Ottawa Redblacks Thread

[jerrym]

Two more draft picks have signed with Ottawa: second rounder LB Basambombo who had 31. 5 tackles and 2 interceptions with Laval in 2018; and fourth rounder OL Jakub Szott, who a 6'5" 314lb OL with a reputation for being nasty while at McMaster.

[jerrym]

GM Marcel Desjardins' strategy in filling out the roster was predictable: signing 36 of 46 veterans, getting a veteran QB after the 2019 disaster at that position, adding to his Canadian depth to create more roster flexibility and adding more veterans on defence.

Leading up to free agency, the Redblacks had retained 36 of their 46 pending free agents, clearly choosing to believe in the team largely assembled last off-season. In a free agency preview, I predicted Ottawa would bolster its national depth and perhaps add a veteran presence on defence, which is exactly what the team did.

Canadian defensive lineman Stefan Charles is a sneaky-good signing. The 32-year-old spent 2019 with Edmonton, but also has 49 games of NFL experience under his belt. The six-foot-five, 323 pounder instantly provides depth behind Cleyon Laing and perhaps even allows the Redblacks to start an all-Canadian tandem at defensive tackle.

The retirement of Ettore Lattanzio might throw cold water on this theory, but Thomas Grant and Clement Lebreux remain on the roster and could work in as rotational players behind Charles and Laing.

By adding the speedy Daniel Petermann, the Redblacks give themselves further ratio flexibility. Brad Sinopoli is a lock to start and with Petermann in the fold, head coach Paul LaPolice has the national depth to start a second Canadian in his receiving corps. If Ottawa chooses to go that route, one of Petermann, Anthony Coombs, Marco Dubois or Wesley Lewis must step up. Or perhaps they split snaps and series. Either way, Petermann will be a familiar face for new starting quarterback Matt Nichols, given their time together in LaPolice’s system in Winnipeg. The fact that the 25-year-old McMaster product plays special teams also helps.

Per the ratio, each CFL team must allocate seven starting roster spots to Canadians. In the past the Redblacks have started four and sometimes even five Canadians on their offensive line. Given that Desjardins is already on the record saying they’ll only use three this season — Mark Korte at left guard, Alex Mateas at centre and Nolan MacMillan at right guard, barring injuries — that leaves four spots to be accounted for. As mentioned above, Laing and Sinopoli are locks to start. So is Antoine Pruneau at safety, which is why it was important that the team managed to sign 2020 first-round pick Adam Auclair. The Laval product will back-up Pruneau and cut his teeth on special teams.

As a result of Ottawa’s additions last week, the team now has the option to start another Canadian at defensive tackle (Charles) or receiver (Peterman). An outside-the box scenario could see Brendan Gillanders build off a strong training camp and get carries at running back, with one of Petermann/Coombs/Dubois taking his spot on obvious passing downs. The risk in that is that Ottawa currently has no other pure Canadian running backs on its roster (although they do have a handful of fullbacks).

The signings of 2020 draft picks linebacker Dan Basambombo and offensive lineman Jakub Szott represent another pair of players who won’t start but who will develop over time. Basambombo could be a difference-maker on special teams.

Finally, Desjardins solidified his linebacking corps with a pair of veteran Americans, turning Ottawa’s group into one of the best in the league. Journeyman Don Unamba seemed destined to leave the nation’s capital after signing with the Redblacks last off-season, but at the eleventh hour signed an extension. The soon-to-be 32-year-old is built like a prototypical SAM linebacker and should produce plenty of splash plays in Mike Benevides’ defence. As for Micah Awe, in three short seasons the Nigerian has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the game’s hardest hitters. Before missing time in 2019 to an injury, Awe had 44 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble in ten games.

https://3downnation.com/2021/02/20/r...fensive-depth/

[jerrym]

Ottawa has signed American OT Juwann Bushell-Beatty, who attended NFL TCs and played in the XFL after being all-Big Ten with the Michigan Wolverines.

[jerrym]

Canadian OL Ketel Aase has signed with the Redblacks. He fell to the eighth round in the 2020 CFL draft after making the 2019 U Sports Offensive All-Star team and attending the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, because of his prospects of ending up in the NFL.

[jerrym]

The Redblacks have signed veteran DL Stansly Maponga who played 26 games for the NY Giants and Atlanta Falcons, as well as being on the PR of Dallas and Denver.

[jerrym]

QB Chase Litton has signed with Ottawa.

Litton (six-foot-five, 230 pounds) signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He then signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars in September 2019. Litton also spent some time in the XFL with the Seattle Dragons and the Tampa Bay Vipers organizations.

https://www.cfl.ca/2021/03/11/redbla...-chase-litton/

[jerrym]

American WR/KR receiver Marvelle Ross has signed with Ottawa.

Ross signed as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars in April 2020. He appeared in 46 games throughout collegiate career at Notre Dame College. Ross recorded 186 receptions for 2,727 pass reception yards as a wide receiver and set program record for kick return yards (1,744), kick returns (67), kick return TDs (5), punt returns (55-801), punt return TDs (5), and average yards per punt return (14.56) as a return specialist. He also set NDC Falcon football program records for All-Purpose Yards (5,456).

https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2021...marvelle-ross/

[jerrym]

Below is an old but good article on Canadian DL Stefan Charles remarkable career who signed with Ottawa in February.

With hard work and a never-quit attitude, he beat the incredible odds stacked against him, shredding any doubts about his abilities.

Charles started his NFL days in Tennessee, then moved to Buffalo, where he played for the Bills from 2013 to 2015. In 37 games there, he had 45 tackles (26 solo) and five sacks. After playing for Detroit in 2016, then having training-camp looks in 2017 (Jacksonville), 2018 (Kansas City) and 2019 (Atlanta), he came to the CFL in 2019, joining Edmonton late in the season.
And now the 32-year-old is joining what should be a very good Redblacks defensive line, which includes one of Charles’ good friends, Cleyon Laing. ...

The story of Charles, who’s a beast at 6-foot-5, 320 lbs., is remarkable. Nothing was handed to him. He didn’t have a scholarship. He worked jobs at a tire factory and as a janitor to keep his football hopes alive. ...

“That I could get to the NFL seemed super far-fetched,” Charles said. “You’re going to meet a lot of people who tell you the dream is not attainable, they give you reasons why it shouldn’t be your dream. But even when the door is shut in your face, you can keep believing and keep fighting for it. I’m not taking anything away from any Canadians in the NFL, but a lot of them went to American schools and got scholarships — all that hunky-dory stuff. I literally came through the back door. I didn’t get any push. Even when it came time to get a push, I was getting pushed in the other direction.”


He grew up in Scarborough, but didn’t play high school football until he got to Eastdale Collegiate (under coach Andy Carnovale) in Oshawa when he was 17. From there, with no offers to play college football in Canada or the U.S., he went west, to play junior ball in Surrey, B.C. From there, he found his way as a walk-on to the University of Regina, where he was an all-Canadian in 2011. Ranked as the Central Scouting Bureau’s No. 1 at times heading into the CFL draft, he sandwiched the CFL combine with a couple of NFL combines, one regional and the other a super regional. He made an impression and was signed by Tennessee. Buffalo would snatch him off the Titans’ practice roster.

“It was definitely testing at times,” Charles said. “But I’m glad I did it my way. If there’s any kid coming from the situation I did, there’s definitely some truth if you put your mind to it, you can do anything you want. I’m glad now I can come home and play in my country.” ...

There were some real-life issues when he was younger. His older brother Brent was shot three times in an incident and survived. “I wouldn’t say the neighbourhood was a bad area,” Charles said. “But it definitely matured me quicker than the average kid, it built character and gave me a vision of where and what I wanted to be. Being around the not-so-comfortable stuff pushes you to aim higher. It’s just crazy that a kid from Scarborough that didn’t have the best of opportunities and didn’t have the best of education just stuck with it and held onto hope. I wasn’t going to let anything hold me back.” ...

Going to B.C. was his way of trying to get noticed on a football field. In Surrey, Charles was coached by Corey Goff and former Ottawa Rough Rider Daved Benefield. From there, it was on to Regina. Despite his superb play there, he was snubbed when it came time to name the participants in the East-West Shrine Game. “It was real disheartening, I was working for that East-West game, then it didn’t happen,” Charles said. “It would have been huge for me, just like it was huge for (Chicago Bears defensive lineman) Akiem Hicks, that’s how he got attention to get to the (NFL) combine.” ...

Charles trained in Florida and kept working hard. After the regional and super combines, he got offers from Seattle and Tennessee and chose the Titans. He found a home in Buffalo, where he usually played 10-15 snaps per game in a rotational role — he could step in anywhere — on a talented defensive line. And now, he’s looking to make an impact in the CFL.

“I’ve done the impossible in the sense that it’s so hard to get to the NFL,” Charles said. “You have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than getting to the NFL and staying in the NFL. So a kid from Scarborough, who had no scholarship — not even in his own country — for me to be on an NFL team and actually play with stats and stuff, I’m grateful for that. I earned it, I never had anything given to me. I’m more than anxious to get to Ottawa now, it’s exciting. Everybody should have their popcorn and cowbells ready.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foo...b-19e9b41b5bb6

[jerrym]

Below is a look at Ottawa's Global draft picks:

First Round Pick (9th overall)Anthony Mahoungou, Global wide receiver In 36 games played with Purdue University, Mahoungou has recorded 61 receptions for 880 yards and 8 touchdowns. After his collegiate career in 2018, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent. In 2019, Mahoungou joined one of the top teams in the German league, the Frankfurt Universe. In nine games he recorded 42 receptions for 692 yards and 10 touchdowns HEIGHT: 6-3 | WEIGHT: 210 lbs | BIRTHDAY: 1994-02-12 HOMETOWN: La Courneuve, FR | SCHOOL: Purdue

Second Round Pick (10th overall)Tyron Vrede, Global linebacker A University of North Dakota product, Vrede saw action in 11 games for UND during his junior year in 2018. He recorded 15 solo tackles and 23 in total. He was fifth on the team with six tackles for loss. During his senior year, Vrede played in 12 games and made 33 tackles with 4 for loss and 1.5 sacks. HEIGHT: 6-0 | WEIGHT: 230 lbs | BIRTHDAY: 1996-09-18 HOMETOWN: Lakeville, MN | SCHOOL: North Dakota

Third Round Pick (27th overall) Christopher Ferguson, Global offensive lineman During his senior year at the University of Cincinnati, Ferguson led the Bearcats offensive line that recorded a total of 343 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. The 2019 season was marked by the third bowl game appearance for Ferguson during his time with the Bearcats. In April 2018, Ferguson earned his degree in criminal justice. HEIGHT: 6-5 | WEIGHT: 310 lbs | BIRTHDAY: 1995-04-28 HOMETOWN: Orlando, FL | SCHOOL: Cincinnati

Fourth Round Pick (28th overall) Tony Anderson, Global defensive back Anderson started his football journey in France with Les Templiers D’Elancourt. In 2018, he played his senior year with the Grand View University Vikings. Anderson led the team with four interceptions while adding 48 tackles and a fumble recovery. He declared for the draft in 2019 and landed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent. HEIGHT: 6-3 | WEIGHT: 207 lbs | BIRTHDAY: 1994-04-20 HOMETOWN: Paris, FR | SCHOOL: Grand View University

https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2021...-global-draft/

[jerrym]

Ottawa has signed American DB Seamark Thomas, a fourth round Pittsburgh Steeler pick in 2013 who played in 66 games while making 64 DTs on several NFL teams, as well as on two XFL teams. The Redblacks have also signed the four Global draft picks described in the last post.

[jerrym]

Below is a look at Ottawa's six draft picks this year. Interestingly, Ottawa, did not what they usually do and pick a OL in the first round, waiting until the third round to do so.

Round 1, 6th overall Deshawn Stevens, Canadian linebacker The Toronto native had an incredible 2018 season for the University of Maine. He recorded 120 tackles (17 for a loss), nine sacks and two fumble recoveries. Stevens was named Maine’s top defensive player and helped the Black Bears capture a CAA title. During a 2020 season cut short because of the pandemic, Stevens had a team-high 36 tackles this spring for Maine in four games. HEIGHT: 6-2 |WEIGHT: 255 lbs HOMETOWN: Toronto, ON |SCHOOL: Maine ...

Round 2, 13th overall Alonzo Addae, Canadian defensive back After transferring from New Hampshire to West Virgina, Addae became one of the most consistent players in the Mountaineers’ secondary and earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors at the end of last season. In only 10 games, he finished the season with 61 tackles, one forced fumble, two interceptions, and five passes deflected. HEIGHT: 5-11 |WEIGHT: 192 lbs HOMETOWN: Pickering, ON |SCHOOL: West Virginia

Round 3, 24th overall Connor Berglof, Canadian offensive lineman Berglof, a Saskatoon native, was named on the 2019 U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian. HEIGHT: 6-3 |WEIGHT: 300 lbs HOMETOWN: Saskatoon, SK |SCHOOL: Saskatchewan

Round 4, 31st overall Jake Julien, Canadian Kicker/Punter Julien tied the Eastern Michigan University record with a 43.4 career punting average and he ranks eighth in EMU history with 7,383 yards punting. He is the only punter in Eastern Michigan history to record two 70+ yard punts during his time at the school. In 2020, Julien led the MAC conference in punting while ranking eighth in the nation. HEIGHT: 6-2 |WEIGHT: 210 lbs HOMETOWN: Barrie, ON |SCHOOL: Eastern Michigan

Round 5, 42nd overall Keegan Markgraf, Canadian long Snapper In 2020, Markgraf was a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award, awarded to the best college football long snapper in the nation. He was also on the Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention for the 2020 season. In 33 career games played with Utah, Markgraf recorded 160 career snaps (65 punt, 23 FG, 72 PAT). HEIGHT: 6-3 |WEIGHT: 225 lbs HOMETOWN: Hamilton, ON |SCHOOL: Utah

Round 6, 49th overall Matthew Derks, Canadian offensive lineman In 2019, Derks appeared in every game for Delaware and helped the offense rank fourth in the MEAC with 1689 yards, including nine games with 100 or more yards rushing and 100 or more yards in seven straight games to end the season. HEIGHT: 6-3 |WEIGHT: 315 lbs HOMETOWN: Brantford, Ontario |SCHOOL: Delaware State

https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2021...021-cfl-draft/

[jerrym]

Jalen Saunders, who Ottawa signed in 2020 and resigned this year after gaining 1170 yards receiving in 2017 and 739 yards in 2018 before a knee injury suffered against the Argos put him out of action for the rest of the year and 2019, has been seriously injured in a car crash and is in hospital. If there is a season and he is out for an extended period this would be a major loss for the Redblacks.

[jerrym]

Ottawa has signed former Argo DL Frank Beltre, who played for Toronto in 2018-19, as well as for the Stampeders in 2014-16 and has also been on the New York Jets PR as well.

[jerrym]

At the url below is a look at the most impressive individual performances of for all Ottawa CFL teams over the decades. Unfortunately, quite a few were against the Argos.

https://3downnation.com/2021/05/23/t...tball-history/

[jerrym]

LB/ST Jean Philippe Bolduc has decided to retire. He played from 2016 to 2019 with Ottawa making 15 DT and 53 ST tackles in 61 games, including 20 ST tackles in 2019, making a standout in that regard.

[AngeloV]

A huge loss to the Redblacks as Brad Sinopoli has retired as a player. He will stay on as an ambassador with OSEG group. I can’t believe he was in the league as a player for 9 seasons. Time flies. Tough to replace a National as good as him.

https://3downnation.com/2021/06/23/t...-from-the-cfl/

[Will]

While I admittedly have a bias against the Redblacks, I doubt they will be much improved in 2021.

[jerrym]

Sinopoli won't be easily replaced.

[jerrym]

Canadian WR Nate Behar, who had 16 catches for 169 yards with Ottawa in 2019 after making 27 receptions for 257 yards with Edmonton in 2018 and a standout career with the Carleton Ravens, has re-signed with Ottawa.

[OV Argo]

Canadian WR Nate Behar, who had 16 catches for 169 yards with Ottawa in 2019 after making 27 receptions for 257 yards with Edmonton in 2018 and a standout career with the Carleton Ravens, has re-signed with Ottawa.

The likes of Behar, Petermann (FA signed from the Bummers) or Anthony Coombs , have to really step-up to replace Sinopoli; my money is on Petermann (LaPolice knows him well from the Bummers); they could also hope to scoop a Canadian receiver sure to be cut from teams with lots of depth there - like the Argos or Esks.