Month: March 2014

A surprising, disappointing, yet understandable move

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By: Santino Filoso

Hard to believe that only three days ago Redblacks owner Jeff Hunt proudly introduced Ottawa’s newest mascot, Big Joe Mufferaw, to 500 screaming children at a French elementary school in Kanata. The name, a tribute to a French legend in the Ottawa region, was clearly an attempt by the Redblacks to include Franco-Ontarian and Gatineau fans and link to the Ottawa Valley’s history. Jeff Hunt explained the selection by saying:

Our fans spoke and we listened. We heard that fans loved the look of our mascot and hundreds said he had to be Big Joe Mufferaw. We like the name too because it reminds us of our city’s past and fits so well into the branding of our football team.

While many loved the name selection,

a small yet vocal minority immediately expressed their displeasure.

This small minority has led the team to do a complete 180 and drop the ‘Mufferaw’ from the mascot’s name, who will now be known as ‘Big Joe’ in English and ‘Grand Jos’ in French.

It’s interesting to note that at first the official Redblacks twitter account tried to reason with some of these people by replying to them and explaining that the mascot is not specifically based on Jos Montferrand himself but rather the character immortalized in Bernie Bedore’s stories and the Stompin’ Tom song. Even some of the OSEG corporate accounts responded with explanations like:

It’s disappointing that some people can’t understand the difference between a legend and a person. Jos Montferrand was a real person, Big Joe Mufferaw was a fictional character, based on the exploits of Jos, who gained popularity through a Stompin’ Tom song and a series of kids books by Bernie Bedore. The mascot was named after the character, not the man.

Though sad, it’s understandable to see the Redblacks bend to the wishes of a few loud voices. Clearly they are afraid of alienating the French market, a key mistake that played a large part in the Renegades’ demise. That being said, it looks incredibly amateur to suddenly backpedal because of some negative feedback. If something as simple as a mascot’s name is enough to keep some fickle fans away, how will those fans react when the team goes on a losing streak? Was it season ticket holders complaining or were the French news reports giving Redblacks brass sleepless nights?

Futhermore, didn’t the Redblacks anticipate some kind of negative feedback before they made the choice? For a team that withstood a barrage of criticism over it’s own name, it’s surprising to see how quickly they folded and dropped Mufferaw from the mascot’s name.

Even more startling is that by changing the mascot’s name, the team has caused an issue where there wasn’t one. The easiest solution would’ve simply been to keep the name as Big Joe Mufferaw for English market and refer to him as Jos Montferrand in the French one.

In the end there’s not a whole lot of difference between Big Joe and Big Joe Mufferaw, but any way you slice it this kind of flip flopping doesn’t help the Redblacks build their brand.

Where do you stand on this issue?

@RedBlackGade

Strong Redblacks ticket sales a great sign

By: Santino Filoso

If you plan on watching history first hand and you don’t already have your tickets to see the Redblacks live at Lansdowne (TD Place at Lansdowne Park, that is), better stop dragging your feet. With the Sens limping to the finish of a pretty dismal NHL season, Ottawa’s sports fans are quickly turning their attention to the CFL and making the Redblacks the hottest ticket in town.

Don’t take my word for it, though. In a recent TSN 1200 interview , Redblacks owner Jeff Hunt said that the team was pushing the 13,000-mark for season ticket sales, with nearly four months to go before the home opener. And that was before the launch of the home opener ticket pack last weekend (which will count toward the total as ‘season ticket equivalents’). With a previously-stated goal of 15,000 season tickets sold, Hunt and the Ottawa Sports & Entertainment Group have to be really pleased with the results to date. Ottawa CFL fans have responded and are ready to embrace their team.

According to the Redblacks website, eight sections on the South Side (“North Side Sucks!”) are completely sold out – R, RR, S, SS, T, TT, QQ & UU. Three other sections (P, Q & U) are also currently half-filled.

On the North Side (“South Side Sucks!”), section E is sold out and the lower three-quarters of EE, F, D and DD are occupied. Additionally, club seats 105-107 have been sold.

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Want a little more detail? Fine. Here you go:

North Side

Section D Rows 1-19 Sold Out
Section D Rows 20-31 Singles Only
Section DD Rows 1-19 Sold Out
Only seats left in DD are the top five rows

Section E Rows 1-31 Sold out
Section EE Rows 1-8 Sold out
Section EE Rows 9-19 Singles only
Only seats in EE are in the top five rows

Section F Rows 1-19 Sold Out
Section F Rows 20-31 Singles Only
Section FF Rows 1-19 Sold Out
Only seats left in FF are the top five rows

[Only available pairs of seats on the north side are outside the 25s, top five rows and the field level seats]

South Side – Lower Deck

Section P Top 7 rows sold out
Section Q Top 11 rows sold out
Section R Sold out
Section S Sold Out
Section T Sold out
Section U Top 11 rows sold out

South Side – Club Seats

Middle 3 sections sold out.
[Available club seats are outside the 35’s]

South Side – Upper Deck

QQ, RR, SS, TT, UU sold out
Front 2 rows of PP, VV and MM sold out
[All available upper deck seats are outside the 20’s]

*Compiled via Renegade Nation

HOME-OPENER TICKET PACK

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Starting from $69.00 (or $23/game) + taxes/fees, Redblacks fans have the opportunity to get a ticket to the home opener plus any two other home games. The packages went on sale March 22nd at 10:00am, with fans buying online, by phone and in person. Before close of business on the 22nd, the team announced that the $168.00 ticket packs had sold out. The most expensive packages remaining are $123.00 (or $41/game) + taxes/fees.

Let’s take a look at the package, which I purchased myself on the 22nd:

THE GOOD

– For the cost of a single Sens ticket, a beer and parking, fans get to not only be a part of a historic opening Friday night, but also get to go to any two other home games.

– It ensures more butts in the stands even if the team’s inaugural season gets ugly.

– Keeps tickets in the hands of R-Nation. Few opposing team fans will be willing to pay for a package to three games, especially if they’re from out of town. This will really help preserve home field advantage and give the team a boost in critical moments. We’ve all felt how frustrating it can be when Leafs/Habs fans invade the CTC, but thankfully this is a problem the Redblacks will be able to avoid in year one.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD

– I found it silly and a bit annoying that it was not possible to actually pick the section and seats you wanted. Instead, people were forced to pick a ticket range and then randomly assigned their seats. While this might be okay for some people, others (such as myself) wanted to sit on a specific side – South Side (“North Side Sucks!”). When I was buying my tickets, I had to refresh the page a few times in order to be randomly assigned my seats on the South Side instead of the North.

– Another issue I ran into was that there was that there was a limit of six packages per person. This presented a problem because I had put together a group of eight family members and close friends. I ended up having to buy six and then another two separately and as such my group was scattered all over the stadium. Thankfully, shortly after I purchased my tickets I was able to get a hold of a Redblacks ticket rep and they quickly moved everyone together. In the end, I was very impressed with how quickly they responded and that they were able to accommodate my group’s needs. The Redblacks earned a lot of respect and goodwill from the people in my group.

With nearly 13,000 season tickets sold, in addition to the home opener packages that just went on sale, TD Place at Lansdowne Park promises to be filled with rowdy fans ready to unleash eight years of pent up energy. Considering kick off is still a few months away, R-Nation is doing a hell of a job shutting up the naysayers who predicted football in Ottawa wouldn’t work. If you don’t want to be on the outside looking in, you’d better get yours soon.

Where will you be sitting this season? At home or in the stands with the rest of R-Nation? Get over to the Redblacks website, take the virtual 3D tour and buy your tickets now!

@RedBlackGade

The Man Behind the Lens; an interview with Ottawa Redblacks photographer F. Scott Grant

By: Santino Filoso

Today we interview F. Scott Grant, an award-winning photographer with over 40 years experience. Grant has covered the Rough Riders, Renegades, and will be wandering along the sidelines at TD Place once again this June shooting the Redblacks. We wanted to give you a taste of the life of a pro sports photographer and find out a little more about his experiences with Ottawa’s CFL teams.

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RR: How did you get into photography and when did you start covering the Rough Riders/Renegades?

FSG: My dad, Ted Grant, who took a lot of the older photos in my archive, is a professional photographer. In 1969 he took me to an Ottawa-Hamilton game, handed me a camera and a single roll of film and let me shoot the game. I was 13 years old and from that game I had 6 pictures published in a game day programme.

Do you only shoot sports events?

No actually, I have shot a variety of different things. I spent 11 years shooting Federal politics and was Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s personal photographer for a year. I will shoot whatever comes my way, although I don’t like doing weddings.

Why not weddings?

Just aren’t my thing. I’ve shot a few over the years; my son’s wedding last year, and before that was one of the Renegades dance team members, that was a lot of fun. She was getting married to one of the CFL officials on the same day as a ‘Gades game. We did half the wedding pictures before the game, all went to the game, and then went back to do the formal part of the wedding after.

Aside from the Redblacks, who are some of your other clients?

Some of my other clients include Swimming Canada, Canada Games Council, Canadian Paralympic Committee and Jogo Trading Cards.

How is covering a CFL game different from other shooting other sports?

Football first and foremost is my favourite game, I enjoy playing and understand everything about it. This in combination with the amount of years experience I have doing this kind of work makes it simple for me to shoot. I enjoy shooting football more than any other sport, but I approach everything I shoot the same way with one simple motto, try and capture the best images.

What are some of the challenges you face as you try to position yourself for that “perfect shot”?

To be honest a lot of it is luck, but even more is understanding the game, I will watch formations, see where players line up, and I avoid being where other photographers are, I want my images to be different.

Do you do a lot of post image processing?

The only post I do is colour correction, crop and straighten the backgrounds if they are crooked.

When you go to a stadium on game day, what kind of cameras and equipment do take with you?

I shoot football with the same equipment that I shoot everything with, typically a Canon body and a 300mm or 400mm lens.

Which stadium gives you the best sight lines when shooting?

Pretty much all stadiums are the same though some only allow you to shoot from one side. Montreal is like this, so it’s tough to get any good bench stuff.

The CFL is famous for it’s wild weather, how do you deal with the elements as a photographer?

Lots of layers to stay warm in the cold and for rain I use a cheap green garbage bag and duct tape to cover the camera, all fairly simple steps to take. Basically it boils down to three things; Stay dry, stay warm and cover the gear.

It was recently revealed that you’ll be the Redblacks photographer for their inaugural season, how did you get the job?

I guess I got the job as the Redblacks team photographer partly because I was the first guy in the door, I had a lot of experience shooting football and I’m very grateful to Randy Burgess as he gave me the opportunity.

Will you travel with the team when they go on the road or will you be based at Lansdowne and only cover home games?

I would love too, but I haven’t had a chance to sit down with Randy and discuss any of the details yet. When I was the Renegades team photographer I would go to the games in Montreal on my own.

What are some of your favourite images that you’ve captured throughout the years?

Favourite images is a tough one, I’ve shot so many in different areas of photography, but still don’t believe that I have shot my best one yet.

In your mind what makes an iconic picture and what are some images that sum up Ottawa’s football history for you?

Hmm, another difficult one to pick. There is one that my Dad shot of a Russ Jackson bootleg in the late 60s, but I don’t really have a single image in mind. I believe that in some cases it takes a lot of images to sum up the history of a team.

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Have you had the opportunity to meet and interact with some of the players and athletes you cover?

I have met many former players and consider a few of them friends. I was friends with Jim Coode, a tragic loss, from ALS. I went to school with his wife Lisa, who was a former Rough Rider cheerleader. She passed away several years ago as well. During the 60s, my Dad was the Riders team photographer when I was growing up and we have had players over to the house.

It seems like every year we see a player get knocked out of bounds into an unsuspecting and unpadded cameraman or photographer, has this every happened to you?

I’ve seen lots of guys get run over but I’ve never been crashed into despite a few close calls. I try to stay safe by always paying attention to where the ball is and where the players are coming from keep. I also don’t allow anyone to stand behind me, so that I can move if I have to.

What are your favourite CFL and NHL teams?

Every Ottawa team.

Tell me about your best Lansdowne memory

Favourite experience at Lansdowne was from the late 70’s during the late season games, when my Dad was still covering the games, we would sit under the south side stands on the field with a few of the other photographers and drink rum and coffee before the game.

Where can people go to buy some of your prints?

People can order high resolution downloads or prints though my web site of over 11,000 images at http://www.imagecommunications.ca/

Thank you very much for your time, Scott. Best of luck shooting the Redblacks this season, I’m sure you’ll snap some memorable ones.

@RedBlackGade

Interview with “Redblacks Theme Song” creator Nevill Carney (@NevillCarney)

By: Santino Filoso

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Today I’m interviewing Nevill Carney, one of the guys behind the “Redblacks Theme Song”, a fast paced anthem that’s been rocking R Nation. Though conceived and edited by Carney, the song itself was written and performed by Lucas Haneman, a close friend. Make sure you give both Lucas and Nevill a follow on Twitter to stay up to date on all of their latest projects:

@NevillCarney
@LucasHaneman

RR: How long have you and Lucas Haneman known each other and been making music together?

NC: I have known Lucas since Grade 7. We both grew up in Kanata (west end of Ottawa) and have been friends ever since. He is the musician while I am the videographer, essentially, I am the eyes and he is the ears. Believe it or not, all of the music that you hear in the RedBlacks theme music is Lucas! I guided him along what I was hoping to achieve but his talent carried it through to where it is now. He never ceases to amaze me!

From start to finish how long did it take you guys to put the whole thing together?

From start to finish, it took about a day and a half to come up with the musical aspect – Lucas is that talented! Once we established that we wanted to keep it simple enough for anyone to hum along to (and have a hint of 80s rock in there for good measure! – think Motley Crue’s “Kickstart My Heart”) we made quick work with the video. The visual aspect took half a day to shoot but two or three solid days to get the edit where I felt it was appealing enough to release on Youtube. So, all in, I would say five days of total time to complete it.

Were you surprised at how quickly the Redblacks and R Nation embraced your song?

In the age of social media, it didn’t surprise me that we would get a few responses for the theme. But the amount of POSITIVE feedback that we have received is ludicrous, especially at this time of year when football is an afterthought for most people focused on hockey. We couldn’t have gotten far without support; R Nation rocks!

Has there been any talk of your song being used at home games next season, and if so what would it mean to you guys?

When I initially thought of the idea for creating the tune, my end goal was to have it used by the team for when the players come out onto the field during home games. If it were to become the ‘official’ theme of the Redblacks, that would be amazing! It would mean a lot to both Lucas and myself as we have wanted to contribute in some small way to the Ottawa community. If it gets people jacked, excited and/or pumped, we have done our job! Hopefully people continue to support it so that it is heard over the sound system at TD Place at Lansdowne.

Are you guys big CFL fans, or was this just a case of being in the right place at the right time?

I wouldn’t say that I am a big CFL fan…yet! Reason being that I don’t like hopping on any other team’s bandwagon and cheering for anyone but Ottawa. I was pretty young when the Rough Riders left in ’96, and the year the Renegades left was when I was hoping to attend my first live football game at Lansdowne. With the announcement that the Redblacks were coming in 2014, I jumped at the chance and got season tickets on the new south side.

Lucas, on the other hand, due to his being visually impaired (many people have expressed shock when we tell them this detail!) is not able to observe sports the same way you or I do. Regardless, he does enjoy supporting his home town teams and maintains a high spirit each and everyday that I have known him.

What’s your favourite Lansdowne memory?

Having missed out on CFL games growing up, my favourite Lansdowne memory would have to be with the 67’s. There was one season (2000-2001 season) where the team went on a tear and won the OHL championship trophy (the J. Ross Robertson Cup). I always enjoyed, at the end of each game, having a chance to meet the players and collect signatures. I still have my signed pennant on the wall from guys such as Jon Zion, Joey Talbot, Zenon Konopka and Brendan Bell.

Which Redblacks player are you most excited to see take the field next year and why?

The Redblacks player that I am most excited to take to the field this coming season would be either Henry Burris or John Delahunt. It will be interesting to see if Burris can shake off both last year’s Grey Cup loss and the expansion woes of a new team. Plus, he seems like such an awesome, likeable guy! John Delahunt was with Hamilton last year and is a local guy who played with the Kanata Knights/Ottawa Sooners – it’s hard to not cheer on a guy from your home town!

How will you follow this song up? Are you guys planning on making any more Redblacks related music?

I would love to follow this theme song up with something else. Some of the comments we have received have been ‘negative’ in that we didn’t make the video funny enough or have ‘creative lyrics.’ That was never the point of this particular theme. It was always about being a predominantly instrumental piece that incorporates the team name in a chant to get both players and fans alike pumped before a game. Maybe eventually we can make a funny chant or something. I would love to make use of the saw blade sound effects for something else! That was a good time incorporating that with the music theme.

Any chance of a parody video in the works?

Chances of a parody video? It might be something fun to do down the line. I would be open to suggestions!

Would you recommend watermelon smashing as a good stress reliever for other Redblacks fans?

Haha, watermelon smashing is definitely a good (yet, costly!) stress reliever for Redblacks fans. Seeing as Saskatchewan is only in town once/twice a season, something else may need to fill in. Stomping on stuffed tiger kitties, perhaps?

Where can people go to check out more of your music?

People can check out more music by going to YouTube and searching “Lucas Haneman” (whom I have helped produce many of his music compilation videos). Here is a link to his channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/LucasHaneman/videos
and here is one of my favourite videos:

I am mostly a video guy but some of my work can be found on YouTube as well under “Nevill Carney”. I split my time in Ottawa/Toronto and work for Discovery on the show “Mighty Ships” while in the Big Smoke.

Thank you very much for your time and I hope to see more Redblacks related songs in the future!

@RedBlackGade

One last thought (for now) on Glenn v. Redblacks

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Much has been said on Twitter, in mainstream media and in this humble blog (entry 1, entry 2) about the Kevin Glenn affair (can it be called a saga yet?) with the Ottawa Redblacks. From the quite reasonable, to the entirely uninformed, opinions run the gamut. Here’s one more look at it.

To quickly summarize, it appears Glenn expected to be named the starter in Ottawa following his selection in the expansion draft, or at least considered himself the odds-on favourite for the job, in spite of the fact general manager Marcel Desjardins made it clear that very same day he was still looking to improve the team at the QB position. No one other than Glenn, Desjardins and probably head coach Rick Campbell know what was said behind closed doors, but it seems very unlikely promises about the starting job were made. I can’t imagine a player selected in an expansion draft would be handed the starting job right out of the shoot.

Shortly after the draft, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats decided to release 39-year-old and future CFL Hall of Fame QB Henry Burris, following their signing of former Toronto Argonauts QB Zach Collaros. Ottawa and Winnipeg went hard at Burris, with the Redblacks ultimately convincing him to sign on with expansion club. A great addition and statement that Ottawa wasn’t messing around in year one. The signing was met with near-universal praise.

At the Burris press conference, Desjardins welcomed “the new starting quarterback of the Ottawa Redblacks” to the fan base. At the time, I found it curious that Desjardins went out of his way to call Burris the starting QB. Kind of goes without saying, no?

The more I think about it now, this controversy is likely based entirely on that choice of words and little else. Glenn had to know the Redblacks were looking to make a splash and he would be facing some competition other than QBs Thomas DeMarco (also picked in the expansion draft) and Matt Faulkner (free-agent signing). But dropping that “starter” tag appears to be the kicker for Glenn. Perhaps it was simply a marketing decision for Ottawa, giving the fans a “face of the franchise” they were somewhat familiar with. Or perhaps they were just being honest about their expectations of this new reality heading into training camp. Whatever the reason, Desjardins and the Redblacks could have been a little more careful with their words, I suppose. But should they have to?

More importantly: would it make any concrete difference to Glenn?

The reality of the situation is that regardless of who was named preseason starter, Glenn would be attending training camp with the same opportunity to win the job that he had before the Burris signing. Yes, he wouldn’t get the same attention that the big free-agent acquisition will get (and let’s not discount Burris’ uncanny ability to market the team and attract attention — he seriously has a gift), but it is ultimately about the game on the field. If Glenn proved to be the better player, the job would be (or soon be) his. At the end of the day, it is still all about winning football games.

Instead of going to camp and competing, Glenn took the entire thing as a slight and immediately asked for a trade or his release. The ‘opportunity’ to compete for the starting job in Ottawa apparently no longer wanted. Desjardins has refused to release him, which makes perfect sense for an expansion team still trying to fill out a roster. A trade is the only option Ottawa can consider at this point and Desjardins apparently won’t let Glenn go cheap. With training camp still a few months out, Desjardins can be patient.

End of the day, it’s an unfortunate situation. I don’t believe there is anything the Redblacks should have done differently. They are trying to create interest, excitement and the best team possible, after all. Based on what we know, Glenn wasn’t promised anything more than a chance to compete for the starting job, and that chance remains. It is also true that Glenn has paid his dues and probably deserves a shot at starting. But with all nine of those jobs seemingly filled, and Glenn’s contract heavily weighted on number of starts, the options are limited for him. It also strikes as more than a little presumptuous for an expansion draft pick to expect anything be given to him. Ottawa might actually be Glenn’s best opportunity to start a lot this year – hard to expect a 39-year-old to stay healthy through an entire season. But it appears that’s no longer an opportunity Glenn wants.

The best option for both sides might be to have Glenn in camp and wait for an opportunity to arise elsewhere once injuries inevitably materialize. We’ll see how it plays out.

@OTTRoughRiders

Kevin Glenn (officially) wants out

By: Santino Filoso

Spoke with Kevin Glenn today and he told me he’s asked the Ottawa Redblacks to trade him. Story coming.

— Dan Ralph (@danralphcp) March 6, 2014

In a regrettable but predictable move, reporter Dan Ralph has confirmed that Kevin Glenn has indeed asked Ottawa Redblacks GM Marcel Desjardins for a trade.

This isn’t going to end well for Glenn or the Redblacks. In a recent post, I discussed how I thought that the “hacking” incident had been blown out of proportion but clearly I was wrong. By publicly confirming that he has indeed asked for a trade Glenn has tied Desjardins hands.

If it wasn’t already, any trade that Desjardins pulls off now will give the Redblacks an extremely diminished return. Teams know he wants out and will bank on the fact that the Redblacks won’t want to keep a disgruntled player in the locker room.

That being said, going public could backfire on Glenn because in the end the Redblacks don’t have to trade him. And even if Glenn is traded, it’s not a lock that he’ll start anywhere else. Pretty well every team has an established starter, so in all likelihood Glenn will remain a back-up wherever he goes.

It’s also being reported that when Burris was signed Glenn immediately asked for his release, the Redblacks denied. Here’s what GM Marcel Desjardins had to say:

“Put it this way, we are not going to release him,” Desjardins said. “We have to be smart and put ourselves in the best position depth-wise at the quarterback position and that’s what we’ve done.”

If the Redblacks gamble and feel like the other veterans can keep Glenn’s discontent from dividing the locker room, they could choose to do nothing and wait. Glenn’s contract is very cap-friendly and based on playing time, so even though Burris is getting big money, the Redblacks won’t have a problem carrying the two of them into the season. If last season was any indication, a team’s starter will go down to injury and Desjardins could chose to move Glenn at that time, for a better return.

The biggest irony of this whole situation?

BINGO!

Could it be?

Miss Cleo’s on the loose!

It’ll be very interesting to see how Desjardins and the Redblacks play this, but one thing’s for sure: the Redblacks don’t need this kind of distraction going into their inaugural season. The Redblacks have done pretty much everything right since they’ve entered the league and this is exactly the kind of bad publicity that the new ownership group has taken pains to avoid.

More from Desjardins:

“I need to do what’s in the best interest of our football team,” Desjardins said, “We’ve reached out to a few teams but at this point it’s certainly premature to say anything would actually happen.”

Would you trade Glenn now for the best offer or force him to report to training camp? If I’m Desjardins, I wait. Glenn created this mess all on his own. If I don’t get a good offer, I sit on my asset until I get a proper return.

@RedBlackGade

Redblacks QB NON-troversy

By: Santino Filoso

Talk about the kind of press the Redblacks didn’t need. On Feb. 11th, just hours into CFL Free Agency, a couple of angry messages came from Ottawa QB Kevin Glenn’s Twitter account:

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Shortly after the tweets went out, Glenn claimed his account was hacked. The offending tweets were also eventually deleted.

Believe what you like, but it appears Glenn simply committed a social media faux pas and accidentally tweeted something that was meant to be a direct message (DM).

Not exactly the kind of news Ottawa wanted to make on opening day of free agency. The Redblacks subsequently took a lot of (unwarranted) heat for how they have treated Glenn to date, warranted or not. There is definitely more than one school of thought, but let’s take a look at the facts (as I see them, anyway):

1. In Glenn, the Redblacks took the best QB available in the expansion draft.

2. Had Henry Burris been released before the expansion draft things would’ve played out much differently.

3. You cannot fault Redblacks GM Marcel Desjardins for trying to improve the team in adding a QB like Burris, a sure-fire Hall of Famer coming off a Grey Cup appearance. That’s his job.

4. Desjardins probably shouldn’t have anointed Burris the starter at his introductory presser. Some things are best left implied.

5. Glenn woke up the morning the Redblacks signed Burris to find out he’d gone from being a starter to a backup and trade bait.

6. With that said, Glenn was not told he wouldn’t be challenged, ever. Glenn has been around the block long enough to know better.

7. You can’t blame Glenn for being sour; Pro football is a cut-throat business, but these guys are human beings too.

8. While it’s easy to understand why Glenn is upset, for him to let it slip in public is unacceptable, especially on the opening day of Free Agency.

As mentioned, Glenn quickly denied any wrong-doing with the “I’ve been hacked” defense, as below.

On an unrelated note, Glenn’s dog also ate his homework… and playbook.

Some local reporters gave Glenn the benefit of the doubt, but Twitter wasn’t buying it.

I suppose the biggest unknown in all of this is what Glenn may or may not have been promised by Redblacks brass. Seems really unlikely that assurances of a starting job were given. The following comes from the Globe and Mail report on the Expansion Draft:

Although he now has Glenn and DeMarco in tow, Desjardins said he’ll be active in free agency to land other quarterbacks. Toronto’s Zach Collaros, Saskatchewan’s Drew Willy, Hamilton’s Henry Burris and Edmonton’s Matt Nichols are all slated to become free agents in February.

“There’s a couple of good options out there and we’re certainly going to pursue those,” he said. “There’s no reason why we can’t be aggressive in that area.

“We’ve got a veteran, (that) doesn’t mean we can’t add another one. We have a young guy, (that) doesn’t mean we can’t add another. There’s three or four obvious guys out there and we’ll certainly reach out to all of them when the time comes.”

Not sure how much clearer that could be…

Though he might still be upset, Glenn’s best bet is to bide his time. If he ends up staying with Ottawa at some point he’ll get playing time. It’s almost unheard of for a single QB to play an entire season. Or maybe another team loses their starter to a significant injury and the Redblacks feel comfortable enough with DeMarco’s growth to trade Glenn.

As it currently stands, the Redblacks are blessed to have two great QBs in their inaugural season, a luxury the Renegades were denied. They’ve arguably got the strongest depth at QB of any team in the CFL with Burris, Glenn and DeMarco. Good QBs in the CFL are what good goalies are to NHL teams; you can never have too many of them.

In my opinion, this whole episode is a whole lot of fuss about nothing. It’s not as if a player never mis-used social media before. And it certainly isn’t the first time a starter was supplanted by a free agent signing. Glenn should be enough of a pro not to let this kind of thing happen again, and besides, he’s only a play away from being “the guy”.

@RedBlackGade