2016 Ottawa Redblacks season

2016 Ottawa Redblacks season
Head coach	Rick Campbell
General manager	Marcel Desjardins
Home field	TD Place Stadium
Results
Record	8–9−1
Division place	1st, East
Playoff finish	Won Grey Cup
Team MOP	Ernest Jackson
Team MOC	Brad Sinopoli
Team MOR	Jason Lauzon-Séguin
Uniform

The 2016 Ottawa Redblacks season was the third season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Redblacks finished in 1st place in the East Division with a 8–9–1 record. This was the first time in CFL history that a team with a losing record finished first in their division.

The club failed to match their 12–6 record from the previous season, nevertheless, with their week 19 win in Winnipeg against the Blue Bombers the Redblacks repeated as regular season East Division champions, earning a bye to and the right to host the 2016 East Final in the process.^[1]

The Redblacks' season featured the first-ever Grey Cup rematch to take place in an earlier round of the playoffs as the 2015 champion Edmonton Eskimos qualified as a crossover team for the East Division playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Final. The Redblacks avenged their 2015 Grey Cup loss with a 35-23 victory over Edmonton to earn the right to play in the the 104th Grey Cup. At BMO Field Toronto, the Redblacks won the first championship for an Ottawa CFL team since the Rough Riders did it in 1976.

Off-Season

Open Tryout Sessions

On February 2, 2016, the Redblacks announced they would be holding open tryouts across North America during the spring.^[2] The dates and locations are listed in the table below:

Location	Venue	Date
Miami, Florida	Florida International University	February 27, 2016
Atlanta, Georgia	Lakewood Stadium	February 28, 2016
Austin, Texas	Bastrop Memorial Stadium	April 9, 2016
Las Vegas, Nevada	Bill 'Wildcat' Morris Rebel Park	April 10, 2016
Ottawa, Ontario	TD Place Stadium	April 23, 2016
Indianapolis, Indiana	Decatur Central High School	May 21, 2016

Free-Agency

Prior to the start of free-agency at 12:00pm ET on February 9, 2016,the RedBlacks extended the contracts of some significant players. They brought back defensive lineman Zack Evans, wide-receiver Chris Williams and linebacker Damaso Munoz.

Additions

• Ottawa made a big splash on the first day of free-agency when they signed highly coveted former-Argos QB Trevor Harris. Harris played very well in 17 games for the Argos in 2015; completing 71% of his passes attempts with 33 touchdowns and 19 interceptions for 4,354 yards.^[3] Harris is expected to be the back-up quarterback behind 41-year old, 2015 Most Outstanding Player, Henry Burris.^[4]
• Veteran national defensive back Ryan Hinds agreed to terms with Ottawa in the middle of February.^[5] Hinds spent his first seven CFL seasons between the Tiger-Cats and the Eskimos. However, Hinds decided to retire citing that "his heart wasn’t in it and he wasn’t going to play anymore".^[6]
• Former Oakland Raiders and New York Giants wide receiver Juron Criner signed with the Redblacks on April 14 in time for training camp.^[7] Following a successful pre-season Criner made the final roster.^[8]

Losses

• Star defensive end Justin Capicciotti signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on February 10. Capicciotti had been one of Ottawa's best pass-rushers in the previous two seasons, totaling 23 sacks and just shy of 100 tackles.^[9]
• Also on February 10, starting running back Jeremiah Johnson signed with the BC Lions. In two seasons with the Redblacks Johnson saw action in 15 games (missing 8 games due to injury in 2015), carrying the ball 135 times for 686 yards (5.0 average) with 11 rushing touchdowns.^[10]
• Veteran defensive back Jovon Johnson signed with the Montreal Alouettes.^[11] Javon Johnson was an Eastern All-Star in 2015 and was one of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball.
• Offenisve tackle Colin Kelly signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL.^[12] Kelly played 18 games in 2015 for Ottawa at right tackle.
• Veteran defensive lineman Keith Shologan signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Shologon contributed 7 sacks during the 2015 campaign.^[13]
• Defensive lineman Shawn Lemon was released by the Redblacks following the conclusion of the 2015 season so he could pursue NFL opportunities. He ultimately signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in January.^[14]

Training Camp

Non-mandatory spring mini-camp was held on April 24–26 at TD Place stadium. The sessions were open for the public to view.^[15] Mandatory training camp took place between May 29 and through June 19. First-year CFL players had three practices prior to the official training camp (May 25 through 27). The majority of practices took place at TD Place Stadium, with two at Carleton University and one at Stade Mont-Bleu in Gatineau, Quebec. The team conducted a "mock-game" as part of their training camp on June 5.^[16] This was the first training camp season in which the Redblacks had priority at TD Place, as the stadium was under construction in 2014 and hosting the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup last year.^[17]

Preseason

Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Results		TV	Venue	Attendance	Summary
				Score	Record
A	Mon, June 13	7:00 p.m. EDT	vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers	W 18–14	1–0	TSN	TD Place Stadium	17,947	Recap
B	Fri, June 17	7:30 p.m. EDT	at Hamilton Tiger-Cats	L 25–42	1–1	Ticats.ca	Tim Hortons Field		Recap

^[18]

 #  Games played with white uniforms.

Regular season

Standings

East Division
Team	GP	W	L	T	Pts	PF	PA	Div	Stk
Y–Ottawa Redblacks	18	8	9	1	17	486	498	5–3	L1	Details
X–Hamilton Tiger-Cats	18	7	11	0	14	507	502	5–3	L2	Details
Montreal Alouettes	18	7	11	0	14	383	416	3–5	W3	Details
Toronto Argonauts	18	5	13	0	10	383	568	3–5	L7	Details

Schedule

Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Results		TV	Venue	Attendance	Summary
				Score	Record
1	Sat, June 25	7:00 p.m. EDT	at Edmonton Eskimos	W 45–37 (OT)	1–0	TSN/RDS	Commonwealth Stadium	27,846	Recap
2	Thurs, June 30	7:00 p.m. EDT	at Montreal Alouettes	W 28–13	2–0	TSN/RDS/ESPN2	Molson Stadium	21,522	Recap
3	Fri, July 8	7:00 p.m. EDT	vs. Calgary Stampeders	T 26–26 (2OT)	2–0–1	TSN/RDS	TD Place Stadium	24,621	Recap
4	Wed, July 13	7:30 p.m. EDT	at Toronto Argonauts	W 30–20	3–0–1	TSN/RDS	BMO Field	12,373	Recap
5	Fri, July 22	9:00 p.m. EDT	at Saskatchewan Roughriders	L 29–30	3–1–1	TSN/RDS2	Mosaic Stadium	30,172	Recap
6	Sun, July 31	7:30 p.m. EDT	vs. Toronto Argonauts	L 20–23	3–2–1	TSN/RDS/ESPN2	TD Place Stadium	24,894	Recap
7	Sat, Aug 6	7:00 p.m. EDT	vs. Edmonton Eskimos	W 23–20	4–2–1	TSN	TD Place Stadium	24,560	Recap
8	Bye
9	Fri, Aug 19	7:00 p.m. EDT	vs. Montreal Alouettes	L 19–43	4–3–1	TSN/RDS	TD Place Stadium	24,907	Recap
10	Thurs, Aug 25	7:30 p.m. EDT	vs. BC Lions	L 23–29	4–4–1	TSN/RDS/ESPN2	TD Place Stadium	24,677	Recap
11	Thurs, Sept 1	7:30 p.m. EDT	at Montreal Alouettes	W 19–14	5–4–1	TSN/RDS	Molson Stadium	19,117	Recap
12	Bye
13	Sat, Sept 17	5:00 p.m. EDT	at Calgary Stampeders	L 23–48	5–5–1	TSN	McMahon Stadium	26,529	Recap
14	Fri, Sept 23	7:00 p.m. EDT	vs. Toronto Argonauts	W 29–12	6–5–1	TSN/RDS2	TD Place Stadium	25,088	Recap
15	Sat, Oct 1	10:00 p.m. EDT	at BC Lions	L 33–40	6–6–1	TSN/RDS	BC Place	19,703	Recap
16	Fri, Oct 7	7:00 p.m. EDT	vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders	L 30–32 (OT)	6–7–1	TSN	TD Place Stadium	24,668	Recap
17	Fri, Oct 14	7:00 p.m. EDT	at Hamilton Tiger-Cats	W 30–29	7–7–1	TSN	Tim Hortons Field	23,868	Recap
18	Fri, Oct 21	7:00 p.m. EDT	vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats	L 36–39 (2OT)	7–8–1	TSN	TD Place Stadium	24,210	Recap
19	Sat, Oct 29	4:00 p.m. EDT	at Winnipeg Blue Bombers	W 23–10	8–8–1	TSN/RDS	Investors Group Field	26,097	Recap
20	Fri, Nov 4	7:00 p.m. EDT	vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers	L 20–33	8–9–1	TSN/RDS2	TD Place Stadium	24,432	Recap

^[18][19]

 #  Games played with colour uniforms.

 #  Games played with white uniforms.

Post-season

Schedule

Game	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Results		TV	Venue	Attendance	Summary
				Score	Record
East Semi-Final	Bye
East Final	Sun, Nov 20	1:00 p.m. EST	vs. Edmonton Eskimos	W 35–23	1–0	TSN/RDS/ESPN2	TD Place Stadium	24,248	Recap
104th Grey Cup	Sun, Nov 27	6:00 p.m. EST	vs. Calgary Stampeders	W 39–33 (OT)	2–0	TSN/RDS/ESPN2	BMO Field	33,421	Recap

^[18]

 #  Games played with colour uniforms.

 #  Games played with white uniforms.

Over 40,000 fans attended the Grey Cup parade at Lansdowne Park two days following the game.^[20]

Team

Roster

2016 Ottawa RedBlacks roster
Quarterbacks  1 Henry Burris  7 Trevor Harris  5 Danny O'Brien Running Backs 25 Brendan Gillanders FB 27 Kienan LaFrance RB 81 Patrick Lavoie RB  3 Travon Van RB Receivers 86 Juron Criner 82 Greg Ellingson  8 Jake Harty  9 Ernest Jackson 83 Scott MacDonell 13 Khalil Paden 88 Brad Sinopoli  4 Jamill Smith		Offensive Linemen 53 Matthew Albright 64 J'Michael Deane 68 Tommie Draheim 63 Jon Gott 58 Jason Lauzon-Séguin 66 Nolan MacMillan 56 Alex Mateas Defensive Linemen 76 Landon Cohen DL 92 Zack Evans DL 41 Arnaud Gascon-Nadon DE 95 Moton Hopkins DL 94 Cleyon Laing DL 90 Andrew Marshall DL 99 Connor Williams DE		Linebackers 10 Serderius Bryant 52 Tanner Doll 45 Damaso Munoz 44 Taylor Reed Defensive Backs 46 Jean-Philippe Bolduc 24 Jerrell Gavins 23 Forrest Hightower 15 Keelan Johnson 14 Abdul Kanneh  6 Antoine Pruneau 22 Jeff Richards 34 Jonathan Rose 28 Nicholas Taylor 33 Dan West 21 Mitchell White CB Special Teams 43 Ray Early K 39 Zackary Medeiros K		Injured List 31 John Boyett LB 36 Mikaël Charland DB 43 Olivier Goulet-Veilleux LB 16 Brock Jensen QB 48 Jeremiah Kose LB 49 Ettore Lattanzio DL 37 Mossis Madu RB 50 Kevin Malcolm LB 30 Chris Milo K 97 Mike Moore DL 17 Ronnie Pfeffer P 29 William Powell RB 55 SirVincent Rogers OL 47 Nigel Romick DL 59 Jake Silas OL 91 Aston Whiteside DL 80 Chris Williams WR 6-Game Injured List Currently vacant Disabled 38 Tristan Jackson DB Practice Squad 65 Randy Beardy OL 96 Marcus Bernard DL 19 Imoan Claibourne DB 57 Quinterrius Eatmon DL 93 Miles Grooms DL 84 John Harris WR 98 Paul Hazel DL 35 Kevin Jackson LB 87 Joshua Stangby WR 42 Herve Tonye-Tonye LB Italics indicate International player Roster updated 2016-11-28 Depth Chart • Transactions 46 Active, 17 Injured, 0 Six-Game Injured, 10 Practice → More rosters

Coaching staff

Ottawa Redblacks Staff
	Front Office Owner – Jeff Hunt President and CEO – Bernie Ashe General Manager – Marcel Desjardins Director of Player Personnel – vacant Coordinator, Football Administration – Chantal Covington Video Coordinator, Braun Gheller Pro Scout, Kenny McClay Head Coaches Head Coach – Rick Campbell Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – Jaime Elizondo Running Backs – Jordan Maksymic Offensive Line – Bryan Chiu Receivers – Travis Moore Offensive Assistant – Beau Walker			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Mark Nelson Defensive Line – Leroy Blugh Defensive Backs – Ike Charlton Defensive Assistant – Derek Oswalt Special Teams Coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Bob Dyce Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning Trainer – vacant → Coaching Staff → More CFL staffs

References

1. "Redblacks beat Bombers to clinch East". TSN.ca. The Canadian Press. October 29, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
2. "Open Tryouts 2016 - Ottawa REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
3. "REDBLACKS land quarterback Trevor Harris". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
4. "Ottawa RedBlacks' new quarterback Trevor Harris learns from legends". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
5. Dunk, Justin (2016-02-18). "Canadian defensive back Ryan Hinds agrees to terms with Redblacks". 3DownNation. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
6. "Would-be Redblacks decide to opt out before camp". Ottawa Citizen. 2016-05-30. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
7. Hansen, Greg. "Ex-UA standout receiver Criner signs with CFL's Redblacks". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
8. "Ottawa Redblacks drop pre-season finale against Hamilton Tiger-Cats". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
9. "Saskatchewan Roughriders welcome DE Justin Capicciotti". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
10. "Johnson, Allen vying to fill void in Lions' backfield". TSN. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
11. "Ottawa RedBlacks lose Jovon Johnson to Montreal Alouettes, but the question is why". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
12. Fucillo, David (2016-01-25). "49ers give CFL OL Colin Kelly $65,000 in guaranteed money". Niners Nation. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
13. "Bombers add Medlock, Shologan". CFL.ca. 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
14. "Riders sign defensive end Shawn Lemon". CFL.ca. 2016-01-14. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
15. "REDBLACKS Mini-Camp Set for April 24–26". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
16. "Ottawa Redblacks unveil training camp schedule". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
17. "Redblacks reveal training camp schedule". Ottawa Citizen. 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
18. 2016 Schedule
19. Where to watch: 2016 Broadcast information
20. "Ottawa rallies as 40,000-plus take in Grey Cup parade". CFL.ca. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2016-11-30.