Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CFL was forced to cancel the 2020 season.
Unlike the NFL, MLB, and NHL, the CFL does not generate as much revenue from major television deals as other professional leagues. The CFL generates the majority of its revenue from ticket sales. With COVID-19 restrictions preventing large gatherings for the spring and summer, the CFL season was cancelled.
Unfortunately for all the die-hard Ottawa Redblacks fans, that has meant over a year without watching their favourite football team play under the lights at TD Place.
With the rollout of the vaccine well underway, and with rapid testing to limit outbreaks, the CFL is optimistic that it will play a 2021 season. The league plans to have fans in the stands, but the schedule will place a bigger emphasis on regional rivalries to limit travel for players and coaches.
The Redblacks will play the Montreal Alouettes four times, the Toronto Argonauts three times, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats three times. They will play eight West Division games. The 10 games against the Redblacks’ East Division rivals will be especially crucial in determining the seeding in the East Division.
During the off-season, the Redblacks extended several key players, including quarterback Dominique Davis, defensive back Sherrod Baltimore, defensive lineman Avery Ellis, wide receiver R.J. Harris, offensive lineman Andrew Pickett, and kicker Lewis Ward, among others.
The young team also addressed some of their biggest positional needs in the draft and free agency such as defensive back and wide receiver, as well as the offensive and defensive line. The team drafted Adam Auclair, a versatile defensive back from Université Laval.
Auclair is speedy and can play cornerback in the slot and on the outside. He played in two Vanier Cups, winning one and was named the 2017 Presidents’ Trophy winner as U Sports’ most outstanding defensive player.
The Redblacks have also selected Terrance Abrahams-Webster, a defensive back from the University of Calgary to strengthen their secondary, and Michael Hoecht, a beast at the defensive line spot.
Hoecht is fast for his large frame and is a force defending the run game. He can also rush the passer effectively, an area where the team needs help. If he ends up playing with the Redblacks, he can be a force. However, Hoecht has also signed a deal with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams.
The team has also strengthened its offensive line by drafting Jakub Szott from McMaster University and Ketel Asse from Laval. Both athletes played key roles in the success of their school’s offensive line.
Although the Redblacks did not draft a wide receiver in the 2020 draft, they brought in free agent Amba Etta-Tawo to add depth.
Etta-Tawo played his college ball at the University of Maryland and Syracuse University. He had 1,482 receiving yards and 14 receiving TDs during his lone season at Syracuse in 2016. He has great hands and is a good route runner.
In free agency, the Redblacks also added defensive backs Marcus Lewis and Jonathan Alston, who both had great college careers.
While the Redblacks improved their secondary, offensive and defensive lines, the team should have acquired more receivers through the draft or free agency—an area for the team that could still use improvement.
Another red flag for the Redblacks is at quarterback. The Redblacks had the worst QB room in 2019, finishing with 11 TDs and 27 INTs collectively. The Redblacks currently have Dominique Davis and Matt Nichols on the roster. Davis has proven unfit to be a starter but Nichols is an experienced veteran with talent.
In 2019, Davis completed 64 per cent of his passes, throwing for 2,216 yards, five touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Those numbers are not ideal for a starting quarterback—underwhelming is a huge understatement.
Nichols has been a backup for most of his career, but was given the starting job after the Winnipeg Blue Bombers started 2016 with a 1-4 record. Since becoming a starter in 2016, Nichols has thrown 79 touchdowns to only 35 interceptions. He has a strong arm and can scramble to buy his receivers more time.
However, Nichols is 33 years old and not likely the Redblacks’ future QB. So the team acquired Caleb Evans, an agile quarterback with a strong arm. He is a dual threat QB who recorded 9,520 passing yards, 58 TDs, and 34 interceptions in 42 career games in college. He also ran for 2,162 yards and 36 TDs. He will help the Redblacks immensely.
From 2015 to 2018, the Redblacks won the East Division three times, appeared in three Grey Cups and won once. In 2019, they struggled greatly, finishing 3-15 and last in the East.
This season, the Redblacks will continue their rebuild. Paul LaPolice is a Grey Cup-winning coach but is in his first year in Ottawa. It will take time for all the young guys they brought in to develop. It will be tough playing again after a long hiatus and their competition in the East Division is increasing, so there are no expectations to win the East.
Both the Tiger-Cats and the Alouettes are developing sensational offenses with dual-threat QBs and elite wide receivers. Jeremiah Masoli and Brandon Banks make an excellent QB-WR combo for the Tiger-Cats and Vernon Adams balled out with the Alouettes in 2019. The Tiger-Cats and the Alouettes had the best and second-best total offense and the Tiger-Cats had the best passing defense in the CFL.
The Tiger-Cats are the team to beat in the East and the Alouettes follow them. I see the Redblacks finishing 6-12, third in the East ahead of the Argonauts and missing the playoffs.
Regardless of the likely outcome, it will mean a lot to the fans to see the Redblacks back in action.
Featured image by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
