OT: Ottawa REDBLACKS 2018-2019

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hawthy

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Mar 31, 2010
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At least on paper, you’re right as it appears now:

West QBs:

B.C. -> Reilly
Calgary -> Mitchell
Edmonton -> Harris
Saskatchewan -> Collaros
Winnipeg -> Nichols

East QBs:

Hamilton -> Masoli
Toronto -> Ray?
Ottawa -> Jennings/Davis
Montreal -> Manziel
 

Rhaegar Targaryen

Registered User
Jun 25, 2016
6,375
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Harris said a signing bonus prevented the deal from getting done. And he tried meeting with our GM but the meeting never happened.
 

Larionov

Registered User
Feb 9, 2005
4,392
2,082
Ottawa, ON
Harris said a signing bonus prevented the deal from getting done. And he tried meeting with our GM but the meeting never happened.

That's such a weird story. I just don't get how the GM soured on Harris all of a sudden over the course of the off-season. His demands weren't wildly out of line - in fact, he could have been had for essentially what he made last year. Why would you not jump all over that deal? Instead, we lose our starting QB and dressing room leader, and sub in a guy in Jennings who is, to put it nicely, a reclamation project. If Jennings can return to his 2016 form we have ourselves a top QB, but that's a huge "if". You don't win without a strong QB in this league, and Desjardins knows that full well. This is a huge gamble - Desjardins either comes out of this looking like a genius or a complete chump who needlessly outsmarted himself...
 
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Stylizer1

SENSimillanaire
Jun 12, 2009
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Ottabot City
That's such a weird story. I just don't get how the GM soured on Harris all of a sudden over the course of the off-season. His demands weren't wildly out of line - in fact, he could have been had for essentially what he made last year. Why would you not jump all over that deal? Instead, we lose our starting QB and dressing room leader, and sub in a guy in Jennings who is, to put it nicely, a reclamation project. If Jennings can return to his 2016 form we have ourselves a top QB, but that's a huge "if". You don't win without a strong QB in this league, and Desjardins knows that full well. This is a huge gamble - Desjardins either comes out of this looking like a genius or a complete chump who needlessly outsmarted himself...
As good as Harris was for us $700,000 is an huge over payment.
 

Larionov

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Feb 9, 2005
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Ottawa, ON
As good as Harris was for us $700,000 is an huge over payment.

He got 525k in Edmonton, I believe - it's Reilly who got 700+ in BC .(Bo Levi Mitchell probably also hit close to 700 in Calgary.)

Is 525k an overpayment for Harris? Probably. Ken Evraire (former Rough Rider player, now guests on TSN 1200) makes a good point in that there is no other league bidding for these QBs, so CFL teams are insane to be paying them this kind of money relative to other position players. Still, though, it's such a QB driven league that without a good one, your team is dead in the water.

Jennings is getting 200k in base pay, but if he hits all his incentives for playing time, performance, etc. he could hit 400k. Apparently Dominique Davis, our backup from last year, also signed an incentive laden deal. Clearly the REDBLACKS are going with a different model this year, letting two guys compete as opposed to having one guy as "the man". Like I say, if it works our GM is a genius, and gets to invest the savings in bolstering his roster elsewhere. (Paying a prominent guy who gets cut from the NFL in late August, for example.) If, however, we are floundering badly at mid-season with an offence that can't score, he's going to have some explaining to do to fans and the brass at OSEG.
 
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danielpalfredsson

youtube dot com /watch?v=CdqMZ_s7Y6k
Aug 14, 2013
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That's such a weird story. I just don't get how the GM soured on Harris all of a sudden over the course of the off-season. His demands weren't wildly out of line - in fact, he could have been had for essentially what he made last year. Why would you not jump all over that deal? Instead, we lose our starting QB and dressing room leader, and sub in a guy in Jennings who is, to put it nicely, a reclamation project. If Jennings can return to his 2016 form we have ourselves a top QB, but that's a huge "if". You don't win without a strong QB in this league, and Desjardins knows that full well. This is a huge gamble - Desjardins either comes out of this looking like a genius or a complete chump who needlessly outsmarted himself...

Weren't they not that hot on extending him for big money last time around?

What QBs are coming up as free agents next year? Is it possible that we are trying to position ourselves to acquire a specific QB in 2020? Jennings is only signed to a 1 year deal. Harris would have required 2.
 

hawthy

Registered User
Mar 31, 2010
844
682
Ottawa
He got 525k in Edmonton, I believe - it's Reilly who got 700+ in BC .(Bo Levi Mitchell probably also hit close to 700 in Calgary.)

Is 525k an overpayment for Harris? Probably. Ken Evraire (former Rough Rider player, now guests on TSN 1200) makes a good point in that there is no other league bidding for these QBs, so CFL teams are insane to be paying them this kind of money relative to other position players. Still, though, it's such a QB driven league that without a good one, your team is dead in the water.

Jennings is getting 200k in base pay, but if he hits all his incentives for playing time, performance, etc. he could hit 400k. Apparently Dominique Davis, our backup from last year, also signed an incentive laden deal. Clearly the REDBLACKS are going with a different model this year, letting two guys compete as opposed to having one guy as "the man". Like I say, if it works our GM is a genius, and gets to invest the savings in bolstering his roster elsewhere. (Paying a prominent guy who gets cut from the NFL in late August, for example.) If, however, we are floundering badly at mid-season with an offence that can't score, he's going to have some explaining to do to fans and the brass at OSEG.

Good take. Objective and level-headed.
 

Larionov

Registered User
Feb 9, 2005
4,392
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Ottawa, ON
Weren't they not that hot on extending him for big money last time around?

What QBs are coming up as free agents next year? Is it possible that we are trying to position ourselves to acquire a specific QB in 2020? Jennings is only signed to a 1 year deal. Harris would have required 2.

These guys don't get guaranteed contracts - their only guarantee is their up front bonus money. In fact, off-season "roster bonuses" for players on multi-year deals often act as a prompt for the team to cut him just before he collects his bonus. As a result, multi-year deals benefit management more than the player in the CFL - kind of the opposite of the NHL.

I looked at this as Jennings basically betting on himself. If he has a bounce back year in 2019, he'll be in a position to demand closer to the kind of money Harris just got for 2020.
 
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Oct 10, 2010
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QB driven league we don't have one unless Davis surprises.

Also don't see where our savings have gone? bunch of nobodies Marcel has signed.

Very disappointing off-season.
 
Oct 10, 2010
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Players leaving town:

QB-Harris
WR-Ellingson
OL-Rogers
RB-Powell
WR-Spencer ( NFL)
DL-AC Leonard
DB-Rico Murray
OL- Jon Gott
LB-Herbert

Players from other roster added:

LB- Boulay
QB- Jennings
WR- Holley
WR -Behar
DB- Stoudemire
DB-Francis
OL- Gagnon
WR- Lankford
DB- Chris Randle

Ottawa has also re-signed Rose, Leone, Klassen, Madu Jr etc
The roster transformation has been stunning We'll need some surprises this upcoming season to be competitive IMO
 
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Larionov

Registered User
Feb 9, 2005
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Ottawa, ON
Chris Randle is legit - he makes an already good defense even better.

I also like the Behar signing. He was a fifth overall pick in 2017 and is coming home, having played at Carleton. Behar got off to a bad start in Edmonton, though, sitting out a chunk of his first season in a contract dispute. That put him in management's dog house and he never did get himself established there. I think the kid got some bad advice going into that first year, and maybe suffered from a slightly inflated view of himself as a rookie. He's got skills though, and a Canadian passport. If his attitude is what it needs to be, he could really thrive with the change of scenery here in Ottawa. If it does, it frees us up to play two American offensive tackles, which beefs up our O line immensely...
 

Larionov

Registered User
Feb 9, 2005
4,392
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Ottawa, ON
Any thoughts on new OC? Pretty late to find one.

I suspect they reach into the Canadian university ranks to grab a coach who would like to jump back into the pro game. For instance, former Hamilton Head Coach and Bombers OC Marcel Bellefeuille was at Queen's last year. He's an Ottawa guy to boot. He'd probably jump at the chance. Conversely, I don't see this as the time to roll the dice on a young guy with no previous play calling experience...
 

Karl Eriksson

Boring!
Apr 12, 2007
10,929
5,669
Ottawa
Ontario just announced that the 2019 Budget will legalize tailgating.

Let your imagination run wild with where you could fit a pickup truck 2 chairs, a bbq and a cooler within 1 km of Landsdowne.
 

Larionov

Registered User
Feb 9, 2005
4,392
2,082
Ottawa, ON
Mods - any way to re-name this to 2019? Camp is underway, a new CBA is being signed, and a new era of REDBLACKS football is underway. I walked into Rookie Camp last week at TD Place and saw a new guy wearing #82, so you definitely knew that it was going to be as different year...
 

aragorn

Do The Right Thing
Aug 8, 2004
28,464
8,992
Can't help but think next season is going to be very hard to watch any team in the east.

Hamilton should have another good team given they have most of their starters back & only lost their HC.

That's such a weird story. I just don't get how the GM soured on Harris all of a sudden over the course of the off-season. His demands weren't wildly out of line - in fact, he could have been had for essentially what he made last year. Why would you not jump all over that deal? Instead, we lose our starting QB and dressing room leader, and sub in a guy in Jennings who is, to put it nicely, a reclamation project. If Jennings can return to his 2016 form we have ourselves a top QB, but that's a huge "if". You don't win without a strong QB in this league, and Desjardins knows that full well. This is a huge gamble - Desjardins either comes out of this looking like a genius or a complete chump who needlessly outsmarted himself...

I am interested in seeing how Dominque Davis QB does this yr & whether he has what it takes to be a #1 quarterback in the CFL, he certainly has the arm strength for it & can run but whether he has the touch & smarts or not remains to be seen.
 
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Rhaegar Targaryen

Registered User
Jun 25, 2016
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A Saskatchewan CTV reporter predicted the Redblacks to go 2-16. Btw, that is the record we went in the inaugural season.

I'm used to the Redblacks getting no respect but that's a little much. We have a solid D, still, and Davis is a wildcard (don't forget, we also have Jennings on the bench). 2-16 seems like an absolute worst case scenario and I'm not sure we're even THAT bad.

I predict we get in between 8-10 wins. Probably sneak into the playoffs still.
 

L'Aveuglette

つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
Jan 8, 2007
47,728
19,694
Montreal
A Saskatchewan CTV reporter predicted the Redblacks to go 2-16. Btw, that is the record we went in the inaugural season.

I'm used to the Redblacks getting no respect but that's a little much. We have a solid D, still, and Davis is a wildcard (don't forget, we also have Jennings on the bench). 2-16 seems like an absolute worst case scenario and I'm not sure we're even THAT bad.

I predict we get in between 8-10 wins. Probably sneak into the playoffs still.

I predict the RBs have shot themselves in the foot and once again Ottawa's CFL team will be in trouble within a few seasons.
 

Tundraman

ModerationIsKey
Feb 13, 2010
11,678
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North
The RB's pulled that win out of a hat. Sure didn't look like it for a long time but the RB's hung around. Madu had a very good game.
 

JimmySpaetzle

Registered User
May 16, 2014
1,272
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Weird game. Solid win, and Davis has obvious arm talent, but can his decision making be smarter...
 
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