Ottawa Redblacks 2023 free agency and draft recap & 2023 season preview

Adamo Marinelli

May 10, 2023

The Ottawa Redblacks have struggled in the last mightily during the last three seasons, posting a combined record of 10-40. The Redblacks finished 0-9 at home this season, and have won only one of their last 25 home games.

There have been many reasons for the Redblacks’ recent struggles, including multiple injuries to key players, lacklustre coaching and playcalling, an inability to make in-game adjustments, poor execution by several players in multiple positions at times and consistent struggles/ a lack of depth at key positions such as offensive line. Consistent struggles on the o-line has led to the quarterback not having enough time to scan the field to find receivers before he would get hit, made it difficult to create holes in the run game, and led to receivers not having enough time to get open; by the time they did, the quarterback was already on the ground.

The Redblacks coaching staff will look a lot different this season than it did last year. Interim head coach Bob Dyce was promoted to head coach in December 2022 and is the third head coach in Redblacks’ franchise history. Dyce finished the 2022 season with a 1-3 record but coached well in the final four games, bringing structure, energy and passion to the locker room. He coached with conviction, took chances and made some bold play-calling decisions that the conservative Paul LaPolice wouldn’t. Dyce has a plethora of coaching experience including seven years in Winnipeg (2003-09) as the receivers coach, and six years with the Roughriders (2010-15) as the passing game coordinator, offensive coordinator, and special teams coordinator. He’s been with Ottawa since 2016 as the special team coordinator and has consistently led special team units ranking near the top of the league. He’s been on two Grey Cup-winning teams and knows what it takes to build a winning team. With an entire offseason of training, Dyce is sure to improve the team given his past experiences coaching at the professional level

Khari Jones, who has had successful stints as offensive coordinator and head coach for the BC Lions and the Montreal Alouettes respectively will take over the offensive coordinator role. In two full seasons as the Alouettes’ head coach, Jones posted a record of 17-15 and made two playoff experiences. He got the best of QB Vernon Adams Jr. in the run-and-pass game and helped Adams Jr. develop into the dual-threat QB that he is now. The passion, energy and talent Jones brought to the team helped the Als to an improbable 10-8 record in 2019 to clinch their first playoff berth in five years. There was no quit on his sideline either, 10 of his 18 career wins were comeback victories. Despite a lacklustre start to the 2022 season, he will bring heart to the Ottawa offence that has been dull for several seasons. Not to mention, he is an experienced and creative play caller that takes risks, especially in the red zone, which the Redblacks want to see after settling for many field goals and punts on 3rd and shorts under LaPolice.

Barron Miles, who has extensive CFL coaching experience is taking over the defensive coordinator role. He served as a defensive backs coach and assistant defensive coach for four different teams across 11 seasons before landing the defensive coordinator role with the Alouettes in 2021. He emphasized his players being meticulous, working hard and perfecting their craft and ran a mix of zone and man schemes depending on what his opponent was running offensively. As a DC, he coached an aggressive style of defence that blitzed often and was dedicated to shutting down the run game to make opposing teams one-dimensional so he could send the hounds at the opposing QBs. His time as DC in Montreal was short-lived, but he allowed only 2849 pass yards, the second-fewest in the CFL in 2021 -thanks to his background as DB coach- and ranked middle of the pack in rush yards and points allowed. He will improve the secondary and with help from the linebackers and DL coach, mould this unit into a top defence in the CFL with time.

Other coaches include Offensive Line Coach Paul Charbonneau, Running Backs Coach Nate Taylor, Special Teams Coach Cory McDiarmid, Linebackers Coach Patrick Bourgon, and Defensive Backs Coach Alex Suber. All of these coaches have loads of experience and different ideals and tactics to help improve the team. Hopefully, the poor playcalling and inability to make proper scheme adjustments won’t be as much of a problem as it was in past seasons.

The Redblacks’ roster is facing some turnover from last season too. Notable departures include LB Avery Williams, LB Shaheed Salmon, WR Darvin Adams, S Antoine Pruneau, WR RJ Harris, RB Brendan Gillanders, RB William Powell, WR Shaq Johnson, OL Randy Richards, OL UCambre Williams, OL Sir Vincent Rogers, among others.

However, notable additions include resigning QB Jeremiah Masoli, DL Davon Coleman, DBs Sherrod Baltimore, Abdul Kanneh and Monshadrik Hunter and bringing in LBs Jovan Santos-Knox and Gary Hunter Jr., OLs Terran Vaughn, Hunter Steward and Drew Desjarlais, DLs Michael Wakefield and Keyshawn James, DE Kwaky Boateng and RB Ante Milanovic-Litre among others. 

Santos-Knox is a beast of a pass rusher who possesses an unstoppable motor, great agility off the line and excellent swim moves to shed blocks. He is also an impressive run-stopper and can play middle linebacker or on the outside. He will help fill the gap left by Avery Williams. Vaughn, Steward and Desjarlais are all excellent offensive linemen that will help Masoli stay on his feet, give him ample time to throw and help open up holes in the run game with their strong push. Milanovic-Litre will provide extra depth at running back, likely a third down and pass-catching back and Boateng will add depth on the interior of the defensive line to rush the passer alongside Lorenzo Mauldin. The Redblacks ranked near the bottom of the league in sacks and most of their sacks came from Mauldin. They need to generate pressure from multiple areas; Santos-Knox and Boateng will help with that.

The Redblacks’ biggest needs heading into the offseason included: OL, DL, S, CB, LB & WR. Between free agency, the CFL draft and the global draft, the Redblacks’ management led by GM Shawn Burke did a good job acquiring and resigning talented players to fill positions of need.

In the draft, the Redblacks mainly focused on building their offensive and defensive lines and adding depth to their secondary and linebacking core. Here’s how their draft panned out:

1) Dontae Bull, OL, Fresno State 

Bull is one of the most physically impressive players in his class, who possesses excellent size,

mass and agility for his position. He utilizes his rare length, 35-inch arms, to create a longer path to the quarterback. While he lacks foot speed, he uses his length to his advantage by attacking defenders mid-rush with his good punch timing and placement to stymie the defender. However, he struggles when facing speed rushers and rushers who utilize quick inside-out counters and will need improvement on his speed to counter that.

10) Lucas Cormier, DB, Mount Allison

A versatile defensive back, who can play corner, safety, strong and weakside linebacker and halfback, he has the speed, ball-tracking skills and talent to make plays all over the field, exactly what the Redblacks need following Pruneau’s retirement. He’s a speedy corner who can jam receivers on the line, run with the quickest opponents and can get up to break up 50/50 balls, but can also cover the run and rush the passer. An extremely beneficial piece for the defence.

12) James Peter, LB, uOttawa

Deemed as undersized by many scouts, there have been some concerns about his success at the next level. While he is athletic, versatile, has a ton of potential and could play weakside in the CFL as he did in college, he is half a foot shorter than the average offensive guard which could pose a problem for a middle linebacker. He could also make a transition to offence like his former teammate Jackson Bennett (who converted from LB to RB for the Redblacks) did.

17) Daniel Oladejo, WR, uOttawa

Oladejo’s unique combination of speed, agility and strength helps him stand out in the receiver position. He is a technical route runner who can create separation in and out of his breaks. He is explosive off the line, can make plays in traffic, has a high football IQ and has strong hands and has outstanding ball-tracking ability. If a ball is thrown his way he’ll likely come down with it. He will receive mentorship from Ottawa’s veteran WRs while also filling holes left by Harris and Adams.

19) Aidan John, DL, Saint Mary’s

John impressed scouts mightily at the CFL Invitational Combine with his size, strength, speed, length, high football IQ and innate abilities to rush the passer, shed blocks and cover the run. He is a special player despite having stepped away from football for a few seasons before ex-Carleton Ravens coach Steve Sumarah who now works at St. Mary’s convinced him to return to the Huskies last season. His 29 tackles led the team in 2022.

25) Josh White, LB, Regina

White possesses great instincts and demonstrates impressive physicality, especially with his great tackling and his innate ability to shed blocks and funnel to the ball carrier to stop the run. At 6’1”, 222 pounds, he runs a 4.78-second 40-yard dash which is quite good for his size. He has the potential to be a starter but will need some work in his pass coverage, especially against faster opponents. He knows how to disrupt the backfield too, recording 19.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in his college career. He’ll have an instant impact on special teams.

37) Daniel Perry, WR, Saskatchewan

At 6’0”, 196 pounds, Perry has impressive speed for a larger receiver. He is explosive off the line, can get through press coverage, has the speed to get downfield quickly, has excellent hands, a good vertical and great ball tracking ability to locate deep balls and secure 50/50 balls. In 2022, he had 797 yards and three TDs in 12 games after 650 yards in 10 games in 2021. He’s a wideout but has experience in the slot and can play on special teams too.

46) Quintin Seguin, DL, Charleston Southern

An intimidating figure standing at 6’2”, 271 pounds, Seguin projects to be a player with the potential to become an elite run-stopping defensive tackle in the CFL despite an underwhelming performance at the CFL Combine. He has solid balance and agility for his size, can withstand pushes from offensive guards and can shed blocks to track down and stuff the runner. He recorded 118 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks over 49 career collegiate games.

55) Alexander Fedchun, DL, St. FX

Fedchun practically lived in the opponents’ backfield at St. FX. His speed, incredible timing, agility, explosiveness off the line, and his unique repertoire of swim moves to shed blocks make him a threat to any offensive lineman considering he stands at 6’4”, 226 pounds. He has a nose for the QB and recorded 31.5 tackles for loss and 17 sacks in 30 career collegiate games. The three-time AUS all-star projects to be a rotational, third-down pass rusher.

58) Amlicar Polk, RB, uOttawa

Unfortunately didn’t get much action behind J.P. Cimankinda on the depth chart but is a physical runner who can find holes in the defence and exploit them. He can also catch passes out of the backfield and contribute on special teams.

The Redblacks have signed all 10 players to entry-level contracts and all will attend training camp to try out for the final roster. Of the 10 players the Redblacks selected, four help bolster the offensive and defensive lines, two add key depth to the linebacking core to fill the hole left by Avery Williams and two are much-needed pieces at wide receiver, specifically in the slot, following the departure of Darvin Adams, Shaq Johnson, and RJ Harris.

Finally, the Redblacks also signed both of their picks in the Global Draft. They signed DL Blessman Ta’ala – who is a natural run stopper and can also contribute as a rotational pass rusher – and Swedish OL Lucas Lavin (6’5” 327 pounds) – who is a force in run and pass protection – to entry-level contracts. They’ll both contribute to the team’s depth on both lines.

The Redblacks have a lot of potential to succeed this season thanks to their free-agent acquisitions, and their draft picks in both the 2023 draft and the 2023 international draft which helped fill in their biggest positions of need. A brand new coaching staff under Bob Dyce also completely revitalized the locker room and will surely bring positive results onto the field.

However, a team with many new players and fresh coaches needs time to iron out the kinks, so don’t expect the Redblacks to be Grey Cup contenders in year one. 

This is still a rebuild and the Redblacks are entering the final stages of a four-year-long rebuild that started back in 2019. They addressed their biggest needs well in free agency and the draft; now it’s all about putting it all together. If all key players can stay healthy and the Redblacks can start the season strong, one can expect this team to be a 7-9 win team and contend for a playoff berth late into the season. 

Only time will tell how the Redblacks will do this year. Stay tuned to find out. Their first preseason game is against the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, May 26.

Arsenal defeat West London rivals to move back up atop Premier League, but no longer have the title in their hands

Adamo Marinelli

May 2nd, 2023

Arsenal cruised to a comfortable 3-1 home win against Chelsea - to get their first win in over a month after three draws and a loss in their last four matches ahead of today’s London derby - thanks to a dominant first half that saw Martin Odegaard score a brace and Gabriel Jesus to extend Arsenal’s lead to 3-0 inside 35 minutes. 

With their win today, Arsenal moves back atop the Premier League table and are two points above Manchester City (24-4-4, 76 points), but have played two more games. 

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal - who wasn’t supposed to be in a title race at the start of the season - sit at 78 points with a record of 24 wins, six draws, and four losses. Arsenal have reached 24 league wins in a single season for the first time since 2013/14 and they still have four games left to play.

Tonight marks the 248th day Arsenal has been atop the Premier League, Manchester City has been atop the table for 16 days, including for three days in mid-February after Arsenal’s 3-1 home defeat to City and for three days in late April/early May following Arsenal’s 4-1 away defeat to City and City’s 2-1 win over Fulham on April 30. 

Arsenal has been atop the Premier League for 92 percent of the season, and since before the World Cup break the title was in Arsenal’s hands, they controlled their own destiny. However, after their 4-1 defeat to Man City, they no longer have the upper hand. If Arsenal win their remaining four matches, they’d finish on 90 points, if City win their remaining six, they’d finish on 94. Arsenal would have to win out and hope City drop points, which is unlikely despite their congested fixture list because of how much depth City’s squad has. Manchester City is so good, its second team could likely finish mid-table in the Premier League on its own.

Their immense amount of talent and depth at every position is why City have won eight consecutive league matches and haven’t lost a match in their last 18 fixtures in all competitions. City dropping points is very unlikely, and relying on them to drop points is silly.

If City wins both games in hand, which is very likely given their excellent form recently, they’d be four points above Arsenal and would firmly be in the driver’s seat to win their fifth title in six years. They’d also have the chance at the treble; they’re up against Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals (a rematch of last year’s semifinal) and are in the FA Cup Final against city rival Manchester United.

Arsenal have finally regained their winning ways against Chelsea; but aside from a 4-1 win over Leeds on April 1st, they had a tough month of April, drawing three matches and losing one. Arguably, it was not the loss against City that sealed the nail in the coffin, it was the three consecutive draws, in which Arsenal blew a 2-0 lead twice against Liverpool and West Ham United and was down 3-1 to 20th place Southampton before scoring two late goals to earn a late draw in a match that felt like a loss. 

Arsenal should’ve beaten West Ham and Southampton, if they would’ve won those matches, they’d be on 82 points, six points ahead of City who’d have two games in hand. If City wins both games in hand, they’d be ahead solely on goal difference and it would make for a closer title race. But you can’t cry over spilled milk. 

Notably, it was three consecutive losses in April last season that took Arsenal out of the Champions League race, so April and Arsenal have an interesting history as of late.

Why has Arsenal dropped so many points recently? There are plenty of reasons one can point to for Arsenal’s struggles: center back William Saliba’s injury has caused him to be out since March 16. Arsenal has not recorded a single clean sheet in any of the 7 matches without Saliba and conceded a whopping 14 goals (two goals against per game) in his absence. With Saliba, Arsenal has 12 clean sheets and conceded only 25 goals, for a goals-against average of 0.9 in 27 games. 

Rob Holding hasn’t been bad per se, but he is not as good as Saliba, and the rest of Arsenal’s back four has to compensate for the skill difference. To protect Holding, their backline moved back more than 1.5 meters with Holding in the lineup compared to with Saliba, which took their back four out of the attack and created more space in the midfield for opponents to operate in, leaving them especially vulnerable in transition with Holding’s lack of pace.

In addition, individual player mistakes, the team getting complacent with the lead and making unforced errors with the lead, or poor managerial decisions from Arteta such as waiting too long to make subs, bringing on the wrong players, using the wrong formation, refusing to change the formation or adapt at halftime, refusing to change the starting 11 and sit a player who’s been struggling (Saka) for a fresh/fit bench player (Trossard), etc.

These issues are appearing clearly now, however, they’ve been happening since the league restarted after the World Cup break. Most notably, Arsenal’s set-piece defence has gotten much worse and Arsenal have conceded too many early goals, unlike them.

In 21 games in all competitions before the World Cup break, Arsenal conceded only seven shots and chances worth 1.2 xG from inside the six-yard box and allowed zero goals on those chances. In 24 matches in all competitions since the season resumed after the World Cup break, they’ve conceded 32 shots from inside the six-yard box, allowed an xG of 9.6 from those shots and they’ve conceded 10 goals from inside the six-yard box.

In addition, Arsenal only allowed 7.9 shots per game before the World Cup with an xG against of 0.7; after the World Cup, Arsenal allow 9.5 shots per game that carry an xG against if 1.2. So, not only are Arsenal allowing more shots from dangerous areas, but they are allowing more higher quality chances from dangerous areas.

It’s not only Arsenal’s general defence that’s conceding more chances and more goals, whether it be from individual errors, tactical errors, or lapses in concentration or judgment, their defence from set pieces has also gotten worse. 

In 14 league matches before the World Cup, Arsenal faced 30 shots directly from set pieces, conceded only one goal, and had an xG against of 2.36. In 17 league games since the World Cup, Arsenal has faced 41 shots directly off set pieces and conceded five goals from those shots, which totaled an xG against of 5.51. 

Tactics analyst Adrian Clarke, who used to play for Arsenal, said that the way Arsenal set up their set piece defence is relatively unchanged. They run a zonal arc around goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale which means three or four players cover zones in a semi-circle shape between both goalposts, everyone else acts as man-to-man blockers around the penalty spot. Clarke said it feels like other teams have found and exploited weaknesses in Arsenal’s set piece defence.

Many goals that Arsenal has conceded are near-post tap-ins or flicks to an open man in the six-yard box, so whoever is responsible for marking that zone hasn’t done his job as well as earlier in the campaign. The previous two goals Arsenal have conceded from corners, against West Ham and Southampton resulted because Arsenal failed to win the first header at the near post. Clarke attributes less aggressive marking and less focus and concentration as the reason why.

 

Clarke also said experience and composure in difficult situations play an enormous role. Man City has competed in the last six title races, this is the first title race Arsenal’s young squad is competing for. Pep Guardiola is also a much more experienced manager than Mikel Arteta. Man City have been able to go on extremely long win streaks because their players are composed in difficult situations and have the experience to deal with tough situations. Arsenal’s players have never been in this situation (barring Oleksander Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus) which causes them to tense up, overthink, hesitate, and make a mistake in difficult situations that a City player wouldn’t. 

Arsenal remain atop the table but City have two games in hand and if they win both, they’ll have the title in their hands. 

Arsenal not winning the title would be disappointing given they led the league for the vast majority of the season, but this team wasn’t even supposed to compete for a title this season, they were just supposed to return to the Champions League which they have.