Ottawa Redblacks Thread

[jerrym]

A major reason for Ottawa's success last week was its focus on reducing penalties and turnovers compared to last year. Not surprisingly, it paid off against the Riders.

There were a couple of remarkable statistics that jump out from last Thursday’s 40-17 butt kicking the Ottawa Redblacks put on the Saskatchewan Roughriders — both of them an emphasis of the coaching staff heading into the 2018 Canadian Football League season. Turnovers and penalties: Create turnovers while minimizing your own mistakes, plus cut down on the momentum-killing penalties. In Game 1, it was mission accomplished. Ottawa took just four penalties — an offside, two no-yards infractions and a holding call. None of those came on defence.
“It’s kind of been a theme this year,” said Redblacks coach Rick Campbell on Monday. “The penalties and the turnovers are big indicators of how the game is going to go so it’s good to be on the right side of that. ...


“We’ve been monitoring (the penalties), showing (the players) examples in other games. Also, we keep track of it every day in practice, usually you play like you practise. We tell the players, ‘If you’re a multiple offender in practice, it’s going to be hard playing you.’ “
Then there are the turnovers. In 2017, where the Redblacks finished the regular season with an 8-9-1 record, they were minus-12 in turnovers. While generating just 22 turnovers (worst in the CFL), they turned the ball over 34 times (third-worst in the league, ahead of only B.C. and Montreal).

On Thursday, Rico Murray, Loucheiz Purifoy and Jonathan Rose (for a 56-yard touchdown) had interceptions and A.C. Leonard pounced on a fumble after a hit by Avery Ellis. The Redblacks turned it over once — and it was a big one — when Trevor Harris’ pass was picked off by Duron Carter, who scored a touchdown.

“(Turnovers) are big,” said Campbell. “We had two interceptions that we caught in our own end zone. Obviously that’s a big momentum killer for them.”

http://ottawasun.com/sports/football/cfl/ottawa-redblacks/ottawa-redblacks-focus-on-penalties-turnovers-pays-off-early

[jerrym]

The National depth on the RedBlack's OL is shown by the fact that, despite having Canadians Nolan MacMillan and Jason Lauzon-Seguin injured and unable to play, Ottawa started four Canadians on the OL that both protected Trevor Harris and opened up large holes for William Powell repeatedly last week. Furthermore, HC Rick Campbell plans to use the same four Canadian OL again this week as the injured OL are not yet ready to return.

[jerrym]

The RedBlacks have added the following players to their PR: National WR Jacob Scarfone, who was a sixth round 2017 Hamilton draft pick from Guelph University; International LB Quentin Gause, who had played in the NFL and was in Bomber TC where he was expected to be a starter until Winnipeg signed LB Adam Bighill; and International DL Danny Mason, who was in Calgary's TC after spending time in the NFL. Ottawa has released International DB Tafon Mainsah from the University of Richmond.

[jerrym]

Brad Sinopoli had a career best 11 receptions against the Alouettes for 148 yards, giving him 262 yards after three games and well on his way to what would be a fourth consecutive 1,000 yard season if he stays healthy.

[jerrym]

With his juking and jiving to gain 138 yards on 23 carries last night William Powell has demonstrated that he is one of the best, if not the best RB in the league. Last year he finished second in rushing by six yards although he played in only 12 games due to injuries.

@REDBLACKS @WilliamPowell33 forced 9 missed tackles on his runs last night. The most in the CFL since...Powell's 12 last season against the Riders.#Details

— Derek Taylor 🇨🇦🏈 (@DTonSC) July 7, 2018

[OV Argo]

Trevor Harris throws a big TD strike to a wide-open JC Beaulieu = who lined-up as a TE on the play and was totally uncovered; Beaulieu is a good talent - capable as a ball carrier and receiver - guy has some wheels and athleticism for a big man - similar talent to Declan Cross IMO; too bad more CFL teams don't see the potential of the H-back position - that play is basically what I'd call a Bingo - free easy play - that could work for a big gainer once or twice a game; and if a defence has to adjust to that threat, it just opens up more in the play-book for other things.

[halifaxguy]

Trevor Harris throws a big TD strike to a wide-open JC Beaulieu = who lined-up as a TE on the play and was totally uncovered; Beaulieu is a good talent - capable as a ball carrier and receiver - guy has some wheels and athleticism for a big man - similar talent to Declan Cross IMO; too bad more CFL teams don't see the potential of the H-back position - that play is basically what I'd call a Bingo - free easy play - that could work for a big gainer once or twice a game; and if a defence has to adjust to that threat, it just opens up more in the play-book for other things.

I'm surprised that they haven't used Fulio-Guidino yet, he's a big hard to bring down receiver. They started Hartley as a 2nd Canadian receiver with Sinopoli. Hartley let a few balls go straight through his hands, I don't think he caught a pass. Guidino was a pretty good receiver with the Bombers.

[jerrym]

Here's an update on Julian Feoli-Gudino:

the receiver who signed as a free agent with the Ottawa Redblacks before the 2018 season is putting his head down and doing what he’s always done: put in the work.
“I have to keep working and wait for my opportunity,” said Feoli-Gudino, who was in the lineup for Friday night’s game against the Montreal Alouettes. “It’s how I’ve always approached football: If you put in the work, the results will come. You have to stay ready because you never know when your opportunity will come. You can never get comfortable. You always want to improve. It’s a new system, new routes every week. You have to stay on top of everything.
Feoli-Gudino didn’t need a lot of convincing when it came time to pick a team in free agency. ...


The geography of the nation’s capital was certainly good since he played football at Université Laval and his girlfriend, Rosalie, lives in Montreal.

“A lot of guys who have played for the Redblacks in the past, they told me how Coach (Rick) Campbell was leading the team,” Feoli-Gudino said. “I liked what they were telling me. Honestly, being (in Ottawa), it’s even better than I expected.”
Feoli-Gudino is anxious to show the Redblacks what he can do. Last season with the Blue Bombers, he had 45 catches for 462 yards and three touchdowns. Asked to describe his best football assets are, he said: “I make the catches when they count, I play hard, I play for my teammates. I’m here to win, I want to win.”
So far, life in Ottawa has been good. “The CFL is Canadian and French, Ottawa is one of the few teams that understands that,” Feoli-Gudino said. “As someone who speaks French, it’s really nice to be in an environment where you hear both languages and you feel at home.”

https://windsorstar.com/sports/footb...b-4225e042c2bf

[OV Argo]

I'm surprised that they haven't used Fulio-Guidino yet, he's a big hard to bring down receiver. They started Hartley as a 2nd Canadian receiver with Sinopoli. Hartley let a few balls go straight through his hands, I don't think he caught a pass. Guidino was a pretty good receiver with the Bombers.

I must have totally missed Hartley letting any passes going thru his hands this year (and he made 2 real nice grabs when pressed into action in their play-off game last season); he has barely played as they continue to favor only one NI receiver (Sinopoli) in their 5 pack = CFL starting line-ups - either game note depth charts, or what TSN shows - are often incorrect. Beaulieu has lined-up a lot at H-back for Ottawa this season so far - meaning an import receiver comes out of the 5 pack. Feoli-Gudino must have thought he made a good decision to sign with Ottawa after some decent seasons for the Bombers; he didn't get that Campbell & co. there will often to defer to 7 NIs only need apply thinking (and after the total opposite basically in a GC win season); Feoli-Gudino could easily be starting there IMO - over some of the young import receivers who continue to show little of drop passes but get favored for playing time.

[jerrym]

The Canadian strength Ottawa has along its OL is improving as Jason Lauzon-Seguin returned to the lineup last week and with Nolan MacMillan expected to return soon.

But when Jon Gott was injured and left the field in the first half of Ottawa Redblack’s 28-18 win in Montreal on Friday night, Lauzon-Séguin, who’s been sidelined since training camp with a “lower-body” injury, was ready to get back in there in front of quarterback Trevor Harris.
“I felt good,” said Lauzon-Séguin. “The plan was to test it out and I got a good test. I was expecting to be the sixth lineman and do short yardage and stuff like that. Unfortunately Jon got hurt and it was an opportunity for me. You always have questions when you come back from an injury — is it 100%, how am I going to feel? You just have to go in and throw everything into it.” ...

Redblacks coach Rick Campbell said of Gott’s status for Thursday’s game against Calgary, “I think he’s good to go.”
With the possible return of Nolan MacMillan in the near future, the Redblacks will have a lot of veteran offensive linemen to choose from.

“It’s big, not only for depth from a Canadian content point of view, but also they’re really good players and our offensive unit is excited to be getting those guys back,” said Campbell. “It makes a big difference. We had to be a bit patient, but it’s good to have them back.”
Speaking about Lauzon-Séguin, Campbell said: “He did a really good job, Evan Johnson did a good job, too, moving from tackle to guard.”

https://ottawasun.com/sports/footbal...tawa-redblacks

[jerrym]

National rookie kicker Lewis Ward from the University of Ottawa Gee Gees has done an excellent job so far going 8/9 and an 89% FG average after beating out Internationals Sergio Castillo and Richie Leone for the FG kicking job.

[jerrym]

OL Jon Gott did not sugar-coat yesterday's loss to Calgary.

“That might be the worst game (we’ve played) since the beginning (in 2014),” said Redblacks offensive lineman Jon Gott. “We can’t have one good game and come back and do this. We need to be consistent if we want to make it to the playoffs. This is not going to cut it. It’s on all of us, we have to look at ourselves in the mirror and figure this out because this is crap.

https://ottawasun.com/sports/footbal...ary-stampeders

[jerrym]

While rookie National OL Mark Korte struggled against the Stampeders rush last night, as have many others, he has played well previously and looks to become a very good offensive lineman.

[jerrym]

Ottawa has released National DB Teague Sherman following his being charged with two counts of sexual assault. He had played four years with Winnipeg before joining the RedBlacks in 2017.

https://www.cfl.ca/players/teague-sherman/159393/

[jerrym]

The RedBlacks have released International DB Josh Johnson. They have added International DBs Dejaun Butler and Tafon Mainsah.

Johnson signed a one-year deal with the REDBLACKS in March.
The 27-year-old, who played for the BC Lions from 2014-15, most recently suited up for the Jacksonville Jaguars, appearing in eight games in 2016. In 34 games with the Lions, the Dade City, FL native had 92 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions. Johnson started 36 of 49 games while at Purdue, finishing his college career with 184 tackles, 31 pass breakups and six interceptions. ...


Butler signed with the REDBLACKS in May and attended training camp with the team this year. The 24-year-old spent time in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys in 2017.
Mainsah collected 45 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass breakups for the Richmond Spiders in 2017. The year before, he had 39 tackles, three interceptions and 12 pass breakups while starting every game.

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/07/17/redbla...dd-two-others/

[jerrym]

HC Rick Campbell comments on why he loves the CFL and how you can tell how angry he is when he challenges a play in the video below:

https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2018...e-this-league/

[MikeT]

HC Rick Campbell comments on why he loves the CFL and how you can tell how angry he is when he challenges a play in the video below:

https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2018...e-this-league/

I don't blame him for being ticked off the other night and he had to waste his only challenge. That dive by the BC punter when the Ottawa player didn't touch him was ridiculous. Plays like that should be reviewed without having a coach using up his challenge.

[jerrym]

National DL Andrew Marshall, the sole surviving member of the RedBlack's expansion draft, discusses his time in Ottawa.

Marshall, a 28-year-old defensive lineman/special-teamer chugs on — in his fifth season as a Redblack after, in 2013, getting cut by the Calgary Stampeders and picked up by the B.C. Lions where he spent most of his season on the practice squad. So landing in Ottawa was his opportunity — and he’s made the most of it.
“I was definitely excited for the opportunity,” said Marshall. “There was a bit more wiggle room to crack a roster here. It’s been great in Ottawa. We’re down to five or six of us (also Antoine Pruneau, Jon Gott, Nigel Romick, Nolan MacMillan and Connor Williams) from the original team. Some of the familiar faces are gone, but there are still guys around from the 2015 and 2016 teams.” ...


During his time as a Redblack, Marshall has played 69 games, with 11 defensive tackles, three sacks and an interception. But special teams is his calling card — he plays on each of the Redblacks’ units.
“It’s a role that’s kept me a job in the CFL,” he said. “It’s a chance to give an extra spark to the team — if it’s a big hit on kickoff or helping set up a big return, I take a lot of pride in that.” ...

“It’s been awesome,” said Marshall, whose backup plan if football didn’t work out was to become a teacher. “There have been the lows of only winning two games and the highs of winning a Grey Cup. In 2014, there were a few close games — we could have won more than two. The locker-room was very good so it was more bearable. I think everyone in that room knew we had a good core group of guys, then when we added a few pieces, we knew we could be competitive. The recipe had been the same since we got here, just try to win every game.” ...

“We just have to stay with the process,” he said. “We had lots of lows in both the years we went to the Grey Cup. In 2015 and 2016, the Stampeders beat us pretty bad on the road. In 2015, we also lost pretty bad on the road to Edmonton. Stay with the process and everything will work out.”

https://ottawasun.com/sports/footbal...home-in-ottawa

[jerrym]

Former Ottawa Gee Gee kicker Lewis Ward has went from being a security guard last year at TD Place, the home stadium of the RedBlacks, to being well respected by teammates, after going 13/14 in FGs.

The rookie kicker hit all five of his field goal attempts, including two 47-yard boots, in the Redblacks’ 29-25 victory over the visiting B.C. Lions last week. ...

“Having the game that I had last game gives me a bit more confidence,” the 25-year-old said. “I hadn’t really been tested yet this year with the exception of last week with the two long ones so that gives me a small level of comfort, but we still have to stay focused moving forward.” ...

“If we don’t score a touchdown and we’re going for the field goal I’m running off the field thinking that it’s already made because that’s the confidence we have in him,” said Ottawa receiver Brad Sinopoli. “I think it’s awesome what he’s done. He didn’t come in here as an automatic guy who was going to make the team and be the kicker so for him to compete and fight and really come out of nowhere and do what he’s done is great to see.”

http://3downnation.com/2018/07/25/ro...ble-redblacks/

[jerrym]

Former Argo Diontae Spencer is leading the league in the lowest average number of touches required to create a missed tackle.

So far, the CFL's most-elusive player is: @DSpencer4_, forcing a missed tackle every 3 touches. @andrewharris33 is almost halfway to last year's total.#Details pic.twitter.com/htS1J848cJ

— Derek Taylor 🇨🇦🏈 (@DTonSC) July 26, 2018