Cameron Dukes + Dan Adeboboye + Kevin Mital + David Ungerer + Damonte Coxie + DaVaris Daniels + Dejon Brissett = Unstoppable Force
I pick Ottawa to win. Although I could be wrong.
Last edited by Argo; 11-12-2017 at 02:32 PM.
It wouldn't surprise me to see Ottawa move on from Harris and look at someone like Franklin and/or Collaros.
It would be unfair, but possible. I don't think Harris was that bad. Criner ran a really bad rounded off out pattern on that first pick. You are taught pre high school not to round your outs off like that. Ellingson dropped a beauty of a pass down the sideline when the score was 14-8. That was a HUGE drop. Then when Ellingson got hurt, their receiving core was Spencer and really nobody else. IMO, it definitely was not on Harris.
It's us vs the rest of the country
Criner may have run a poor route there, but sorry, that pass was quite under-thrown - did not put it out in front of the receiver - by Harris to allow the Rider LB to pick it - and this has been mentioned several times (TSN guys i think, plus Ottawa radio guys); Harris makes a better throw there most of the time, but IMO he was off target too often in this biggest game of his career. Sinopoli out with injury hurt them, and then Ellingson got nicked to make matters worse; Spencer had some great moments for them this year, but also dropped too many passes (guess he can be their version of a speedy but iffy smurf like Brandon Banks). Last year's 6th round draft pick Austin Hartley got in the game for them after Jake Harty got hurt and produced 2 real nice catches - a big gainer where Harris hit him well down field in stride, and then he went low to make a nice grab; guy has speed, but we shall see if he progresses to more playing time - I'll bet Sinopoli is the only Canadian receiver to get full time work there next year; Desjardins & Campbell gave plenty of time to mediocre imports like Rhymes and Stangby and those types will be favored IMO.
I'd stick with Trevor Harris at QB if i was them - guy can still learn & progress and IMO he is very talented. Franklin has proven very little in the CFL. Adding Collaros might be nice for them but they would not be able to afford him and Harris.
I agree, but Dejardina doesn't sound too impressed with Harris, and if Franklin or Collaros are cheaper options.......
Could be an interesting off season this year with Lulay, Franklin, Collaros, and Harris free agents. BC, Saskatchewan, Ottawa and Montreal could all be looking for starters.
Last edited by R.J; 11-14-2017 at 08:45 PM.
I'm gonna disagree. If he ran a proper out where he is coming slightly back toward the line of scrimmage, rather than toward the goal line, at the very worst that pass is just a bat down. At best, he shields the DB with his body and catches the pass. Jock Climie also pointed that out at half time. He was a great route runner and I agree with him.
It's us vs the rest of the country
I don't think Harris was bad at all. But his $400,000 salary in 2017 may be making Ottawa think about whether they could get similar results for less money. Montreal was very much in the mix of the final negotiations to sign him during Harris's last free agency and considering their big question mark at QB now desperation to show signs of improvement may well be willing to go after him.
But isn't Reilly generally equivalent to Harris? That is, there isn't much wrong with either QB and both are (and likely to remain so) rather blameless. Of course, the Esks have had Franklin waiting in the wings for some time now, so that is also a priority consideration. (BTW, what does Montreal have to offer that provides sufficient value?)
Looking at a portion of just two of the various QB scenarios in terms of the Argos, I would prefer Harris to Collaros at this point.
Tim Baines grades the Redblacks' players, coaches and management below.
http://ottawasun.com/sports/football...tawa-redblacks
Don Brennan does a brutal analysis of Ottawa. While I think Ottawa needs a significant upgrade to compete with the best teams in the league, I think his criticism gets overly harsh.
Forget about the lousy start to their season and the “good” turnaround. All you really need to know about the 2017 Redblacks is they were 7-1-0 against non-playoff quads, which, of course, means they were 1-8-1 versus true contenders. It was the worst title defence in the Canadian Football League since the Edmonton Eskimos won the Grey Cup in 2005 and finished last in the West Division with a 7-11 record in 2006. And those Eskimos didn’t have the luxury of playing three games against anyone as brutal as this season’s Montreal Alouettes. ...
On offence, some tough decisions are needed.
Re-signing Brad Sinopoli would be imperative even if he were an American. He’s one of the best receivers in the league. His country of birth is a bonus.
Diontae Spencer probably also needs to be brought back despite his shortcomings. On Sunday, after dropping a ball in the end-zone with just over five minutes left and the Redblacks trailing by 17 points, he failed to drum up enough desperation to get to the first-down marker when thrown the next two passes. He also showed poor judgment by tweeting out his touchdown celebration in the moments after the team didn’t score enough of them, when he still should have been feeling devastated by the loss.
But Spencer is an electrifying return specialist and a pretty good receiver, so you take the good and hope he outgrows the bad … if he doesn’t demand too much cash.
William Powell will be 30 by the time training camp rolls around, and he’s already going through injury problems. He’s also the best running back in the CFL, so you might want to try and get another year out of him, but a contingency plan has to be put in motion.
Then there’s Trevor Harris, who throws a nice long ball and has a record of 0-1 as a starter in the playoffs. He will likely be looking for a raise on a $450,000 salary that was among the tops in the league. While Harris doesn’t deserve the bump, he will have options. What choice do the Redblacks have? They can pursue Zach Collaros or James Franklin, but would either be better? That’s certainly no sure bet.
And, without a capable quarterback, the Redblacks could turn into the Renegades. “There’s nine teams trying to battle to be there, and it cannot be us every year, even though we’re working in that direction,” Pruneau said. “Hopefully it’s going to be better next year.”
The pressure is on general manager Marcel Desjardins to make it so.
http://ottawasun.com/sports/football/cfl/ottawa-redblacks/bad-season-for-redblacks-puts-pressure-on-front-office-where-it-belongs
http://ottawasun.com/sports/football...e-wont-be-back
I don't think it was the coaches fault Desjardins let a lot of talent go, but I'm more intrigued by the timing of the news. I thought teams couldn't make moves like this during Grey Cup week ?Postmedia has learned offensive line coach Bryan Chiu and receivers coach Travis Moore will not be back with the Ottawa Redblacks next season. A source said defensive backs coach Ike Charlton may also be gone.
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