Recap of the Ottawa Redblacks 2014 Draft

By: Santino Filoso

On Tuesday night the Redblacks threw the media and their fans a curveball half an hour before the draft when they traded their first ever 1st overall pick and the rights to recently retired OL Marwan Hage to the Calgary Stampeders for 28-year-old divisional all star OL Jon Gott. Last season, Gott played 15 games for the Stamps, 14 at guard and one at centre. Redblacks GM Desjardins justified the move saying:

“Trading for Jon Gott was by far a better option for us than making the first overall selection. Our coaching staff is familiar with Jon as a player and as a person, so we know he’ll be a strong performer and a good teammate. Jon has proven himself to be a reliable, responsible and durable CFL player and we’re happy to have him in the REDBLACKS organization.”

Some people were a bit miffed by the move, but as noted by one of the funniest CFL accounts on twitter:

It’s fascinating how draft picks are always worth more in theory than they are when converted to actual players #CFL

— Fake Mark Cohon (@FakeMarkCohon) May 13, 2014

In all seriousness though, while it would’ve been fun to watch Lavertu blossom into a starter and pancake guys for the next decade, Gott addresses an immediate need and will start from Day One. He’s an experienced all-star with a number of playoff games (including a Grey Cup win) under his belt. Not to mention he’s got the best beard in the league.

Also for those worried about Hage getting traded back to the Ticats and suddenly unretiring, we’d at least get a conditional pick from the Stamps.

It’s interesting to note that Gott was in Ottawa during the draft, which may mean that this deal was done days ago.

The RedBlacks Jon Gott is at the Marriott in Ottawa so deal was done days ago. Desjardins doesn’t let things leak!

— Don Campbell (@ottawa_dc) May 13, 2014

While R-Nation was settling in to wait for the second round Desjardins got rid of a major headache and traded back into the 1st round by dealing QB Kevin Glenn to BC for the Lions’ #5 overall pick.

Now #Redblacks flip 5th pick to MTL for 4th??? #CFLDraft #madness!

— Ottawa CFL news (@OTTRoughRiders) May 13, 2014

That pick and the 10th overall selection were promptly flipped to the Montréal Alouettes for the 4th (and 13th) pick, which was used to select DB Antoine Pruneau. Pruneau was the top ranked DB in the draft and thought by some to be the best all-around football player available. He immediately improves Ottawa’s secondary as he’s an effective player who can play safety or corner.

Managing to trade back into the 1st round at the cost of a disgruntled backup QB can’t be seen as anything other than a coup by Desjardins. I can’t wait to hear R-Nation give Glenn the welcome he deserves when the Lions visit TD Place.

See ya soon Glenn! At least we’ll always have the expansion draft!

Best of the rest:

– With the 13th pick, the Redblacks selected WR Scott MacDonell, a 6 foot 5 inch 230 pound playmaker. He figures to be a depth player at this point but could blossom into a serious threat.

– At 23rd overall the Redblacks took DL Nigel Romick. At 6’5″, weighing 242 pounds and running a 4.72 in the 40 yard dash he figures to be a key special teamer.

– The 28th player picked in the draft was 6’5″, 295 pounder OL Aaron Wheaton

– Redblacks finally drafted a Laval OL at 37, only he was named Hugo Desmarais (6’6″, 305 pounds) and not Lavertu.

– DL Stephon Miller from Windsor came off the board at 46

– Laval DL Vincent Desloges, McGill LB Alexandre Bernard and McMaster LS Kevin Malcolm were taken in the 7th round

To sum up, the Redblacks made a real splash in their first-ever CFL Canadian Draft, with three trades in the first round, adding an all-star in Gott and a blue-chip prospect in Pruneau who can step in and play meaningful snaps right away. At the same time Desjardins was able to flip depreciating assets Hage and Glenn for a positive return. The Redblacks draft focused on the trenches as they needed to build Canadian depth. And while they can’t sit comfortably yet, they’ve put in place a solid foundation.

Congrats to the Ottawa @REDBLACKS on all their draft day moves! Ottawa is about to become a football-crazy town. #RNation #CFLDraft

— Pablo Juarez (@pabs613) May 14, 2014

CLASS OF 2013

In addition to today’s trades and picks, it’s worth remembering that the Redblacks participated in the CFL’s 2013 draft, selecting four Canadian NCAA redshirt juniors (i.e. players still having a year of NCAA eligibility remaining) at the end of each of the first four rounds. With those picks the Redblacks selected Nolan MacMillan (OL), Connor “The Barbarian” Williams (DE), Kalonji Kashama (DE) and Tyler Digby (TE). These players are now all available to join the Redblacks for their inaugural training camp at the start of next month, though they may not all be there.

While Kashama, MacMillan and Williams all went undrafted during last week’s NFL Draft, it looks like Kashama has received an invite to Detroit Lions rookie mini-camp and the others may yet get camp invites of their own. Redblacks GM Desjardins has indicated that he is willing to be patient with his 2013 picks, saying:

“It’s the NFL dream, you can’t force your will on them. We anticipate if the process has run its course, they’ll probably be relatively eager to sign with us. We haven’t gotten into any serious dollar discussions with anybody. It’s not to that point yet.”

The true wildcard of this group though is Vancouver Stealth’s lacrosse forward Tyler Digby. Since being drafted by the Redblacks, Digby was selected 20th overall in the National Lacrosse League draft and has enjoyed an impressive rookie season, scoring 22 goals and 58 points in 18 games. The Stealth are expecting Digby back next year and it’s not known if the Redblacks would be willing to let him be to a two-sport athlete. Things get even more complicated when you factor in that Digby’s natural position is TE, one rarely used by most CFL teams.

As training camp draws near, the Redblacks are better now than they were yesterday and if they can get one or two of their 2013 picks signed in time for camp it would be the cherry on top of a successful 2014 draft.

@RedblackGade

#TBT: Rough Riding Renegade; An Interview with Darren Joseph

By: Santino Filoso

Today we sit down with Ottawa native and former Rough Rider and Renegade RB Darren Joseph. Joseph’s distinguished career spanned six teams and thirteen seasons (1992-2004) and he still holds the CFL record for most special teams tackles in a game (7).

RR: During your career you had two stints in Ottawa, one with the Rough Riders and one with the Renegades, was one more enjoyable than the other?

DJ: Absolutely, though both were memorable. I was 22 years old during my rookie season in ’92 and I was playing in my hometown for my dream team the Ottawa Rough Riders. That was HUGE for me and especially for my mom who had been a Rider fan since the early 60’s when she first came to Canada from St. Lucia. Because of that I’d have to say my first tour of duty was the best!

While you were an Ottawa Rough Rider the team changed it’s uniforms a few times, which one did you prefer?

My favourite uniform was the first one I ever wore for the Rough Riders, with the flaming double R’s on the helmet. The complete opposite of that was the gold red and blue uniform of ’94-95, easily the WORST uniform I ever wore in any sport, at any level. Don’t even get me started on that ridiculous Captain Crunch logo….

What advice would you give to the Redblacks players who have never been to Ottawa before?

My advice to new players would be to try to stay focused here during the season. Ottawa is a beautiful city with lots if distractions for a young football player. I’ve seen several careers disintegrate, especially in the “Hull” days. Have fun and enjoy your time here but stay focused.

What was the hardest hit you ever took?

Hardest hit HANDS DOWN was by Alondra Johnson in Calgary in ’98. I’d been having some success a few games in a row on a search play where I would cut back on the defence for long gains. AJ was watching film and decided that wasn’t going to happen to him. He hit me so hard my chinstrap unbuckled and flew 5 yards in the opposite direction, my body went through a complete change in momentum. He was a the hammer that day.

Did you have a favourite (or least favourite) stadium to play in?

I didn’t like playing at Ivor Wynne. The visitors locker room was old and beat up, the turf was like concrete and the tiger at centre field was hard dried paint. If you got tackled on it you left several layers of skin behind when you got up. The fans were relentless, the stands were almost field level and they were right on top of you in that “dugout” of a sideline and they chirped you from kickoff to the last whistle without let up. Also you had to pray that it didn’t snow late in the season because if it did you could expect a few snowballs in the face. They were great fans, just not when you played for the opposition!

Tell me about your favourite Lansdowne memory

Favourite Lansdowne memory has to be a 2003 game against the Argos when I had 7 special teams tackles and we won the game. I tied a CFL record and I was 36 yrs old at the time so for me that was a big deal.

Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of?

I would have to say I’m most proud of the fact that I survived 13 yrs as a RB/FB. I was able to attend 14 training camps and no matter how many guys they brought in to compete with me for a spot on the roster, I always made the team. I’m also proud that 2 of my 3 kids got to see me play. Lastly the biggest thing I’m proud of is that I made my mom proud. She was my biggest fan and she taped EVERY game I played during my 13-year career, seriously, she didn’t miss one!

What was your initial reaction when you heard the name of the new team?

Honestly, I wasn’t crazy about the name at first. Keep in mind I played for the other two Ottawa franchises so this is a 3rd name change but it works for me now. I’m just happy that we have CFL football back in Ottawa, the wait is finally OVER!!!!

Will you be going to any Redblacks games this season?

Yes I plan to get to as many games as I can and I’m excited for my kids who haven’t been able to experience having a team of their own like I did growing up.

Why do you think the Redblacks will be successful where the Rough Riders and Renegades have failed?

For me, it’s simple, it comes down to ownership. Jeff Hunt and the OSEG group have shown a commitment to the city, not just football fans. They have committed to ALL OF US and we haven’t had that since the Russ Jackson days. No more fair-weather owners, hit and run people with no proven track record, these guys understand that this is a marathon, not a sprint. They have also started by building around not one but THREE quality QB’s, which is a great start. I also like how they understand that bringing local talent home like John Delahunt will bond the team with the community, like they do in Regina, that’s huge.

Maybe the most important question of them all, North Side or South Side?

South Side, I’m old school.

What are you doing for work nowadays?

I have been an Ottawa Police Officer for 10 years now.

Have you ever given any thought to coaching?

I started coaching in 2002 with the Ottawa Sooners and still coach today with the GS Raiders as a position coach. I also still do football camps with the Elite Performance Academy founded by former CFL players Pat Woodcock and Donnie Ruiz. Any young aspiring athletes looking for a place to train with former pros who can help them get to the next level should give EPA a look.

In terms of coaching in the CFL, I am so busy as a police officer doing shift work that it would be tough to be 100% committed to coaching at that level. CFL coaches work hard and put in very long days and unfortunately at this stage in my career, I just couldn’t make that kind of commitment.

Do you still keep in touch with any of your old teammates?

I do keep in touch with several of my former teammates and ironically, many players from opposing teams, the CFL is like a fraternity and we’re all family. It’s nice to see guys that played for $30k a year prosper after their careers and see their families grow. The list is too many to name but I still talk to Reggie Barnes, Patrick Wayne, Brian Bonner, Daved Bennefield, Glen Kulka and Ken Evraire, I also work with DeWayne Knight, Brad Tierney, Jason Mallett and Sammie Brennan….I guess that is kind of a list isn’t it? I’ve also got a special place for Kelly Wiltshire, Andre Kirwan and Andrew Henry, who were the first ones to attend my mother’s funeral in December. When Kirwan heard that my mom passed and he was on a plane from Tampa 30 min later, that’s a true friend.

Thank you very much for sharing such a fantastic view into your career and hope to see you soon…..at a Redblacks game, of course, and not while you’re on duty 😉

@RedBlackGade

READER’S TAKE: Why I don’t like the new Redblacks jerseys

While the large majority are giving the Ottawa Redblacks two enthusiastic thumbs up for their new uniforms, even some of the most loyal Ottawa CFL fans have their gripes. The following comes from Nevill Carney, he of some great Redblacks jerseys concepts and one of the dudes behind the Redblacks Theme Song. Nevill left the following in the comment section of this post and allowed us to re-post here, for your consideration.

Our comments are captured in bold.

—

I was looking forward to this unveiling since the name and logo were unveiled a year ago. I cannot describe how bland these look! My heart literally sank as the first pics of the road jersey were released. My first thought: “where is the RED?!” Then, when the home jerseys came out, I was at least happy about them being black.

No doubt the lack of red was surprising. More on that later.

NEGATIVES

– Take away the numbers and logos from the jersey and you have a very dull looking shirt. Very much like the BC Lions home/away set. Fans will have to get numbers put on them to complete the look. (I can say now that Toronto and Edmonton have the best look in the CFL as their arm striping is sharp and creates a sense of movement when on the field)

Pretty common for a football jersey, since the number is such a prominent part of the design.

– Lack of arm striping. For OSEG, who wanted to link to the past Rough Rider teams, I really thought they would have some striping on the arms. The concepts that I had designed a while back were my hopes of what to see.

Above is Nevill’s last concept. Really sharp, I thought. Great vintage look.

I was also surprised at the lack of striping, although the white jersey does have the more modern take on striping with the black trim on the shoulders & extending all the way down the sides.

– Away uniform is depressing. It looks like a recoloring of Saskatchewan’s current road whites. Weren’t we trying to get as far away from what the GreenRiders were doing? I despise the white helmet. Stick with ONE black helmet for both uniforms. Establishing your brand in year one is VITAL. Look at the NFL teams; how many have multiple helmets?

In fairness, there are only so many jersey templates a team can use and those are likely determined by Reebok.

As for multiple helmets, I personally love it as a concept and love how the Redblacks white helmet looks.

I have heard the ‘stick with one helmet’ argument a couple times over the last few days, but don’t really get it. If a team can have 3 jerseys, no reason you can’t have multiple helmets. Baseball teams have different home/away/alternate hats, hockey teams often have different home/away helmets. Why not football?

Odd side note: last year, every West team in the CFL had an alternate helmet (SSK actually had 2). None of the East teams did.

Weird, eh?

– REDBLACKS plastered under the collar and above the front numbers. For OSEG, a business that has claimed to be supportive of both official languages since Day 1, this was a huge mistake. It now makes the English name of the team dominant over the French. I realize that they have “Rouge et Noir” on the front bumper of the helmet, but fans will not be buying the helmet. In order to offset this, they should have replaced it with “Ottawa.” The Renegades did this and it looked great.

Good point. Could have gone with OTTAWA on the front of both jerseys, or otherwise have REDBLACKS on one and ROUGE ET NOIR on the other. The bumper is a neat feature but also seems like a bit of an afterthought.

POSITIVES

– Sawblade logo on both arms. Nailed it. I was hoping for this and bam. Likely the main reason why I will be buying a home jersey rather than settling on a t-shirt to wear to games.

– Black home jersey/black helmet. Traditional; enough said.

FINAL THOUGHTS

– I would have really liked it if the Redblacks took a page from Fury FC and presented options of uniforms for the fans to vote on. This would have made the fans feel included (unlike the choosing of the team name fiasco from last year) and important enough to have a say with where the franchise is headed.

In fairness to OSEG, the ‘Name Our Teams’ campaign wasn’t actually a contest.

I am on the fence with getting one of these but I will for the sake of supporting the team (the home not the terrible away jersey).

C’mon now!

We have a so-so name, a terrific logo and now a “meh” set of uniforms. 1.5/3 for overall branding at this stage from this season ticket holder’s opinion. I can only hope that we have a retro design come to pass and become our regular set.

Not sure if it will be retro, but it sounds like we will definitely have a red third jersey later this summer. In this Ottawa Sun piece writer Aedan Helmer and OSEG president Jeff Hunt tell us:

A red third jersey will be unveiled later in the summer, and while Hunt said they went for the classic look for the home and away duds, “that (third jersey) is going to be different.”

So, that answers the lack of red in the home & away set. But how ‘different’, exactly? We shall see…

Regardless, I’m stoked for kickoff and to have Ottawa return to the CFL regardless of what they are wearing. Go Ottawa!

Thanks Nevill!

@OTTRoughRiders

A closer look at the new Ottawa Redblacks jerseys

For an expansion franchise, the uniform unveiling is pretty much the last major milestone before the games begin. And the Ottawa Redblacks did their unveiling in style, in front of 1,200 season ticket holders at the Ottawa Conference And Event Centre on Tuesday night. We weren’t able to be there in person, but #RNation did a great job bringing us there. Thanks to everyone for the providing the photos below. Hope to eventually source them all properly.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at each uniform:

HOME UNIFORM

ROAD UNIFORM

That was fun!

My thoughts:

– Very cool that we have different home & away helmets. The traditional black looks great, but I love the white!

– Jersey number font is the same style as we saw at mini-camp, but with an outline. The outline looks fine, but I think I could have worked just as well without a stroke.

– Interesting choice to have red numbers with a white stroke on the home jersey, rather than the opposite. Makes for an overall darker look. Not a bad thing.

– Interesting choice of font for player names. Again, thought they would go with something simpler to balance off the buzz saw-style numbering. But it isn’t too much either. Not my first choice, but it works.

– Would have thought red socks and some red shoulder striping for the home uniform, but again, I don’t mind the ‘black out’ look either.

– The ‘Redblacks’ word mark on the front of the jersey looks a little bigger than what we normally see on a football jersey (though not Montreal big). Also, I would have liked to see one of the jerseys with the ‘Ottawa’ word mark.

– While I’m really not a fan of the ‘flashes’ under the arm on the Sens home & away jerseys, I like the black trim on the Redblacks whites. Especially that it extends to the shoulders. Works very well. Strong look.

– As expected, the entire saw blade Redblacks logo was used on the helmets, as opposed to the R on its own. It looks really good. Perhaps we’ll see the R on its own after a few years?

– Nice looking black striping down the side of the white pant. Completes the white jersey nicely.

– Do we think the black jersey with white pants will work well? Not sure, given the striping on the pants. TBD.

– Hard to see at first, but the Rouge et Noir word mark is actually used on the front ‘bumper’ of the helmet, as pointed out on SportsLogos.net. Here’s a closer look:

Overall, a great first set of jerseys. Folks worried about plaid design can rest easy. While OSEG opted for a more modern style, they also kept things generally simple. A happy median.

For those who we’re hoping for a red jersey, don’t forget what owner Jeff Hunt had to say a few weeks ago. Don’t think we’ll be waiting too long.

An exciting day, filled with anticipation. As much fun as it was to speculate these last several months, the final product did not disappoint. A great looking uniform. Looking forward to picking up one of each jersey in the very near future.

One final thought: Props to the Redblacks for keeping the new uniform designs completely under wraps. Not a single leak, none of the rumours out there about plaid accents were even close to true and not a single jersey concept was really close to the final product. Nicely done!

@OTTRoughRiders

Redblacks jerseys coming May 6th + a few more concepts

5/5 UPDATE: The Redblacks posted the following teasers on Sunday and Monday prior to the unveiling. Didn’t give up much, but here’s what we got:

Appears to be the R in the Redblacks wordmark, which most teams place below the CFL crest on the front of the jersey. Also, seems likely that this is the road jersey, as the background is white.

Appears to be another shot of the road (white) jersey. This time, showing the CFL crest stitched into the base of a black collar.

Based on the limited amount we see here, it doesn’t look like OSEG have overdone it, opting for a simpler, more traditional look that fans seem to be clamouring for. I guess we will know for sure on Tuesday evening.

That reminds me: if you are attending tomorrow night’s unveiling, please tweet us lots of photos.

Thanks in advance!

—

Redblacks fans and jersey geeks: the wait is almost over. After months of anticipation, the Ottawa Redblacks have scheduled their jersey (entire uniform, actually) unveiling for May 6th at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre. The event, open only to season ticket holders that reserve a (free) ticket, will begin at 7:00PM ET. According to an email sent to STHs on April 29th, Henry Burris and several other Redblacks players and coaches will be on hand “for the Ottawa football fashion event of the decade.” (Their quote, not mine, I assure you). No word yet on whether the event will be televised or streamed online. (UPDATE: no stream)

So we have a date and a time. #RNation is pumped. So is WR Kierrie Johnson. Now all that’s left is to wait… and check out a few more concepts!

Here’s a solid concept update from @mediumguts incorporating the new numbering:

And here are a couple of great updates from @NevillCarney:

Really like the striping on that black Gabriel jersey. Here’s Nevill’s take:

I wanted to create a look that I would want to wear and be proud to wear.

I based them off of what he have seen on various Redblacks merchandise, like the hat that Henry Burris is wearing for the home opener ticket pack, was the inspiration for the arm stripes on the black home jersey.

The numbers were based off the ones that were worn by the players for the mini-camp in Virginia. I included two versions with the numbers on the jerseys: one color number and one with an outline. Depending on which era of Ottawa football history you are looking at, the numbers varied in design after the 80s with a red outline included and that continued through to the end of the Renegades.

Finally, this great hand-drawn take by @Sports_Drawings of soon-to-be fan-favourite Jordan Roberts:

Be sure to check out the other concepts we’ve come across here and here. And here‘s a reminder of what the mini-camp jerseys looked like.

So, will they go with red or black for the home jersey? A traditional look or something original? And what about the helmet – classic black or break with tradition and go with red? We’ll know in just a few days, but what are you hoping for?

@OTTRoughRiders

TD Place scoreboard will be a sight to see

By: Santino Filoso

It’s often said that the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask. A while back I started wondering why we hadn’t heard anything yet about the new scoreboard for TD Place stadium at Lansdowne, so I tweeted at the Redblacks asking for some information. The Redblacks social media team has been lights-out so far and I wasn’t disappointed as my query was quickly answered.

@RedBlackGade @REDBLACKS @TD_Place The video board will be 60′ x40′ and in HD.

— Randy Burgess (@OSEGRandy) April 22, 2014

Coming in at 60 feet by 40 feet means that R-Nation will have a glorious 2,400 square-foot screen overlooking the western end zone. Oh, and did I mention that it’s HD? Nothing like seeing the Redblacks run up the score in high-definition and watching the tears streak down opposing fans faces as they cower beneath the Redblack attack!

Comparing it to the old scoreboard that we had at Lansdowne during the Rough Rider/Renegade eras isn’t even fair. Kinda like:

The big thing is the new scoreboard. The little blue thing is the old one.

For those of you who are more visual, our scoreboard will be exactly the same size as the one used by Georgia Tech at their stadium. Now I realize that in this picture their scoreboard doesn’t look incredibly imposing, but you have to remember that their stadium seats 55,000, more than double the capacity of TD Place.

Having a quality scoreboard is something that really enhances the game-day experience. Nobody wants to be squinting to see a pixelated replay. Just ask Sens fans about the new scoreboard they got in 2011.

To sum up, TD Place’s scoreboard is going to be big, in HD and create even more excitement going into this inaugural Redblacks season. Yet another reason July 18th can’t get here soon enough!

@RedBlackGade

CFL Mascots 101: What they didn’t tell you in the media guide

By: Santino Filoso

Welcome to Defend the R’s first annual (and completely unbiased) CFL Mascot Power Rankings. We’ve got the inside scoop on all the things left off the mascot scouting report. If you thought you knew everything about these cuddly mascots, prepare to be surprised!

THE EAST:

4) Jason (Toronto)

Jason brings up the rear in what can only be described as an extremely weak mascot division. This cartoony Argonaut suffers from multiple personality disorder. He carries a sword, wears a futuristic space helmet, only has three fingers and looks like he’s been trying to pinch a loaf since the start of the Trojan War. Jason needs to seek professional help. And if you’re an Argos fan, please encourage him to get it next time you see him fishing on Lake Ontario.

3) T.C. and Stripes (Hamilton)

T.C. and Stripes, the love children of Tony the Tiger and Tigger, are the tamed pussy cats who can be found patrolling the Hamilton sidelines. T.C. , which cleverly stands for Tiger Cat (man, they got some thinkers in Steeltown), has been leading purrs of “Oskee Wee Wee” since the mid 80’s. Sadly, this feline’s best days are behind him and like John Henry giving way to the steam-powered hammer, it’s only a matter of time before Stripes (get it — tigers have stripes!) replaces him.

2) Touché and Blitz (Montreal)

These identical unilingual twin birds representing the Als are a stretch at number two but by default they can’t rank any lower. Like junkies searching for their next hit (of worms), these birds have been known to draw flags for illegally entering the field. Lastly (and most worryingly), though they claim to be birds, Touché and Blitz have never been spotted airborne, leading many to question their true nature.

1) Big Joe ~~Mufferaw~~/Grand Jos

The gem of the East division’s mascots, this dashing lumberjack can do it all; whether it’s chopping down trees, exterminating rodents (he’s looking at you, Gainer), bird hunting, or causing French language controversies, Joe’s the man for the job. When he’s not being serenaded by R-Nation at TD Place, Joe can be found log running down the Rideau Canal or in Mattawa, where his winter home is.

THE WEST:

5) Gainer the Gopher (Saskatchewan)

Though Alberta has successfully and meticulously prevented rats from entering the province, their watermelon hat-wearing neighbours to the east have fully embraced rodents – even selecting one to represent their fabled name-stealing team. Gainer, which is an anagram of Regina, struggles when trying to count to 12, and has two cousins named Leonard and Goof (seriously) who sometimes make watching the Green Riders lose a family affair.

4) Leo the Lion (BC)

Leo is a lion who tragically can’t roar. When he’s not meowing to pump the crowd up, you can find the feline practicing ballet and avoiding Ralph.

3) Punter and Nanook (Edmonton)

They say opposites attract, and boy oh boy is that ever true when it comes to the Eskimo Empire. You can’t expect a lot out of your offense when one of your mascots is a ‘roid raged football named Punter. The yin to Punter’s yang is Nanook, a polar bear who moved South to avoid the melting Arctic ice floes and because he heard so many good things about the sushi in the West Edmonton Mall.

2) Buzz and Boomer (Winnipeg)

Ever since they flew the coop in Chicken Run, these poultry have been living large. The loveable duo never stop hatching plans to entertain the Winnipeg faithful because they know their team won’t.

1) Ralph the Dog (Calgary)

You have to give respect where respect is due, and despite always looking like he just woke up, Ralph deserves all the praise he gets. As the CFL’s first and oldest mascot, Ralph has been eating Eskimo pies, chicken Alouette and gopher gumbo long before any of the other mascots showed up. Despite showing his age, this pooch is still top-dog in the West.

Where do you rank ’em? Let us know in the comments below!

@RedBlackGade

Redblacks unveil jersey… numbers ;)

As if the excitement of their first official team activity wasn’t enough, the Ottawa Redblacks also gave fans a peek at what to expect from the team’s uniforms at their inaugural mini-camp this past week in Richmond, VA.

Here are a couple of photos that provide a good look (courtesy of the Ottawa Redblacks and the Ottawa Sun):

For lots more photos, check out the Redblacks Facebook page.

As expected, the jersey numbers have the same saw blade slice style as the Redblacks ‘R’ logo.

So, it’s not a traditional number style, but it definitely works on the practise jerseys. As long as there isn’t too much more going on with the jerseys, other than a little bit of shoulder striping, it should make for a great looking uniform. Hope they opt for a simple font for the player names as well.

As for the colour options, pretty standard stuff – black, white & red. Found this tweet particularly inciteful:

@OttRedandBlacks: @Redblacks dark practice jerseys are black so very likely the real jerseys are too. Every #CFL team follows suit with their practice jerseys.

Makes sense, although I still have a sneaking suspicion the team could go with a red home jersey, as opposed to black. At any rate, with a third jersey likely coming this fall, and with jersey combination mixing & matching becoming so commonplace in pro football, good chance we’ll see both black and red jerseys worn at home regularly.

With the jersey launch date rumoured to be May 10th, we’re now just under a month away from the big reveal. While we wait, whose name/number are you thinking about for your first Redblacks jersey? We put together a quick poll:

Mini-Camp Coverage

Couldn’t end this mini-camp post without a shoutout to the Redblacks social media team and The Ottawa Sun’s Tim Baines for the excellent coverage from Richmond. Both provided piles of great photos, videos, interviews and incite. Was fun to follow the action, giving fans a sense of the atmosphere and some of the personalities we have to look forward to this season.

Kudos to the Ottawa Sun for sending Baines to Richmond. Shame the Ottawa Citizen didn’t send Gord Holder or anyone else. The Sun’s domination on Redblacks coverage in the city continues.

Things we learned at Redblacks mini-camp

By: Santino Filoso

The Redblacks took an important step in their development this week as the team came together for mini-camp in Richmond, VA. The historic gathering gave coaches and management their first look at their players on the field (albeit without any equipment, due to league rules) and allowed the team to begin developing some chemistry. Here are a few takeaways from the three-day camp:

– Marcel Desjardins is the anti-Burris, in that he seemingly never cracks a smile. After all the tough legwork he’s done to get the franchise to this point, the guy has to be giddy inside to finally see his players on an actual field, doing football things. Not that you’d ever be able to tell from his body language though. I think Desjardins will only smile when the Redblacks win back-to-back Grey Cups, and even then only if they’re blowouts.

– Henry Burris could make a hell of a weatherman. Smooth clear voice, check. Million dollar smile, check. Ability to concentrate in averse conditions (Fred Rouse), check. Strokes his audience’s ego with subtle comments, check. Interesting random prop (banana peels), check.

– You heard it here first: there’s no chance Kevin Glenn shows up to training camp. This was the Redblacks first organized event in team history. You can’t overstate how important it was for all the guys to get together and to start building some chemistry. This would’ve been the perfect opportunity for Glenn to silence his critics and play the good solider until another team’s pivot went down, paving the way for him to be traded. By failing to show up at this mini-camp, he’s alienated himself from the guys on the roster and missed out on a crucial bonding experience. One thing’s for certain: with Burris, Thomas DeMarco, Matt Faulkner and the newly signed Corey Leonard, the Redblacks have a bevy of strong arms. The only person Glenn’s hurting right now is himself.

– Keith Shologan is happy to be out of Regina, even if it’s only for a few days. Who can blame him, considering the seasons in Regina are Winter (October to mid-May) and Spring/Summer (July to early September).

Shologan interview

– The numbers on the Redblacks jerseys are going to be unique in the CFL, as they’ll feature a small notch, just like the R on the buzz saw in the logo. Personally I love this touch and can’t wait to see what the finished product will look like when the uniforms are finally and officially revealed on May 10th.

– According to the Ottawa Citizen, Eric Fraser is the Redblacks CFLPA rep. Between mini-camp drills he took some time to meet with the Redblacks veterans and updated them on the latest CBA situation. From his tweets you can see that Fraser is a very intelligent and reasonable guy, and hopefully this translates in a positive manner during the CBA negotiations. Also he got sore feet:

“@REDBLACKS: @efraser007 Why do your feet hurt, Eric? Anything happening today?” Long day instituting a “No Fly Zone”.

— Eric Fraser (@efraser007) April 9, 2014

– R-Nation cannot be contained and we are already everywhere. We’re going to have strong showings at every stadium this season so that our boys know they’ll never be alone in enemy territory. Zack and Erika Wood got an early start on the road tripping by heading down to Richmond to watch the Redblacks practice.

– Remember the name Jordan Roberts (RB). He was an absolute monster in college putting up 50 TDs in just three seasons at the University of Charleston and sounds like he really had a strong camp. I think he’ll be an impact player and quickly turn into a fan favourite.

– The mistakes the doomed the Renegades will not be repeated by the Redblacks. The team had a ton of French content in their camp coverage, with tweets in both English and French, interviews with players like WR Simon Le Marquand and FB Patrick Lavoie and used both languages in their daily video updates. Smart move by management to keep everyone happy.

– The Redblacks team Desjardins has put together looks very fast. Bodies have been flying around and everyone from reporters to coaches to the players themselves have been commenting on it. That being said, take it with a grain of salt as it’s easy to look fast without helmets and pads and when you’re not being fully jammed at the line.

– Lastly, there’s something different about this team, it isn’t your normal expansion group. The feeling of optimism surrounding the players and the quality of their resumes gives the Redblacks more than a fighting chance out of the gate and you could even make the argument that they’re already better than some teams (hint: Winnipeg). GM Desjardins hammered this message home at the team’s first meeting when he told the players that “from this point forward, we are the Ottawa Redblacks, not the expansion Ottawa Redblacks”. That’s exactly the mentality the team needs to adopt to be successful and it’s good to see it expressed from management.

“From this point forward, we are the Ottawa Redblacks, not the expansion Ottawa Redblacks”.

With our first look at the team in the books, what position do you think is the Redblacks strongest?

@RedBlackGade

Hunt hints at possible Redblacks 3rd jersey in year one

A small piece of Redblacks news that may have slipped past most of us, what with the excitement around the sale of home opener ticket packs to the public and the “controversy” around the naming of the Redblacks mascot Big Joe ~~Mufferaw~~, was OSEG President Jeff Hunt dropping a hint (or pretty much confirming?) a third jersey for the Redblacks in year one. In an interview with TSN 1200 (6-minute mark), Hunt indicates that home and away jerseys will be released in mid-May, likely followed by a third jersey release in the fall!

For a jersey/logo enthusiast (geek?) like myself, this was nearly as welcome as hearing the Redblacks, still over three months away from kick-off, are already pushing 13,000 season ticket holders. A third jersey in the inaugural season is a bit of a surprise, and a welcome one at that.

And now the big question: what might this jersey look like? A couple of things come to mind immediately. First off, a fall release of a third jersey in the CFL would most likely be centred around the team’s Labour Day Classic game. And what better occasion for a vintage jersey than a LDC game.

I’m thinking there might be some giddy former Rough Rider fans in Ottawa in September!

This move makes a lot of sense for the Redblacks. Releasing three jerseys at one time seems like overkill. And if the third jersey is indeed a vintage Rough Riders look, Hunt and OSEG will have once again proven that they get it. They understand this fan base and how important it is to link the new team with teams of the past.

DOES NEW GEAR HINT AT POSSIBLE JERSEY STYLE/STRIPING?

As part of the home opener ticket pack promotion, the Redblacks released an ad featuring QB Henry Burris sporting some gear we haven’t seen before. For those that haven’t seen it, here’s the ad:

Specifically, the striping on the hat seems very reminiscent of Rough Riders uniforms gone by. Here’s a closer look at the hat:

Notice the striping similarities with this jersey from the early 1970s (image courtesy Wikipedia):

Kinda similar, anyway.

Probably reading too much into one hat, but it is fun to speculate.

Want more on Redblacks jersey concepts? Check out these past blog entries.

@OTTRoughRiders

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