night, and there’s likely to be just one more full practice before the second matchup four days later at Hamilton against the Tiger-Cats.
    http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...opeful-o-j-mau

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    OL Matt Albright and Jake Silas are seeing regular action at guard and tackle, despite being rookies.

    There have been a few constants at TC, such as the regular duty for guard Matt Albright and tackle Jake Silas with the rest of what would normally be considered the Redblacks’ first-team offensive unit.
    “I’m just doing my best to compete and come out here and let the chips fall where they may,” Silas, a 24-year-old Michigan native, said following Thursday’s on-field session at TD Place stadium. “That’s all up to the coaches. I’m just trying to show that I deserve to be here and that I can play.”
    Silas spent last season on the Redblacks practice roster. Albright, a 24-year-old Nova Scotian plucked from the B.C. Lions in the 2013 expansion draft, was on the 46-man active roster in 2015, but was usually one of the two athletes designated an inactive an hour before kickoff.
    “Last year was my contract year and Ottawa reached out to me and wanted to re-sign me,” Albright said. “Obviously I re-signed; I’m here again. So I kind of took that as maybe I’ll have an opportunity to advance. I took this off-season to get bigger, stronger, faster.
    “So far in training camp, they’re mixing guys in and out, so, really, I’m just trying to use it as an opportunity to compete and show what I have and see where it goes from there.”
    Right tackle became a vacancy for the Redblacks after Colin Kelly played out his contract and signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. There are other candidates, of course, including former Lion Tommie Draheim and Nolan MacMillan, a first-round CFL college draft pick in 2013 and initially the starter at tackle a year later before shifting to the nearby guard spot.
    http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...string-offence

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    HC Rick Campbell says the rookies are ready for game action at this point in TC.


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    The life of backup CFL player, Forrest Hightower in the offseason - Uber driver - symbolizes the working class nature of the CFL.

    Forrest Hightower got behind the wheel of a 2015 Dodge Charger in the off-season, looking to earn a bit of extra income as an Uber driver back home in San Jose.
    It certainly didn’t take away from his focus on making himself a better football player. As a guy who has sniffed out a job opening and put his nose to the grindstone to ensure he takes advantage of the opportunity, Hightower has hit the ground running in the Ottawa Redblacks’ training camp.
    A 24-year-old defensive back who subbed in when necessary in 2015, Hightower has been drawing praise from coaches.
    “He’s come here as a man on a mission,” said Redblacks coach Rick Campbell on Friday. “He wants to earn a starting job. He’s really worked hard. He was a good player for us last year, he was fighting to get on the roster. He’s physically ready to go and mentally you can tell he’s completely into it.”
    Hightower says he came into camp believing he needed to improve.
    “I didn’t think I was comfortable all the way last year,” he said. “Now I’ve gotten a feel for the game, I’ve played in some games. I can cut loose a bit. For me, it was more getting an understanding of the game. I came straight out of college — this was different, the field was bigger and there were different rules. It was a learning process, I had to adjust. Now, I have that aspect down so I can focus on myself and my ability to play.
    “Things are starting to slow down for me. I still have a lot of work to do. I watch a lot of film on myself. I talk a lot with the older guys. (Teammate) Jerrell (Gavins) helps me a lot. We’re roommates right now and we look over film together.”

    While he was home, Hightower did extensive 1-on-1 training, while also picking the brain of former Redblacks defensive back Brandyn Thompson, who doesn’t live far away.
    More feedback comes from his teammates — there’s a good bond within Ottawa’s defensive backs, who were tagged as DBlock by their coach, Ike Charlton.
    “We’re pretty tight,” said Hightower. “We eat together, we go to meetings early together, we discuss plays in the locker room and on the sidelines. We have a great bond.”
    As for his off-season Uber experience, which he began doing in late December, Hightower said: “It was pretty cool. I needed the flexible hours. If I had to go to a job that was eight hours a day, I knew I’d be tired. I had to make sure that football came first.”
    http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...-for-redblacks


    Last edited by jerrym; 06-11-2016 at 04:20 PM.

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