Oct 21st, 2013: Redblacks Announce Ticket Prices

And the masses pronounced it good.

This is hardly breaking news, since it is two days old you've likely heard about it by now.  I do want to preserve it for future reference though (it will be interesting to look back at it a few years down the road) and underscore a couple of things.

I wanted to sit with a friend, but he bought his ticket well before I did.  Long story short, the ticket staff is making it possible for us to make our selections at the same time next week.  That's quality service and a far cry from my experience with the Renegades who did not respond to my enquiry about group purchases and who inadvertently double-sold seats during their $100 sale.

The prices are very competitive.  Compared against that of the Alouettes, for example, who price the middle sections of their stadium at between $94 and $97, the Redblacks offer the same location at $87 and change.  And about half the stadium seats sell at less than $40 per game. That's pretty accessible.  Well done.

Oct 19th, 2013: Windsor 15 at UOttawa 45

Keeping this partial recap of the Gee-Gees win over Windsor for posterity.

...Ottawa kept Windsor’s offense at bay for the entirety of the first half letting no man get into the end zone. In the first quarter, linebacker Ettore Lattanzio got his first of three sacks on Lancer quarterback Austin Kennedy. Lattanzio is currently in a three-way tie for the CIS lead, sitting at 9 on the season.

...

On offense, Gee-Gee quarterback Aaron Colbon got a touchdown to kickoff the scoring momentum for his team. Sixth in the CIS with 65 points, kicker Lewis Ward was consistently gaining points after every touchdown and obtained two field goals throughout the game.

By halftime, Ottawa had secured 23 first downs while finishing the game with 31. In comparison, at halftime Windsor had 3. In the second half, the Lancers were much more efficient and propelled their first downs to 24 thanks to aggressive rushing by running back Mitch Dender, who finished with 52 yards on the ground.

To start things off for Ottawa, Aaron Colbon reached Nicolas Dagher to secure a 27-yard pass. Colbon subsequently passed 38 yards to Andrew Mullings for a touchdown play. Domenic Bellardini scored a rouge, while teammate Ward scored a field goal in the following minutes. The score stood at 18-0 at halftime.

Adding to his impressive 2,490 yards passing total on the season, Colbon connected with receiver Simon Le Marquand for an Ottawa touchdown in the third quarter.

In response, the Lancers put up two touchdowns of their own in the second half.  Kennedy’s first strike was to star wide receiver Evan Pszczonak in the third frame.  Pszczonak averages 92.3 receiving yards per game, but Ottawa kept him at under par with 63 on Saturday. Lancer Clark Grace scored the second touchdown of the day for Windsor at the start of the fourth quarter, giving the team some hope of a comeback. However, the Ottawa defence kicked back into gear and continued to hound Kennedy, stifling the Lancers for the remainder of the game.

Quarterback for the Gee-Gees in the fourth, Derek Wendel got his fourth touchdown of the season while running back Mack Tommy broke into a run for the end zone in the final moments of the game getting one of his own.

The Gee-Gees began their season at McMaster (a 51-24 loss) and hopefully they won't close it there.  If the unthinkable should happen, at least we can see that the arrow is pointing up after a dismal 2012 which resulted in only two wins earned after the head coach was let go.

That said, there's clearly still some work to be done.  The Gee-Gees' fifth-place ranking in the OUA couldn't be more appropriate.  They didn't play one of the teams above them in the standings (Guelph) and lost to the other three by a combined score of 170-72.

2013 Ottawa Sooners All-Stars

The Ontario Football Conference named its All-Star Team last week and the following Ottawa Sooners made the cut!

57 Stéphane Tanguay (OL)
64 Noah Domingue (OL)
4 Mathew Mondoux (RB)
10 Steve Dignard (DL)
23 Cody Valle (DB)

Dignard was also named the Conference's defensive lineman of the year, no doubt in large part due to his 10.5 quarterback sacks.  He had an additional 7.5 tackles and recovered a pair of fumbles.

Mondoux gained 807 yards on 101 carries and reached the endzone five times.  He was named the Conference's Offensive Player of the Week in week four on the strength of a 129-yard rushing game in a come-from-behind victory over the Hamilton Hurricanes.

Valle had four interceptions on the year on which he recorded 128 return yards and a score.  He also scored on one of his two fumble recoveries.

History: Ottawa Renegades Expansion Draft Results (January 17th, 2002)

The next major scheduled event on the RedBlacks calendar is the expansion draft in December.  While we wait for that, I thought it might be interesting to revisit how the Ottawa Renegades handled their own version in early 2012.

The rules were different for the Renegades.  You have likely read that existing CFL clubs will have the opportunity to protect one quarterback instead of two.  Quarterback availability was a significant issue in draft rule negotiations between OSEG and the CFL.  In hindsight (or perhaps from the time the rules were announced for the Renegades, I don't recall), it was felt that allowing teams to protect two in 2002 offered far too few options to the fledgling club.  You'll note from the list below that no QB's were selected; Dan Crowley was signed as a free agent.

Aside from making more quarterbacks available, the only other major difference between expansion drafts systems is that the RedBlacks one is more front-heavy.  The Renegades could skip making a selection from a club and instead obtain a draft pick from that club.

That's potentially helpful towards building a team in the future, but less so in terms of being competitive early.  By comparison, the RedBlacks have already been able to draft a handful of players and will get another 24 in December compared to the 19 that the Renegades gathered almost 12 years ago.

So who DID we get?  See below:

From BC:
FB Mike Maurer
WR Jimmy Oliver
2002 2nd round draft choice

From Calgary:
DT Clinton Wayne
CB Ricky Bell
LB Kelly Lochbaum

From Edmonton:
OL George Hudson
DE Fred Perry
DB Andrew Henry

From Hamilton:
LB Matt Robichaud
OT Seth Dittman
C Carl Coulter

From Montreal:
LB Kelly Wiltshire
LB John Grace
2002 2nd round draft choice

From Sask.:
S Shawn Gallant
LB Troy Asbell
2002 2nd round draft choice

From Toronto:
PK Dan Giancola
C Earl Scott**
2003 2nd round draft choice

From Winnipeg:
S Donnie Ruiz
LB Sefa O'Reilly
2003 2nd round draft choice

** Scott was later traded back to Toronto for WR Grayson Shillingford.

The jewel was clearly linebacker John Grace, who was named a league all-star following the 2002 season, yet he was traded a year later.  He teamed with Kelly Wiltshire to form the beginnings of a quality, young linebacking corp for the club.

Jimmy Oliver led the team in touchdowns (with a rather modest six, mind you) and was the team's first 1000-yard receiver.  He did not return in 2003 due to a contract dispute.

Fred Perry spent the 2002 season in Atlanta, but when he finally did appear in 2003, he tied for the team lead in quarterback sacks with seven.

From memory, George Hudson and Donnie Ruiz would be the only two players to be with the team during its entire four-year existence.

Several players were complete non-contributors.  O'Reilly was damaged goods.  Robichaud only played in three games and I seem to recall that he wanted nothing to do with being in Ottawa. Giancola is also a one-game guy.  I believe Kelly Lochbaum didn't make it through camp and returned to the BC Lions, playing with them through to 2005.  Andrew Henry seemed to simply disappear.

So some good, some bad, come middle ground.

Frankly, I think a more competent coaching staff could have drawn more from what was obtained.  Aside from the QB situation, it seems like the problem with a future-based expansion system is that you need the actual players selected to contribute long enough for your draft picks and young free agent signees to get up to speed.

In the case of the Renegades, most of the successful expansion draft choices were gone within two seasons and future drafts were largely unproductive.

Panda Game 2013: UOttawa 35, Carleton 10

I waited a bit before posting a recap of Saturday's Panda Game so that I could judge the reaction.  The abbreviated article below is from the Ottawa Citizen and seems to cover all the bases.

OTTAWA — The Carleton Ravens didn’t have much business being in the Panda Game, but they were.

A record-tying 129-yard touchdown by Tunde Adeleke on the return of a missed field goal attempt got the Ravens within four points of the Ottawa Gee-Gees, at 14-10, midway through the second quarter.

That was all the Gee-Gees were willing to grant the Ravens, though. A drive capped by a seven-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Colbon to Andrew Mullings extended that lead just before halftime, and Ottawa’s defence did the rest, shutting down Carleton’s offence in what turned out to be a 35-10 victory in the Ontario University Athletics game at U of O’s Lees Avenue stadium on Saturday.

“It’s awesome having this rivalry in the city back,” said Colbon, a quarterback in his fifth and final university football season, but, just like every other player on the field, a Panda Game novice because it was the first such contest since 1998. That was when Carleton dropped football for financial reasons, and it was only this year, following a $5-million fundraising effort, that the Ravens were back on the football field.

“It’s great for the city, it’s great for the fans, it’s great for the two teams, Ottawa and Carleton, to have this healthy rivalry back,” Colbon added. “There’s just so much tradition behind this game. I feel honoured to have a chance to play in it.”

Tradition was fine, but there was a touch of revenge in the voice of receiver Simon Le Marquand, too.

“There that was a lot of emotion in that game. It’s personal,” Le Marquand, another fifth-year player, said in reference to the Ravens’ hiring away former Gee-Gees head coach J.P. Asselin (as offensive co-ordinator), offensive co-ordinator Chris Coulson (offensive line coach), defensive co-ordinator Sean Hall (defensive backs), video and quality control coach Chris Brzozowski (running backs) and even a former Ottawa quarterback Josh Sacobie (receivers).

“They took our coaching staff, and we remember when they left and we were left behind by ourselves. That was our motivation (Saturday).”

Le Marquand used his motivation to turn his two catches into touchdowns of 18 and six yards on throws from Colbon, who also made the short, but key scoring toss to Mullings and also ran eight yards on a quarterback draw for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Ottawa’s other score came early on a one-yard plunge by Brendan Gillanders, whose biggest contribution on the drive was to pick up a fumble by Colbon, who had been sacked on the second play from scrimmage, and to rumble for 30 yards.

The Ravens got on the scoreboard following an interception by Nathaniel Hamlin. Their offence stalled at the 10-yard line, but Andrew Banerjee made a 17-yard field goal to make the score 14-3.

Then came the stunning touchdown by Adeleke, whose return on a miss by Lewis Ward tied the Canadian Interuniversity Sport record and was only the third such feat.

...

Adeleke’s interception came on what could only be described as a gadget play by the Gee-Gees. On second-and-goal from the one-yard line, Colbon took the snap, turned away from the line of scrimmage as if to hand the ball to a running back, but then flipped the ball back over his head and into the end-zone. It was easily caught by Adeleke.

Gee-Gees head coach Jamie Barresi said it had been his call.

“I’ve seen it work,” he said, “and it was something I promised our players we would do.”

...

Ottawa racked up 356 yards rushing, including 164 by Gillanders on 17 carries, and another 316 yards passing. Colbon, playing with a bandaged right thumb that had been dislocated two weeks earlier, was 21-for-29 for 295 yards and those three touchdowns, but he was also sacked four times.

Carleton had just 91 yards net rushing, which was actually two yards less than the total produced by Kwasi Gyamfi-Adusei. Quarterback Jesse Mills passed 13-for-23 for 154 yards, and he was sacked twice.

The capacity crowd of approximately 4,200 included more than 20 former Gee-Gees and Ravens who played in the first Panda Game in 1955 — Carleton won that one 14-6 — and one streaker, who jumped over a barrier near the U of O student section and ran the length of the field before being caught by security personnel.

This was a great event. It was my first time at the new field and thought the facility was great and easy to find.

The Citizen had another article, by Don Campbell, which made the point that the Panda Game was about football and not the frenzy.  I couldn't agree more.  The crowd at my end (about the 25 yard line on the Gee-Gees side) was crazy loud but they weren't more preoccupied with displaying how wasted they were than with the game.

A year or two ago, I had a guy fall on me from a couple of rows up during the Gee-Gees home opener.  Police presence increased throughout the day because of fighting, etc.  There was none of that this time around.  This Panda crowd could have given lessons on how to have fun at a game without ruining it for anyone else.  A streaker?  Big damn deal.

On the field, Adeleke's field goal return alone was worth the price of admission.  Aside from how spectacular the play was in terms of effort, it kept the game close until the Gee-Gees score at the end of the first half made it seem like Carleton might struggle to get back into it.

As far as the blind backwards pass goes...wow.  Gee-Gees Head Coach Jamie Barresi says that it was not done for the sake of gamesmanship but it's difficult to imagine the Gee-Gees pulling a stunt like that against Western.  But then I read Le Marquand's comments about the players feeling left behind by departing coaches and I find it hard to not sympathise with their possible urge to raise a middle finger.  Ultimately, I'm a little torn.

What I do know is that this is the kind of thing that makes rivalries great.

Flashback, June 8th, 2013: Ottawa Officially Announces REDBLACKS As Team Name

Full disclosure:  I hate the RedBlacks name quite strongly.  However, no matter how much that may be, there's no denying that the naming event itself was a success.

Here's the official press release, followed by the video explaining the name.

OTTAWA -- Ottawa’s new CFL team today announced that REDBLACKS will be the team’s official nickname and the logo will be a classic R on a background that represents a saw blade.  The announcement and logo reveal took place during a special event with over 3,000 football fans, Ottawa CFL alumni and special guests including CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon and CFL Hall of Famers Russ Jackson and Tony Gabriel in attendance.

“We are thrilled to confirm our team nick name and logo design and to finally be able to tell the story behind them,” said Jeff Hunt, President of the sports division of the REDBLACKS parent company, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG).  “REDBLACKS represents Ottawa’s sports history and pays tribute to the Ottawa men and women who serve our country.  From the original Rough Riders in the 1890’s to the modern Ottawa Senators Hockey Club, red and black are the colours of Ottawa sport.  They are also the ceremonial colours of Ottawa’s Cameron Highlanders, the Governor General’s Foot Guards and the RCMP.  REDBLACKS gives us the opportunity to recognize our past and, at the same time, establish a fresh new identity for our team’s future.  It’s unique, maybe even a little edgy, and it’s a brand that we think will stand the test of time.”

“The REDBLACKS logo design pays tribute to our Ottawa football past by reviving the traditional “R” of the Rough Riders with a slight difference,” said REDBLACKS Governor and OSEG Partner John Ruddy.  “The modern REDBLACKS “R” features two notches, which appear to have been cut with a saw, fused to a circular saw blade background.  The blade represents many of the characteristics we hope our players will demonstrate; speed, unstoppable  force, precision, balance, strong-as-steel and even dangerous.  It also has a relationship to Ottawa’s founding as a lumber industry town."

"This is a great day for the city of Ottawa and the entire region, and a great day for the CFL," said Mark Cohon, Commissioner of the Canadian Football League.  "The REDBLACKS, with strong local ownership and passionate fans, will be an organization we can all be proud of, on and off the field. And they will be at the heart of the modern CFL we're building together, with new stadiums across the country, a new TV deal that kicks in next season, and a future that is bright and bold and confident."

This is a good opportunity to add the official RedBlacks youtube channel among the pages at right, so I'll be doing that.  At least for the time being, the entire presentation is available from the cfltv account, though please note that because the event was delayed, the footage actually only starts at about the 17:00 mark.

I showed up about 15 minutes before doors opened, so when people were finally being let in, I had a good opportunity to take pictures without obstruction.  I'll share a couple here of some of the displays that didn't get a lot of exposure among the recaps and videos.

History: The Panda Game

Hey, have you heard?  The Panda Game is this week!

As good a time as any to restore my previous Panda Game page. I believe all scores are accurate (obviously).  There was some confusion with certain resources because some years, Carleton and UOttawa would play twice, but only one match-up was considered the Panda Game.

Over time, I'll fill out the remaining years like I have the 50's and early 60's.  The problem there is with my own OCD.  I have an irrational need to do them in order and I was unable to find a recap of the 1962 game.  I'll probably get to the library at some point this winter and start filling gaps.

For those going to the game, Enjoy!  I certainly plan to.

From "Ottawa's Football Tradition": The friendly rivalry between Ottawa's two largest universities is at least 50 years old, and has it foundations in a little stuffed Panda bear...Pedro became a football ambassador.  He travelled to nine different universities across Canada and parts of the United States.  Pedro has been parachuted into Lansdowne Park, kidnapped and held hostage by Queen's University's PLO (Panda Liberation Front), buried in a soccer field, nominated for President of the Carleton University Students Association, formally mentionned in a debate in the House of Commons, appeared on "Hockey Night in Canada" and transported to the game in an armored Brinks truck.

1998- University of Ottawa 59, Carleton University 17
1997- University of Ottawa 22, Carleton University 19
1996- University of Ottawa 28, Carleton University 00
1995- University of Ottawa 35, Carleton University 08
1994- University of Ottawa 15, Carleton University 27
1993- University of Ottawa 21, Carleton University 03
1992- University of Ottawa 17, Carleton University 06
1991- University of Ottawa 34, Carleton University 15
1990- University of Ottawa 30, Carleton University 17
1989- University of Ottawa 23, Carleton University 11
1988- University of Ottawa 29, Carleton University 09
1987- University of Ottawa 04, Carleton University 08
1986- University of Ottawa 30, Carleton University 29
1985- University of Ottawa 27, Carleton University 34
1984- University of Ottawa 18, Carleton University 30
1983- University of Ottawa 23, Carleton University 28
1982- University of Ottawa 19, Carleton University 07
1981- University of Ottawa 29, Carleton University 00
1980- University of Ottawa 21, Carleton University 30
1979- University of Ottawa 28, Carleton University 16
1978- University of Ottawa 13, Carleton University 24
1977- University of Ottawa 16, Carleton University 36
1976- University of Ottawa 19, Carleton University 14
1975- University of Ottawa 55, Carleton University 22
1974- University of Ottawa 48, Carleton University 07
1973- University of Ottawa 21, Carleton University 14
1972- University of Ottawa 31, Carleton University 14
1971- University of Ottawa 14, Carleton University 28
1970- University of Ottawa 29, Carleton University 20
1969- University of Ottawa 20, Carleton University 21
1968- University of Ottawa 28, Carleton University 27
1967- University of Ottawa 36, Carleton University 20
1966- University of Ottawa 28, Carleton University 13
1965- University of Ottawa 27, Carleton University 19
1964- University of Ottawa 33, Carleton University 40
1963- University of Ottawa 41, Carleton University 21

1962- University of Ottawa 13, Carleton University 10
There were some concerns as to whether Pedro would be available.

1961- University of Ottawa 13, Carleton University 12
Ottawa Citizen - (Peter) Barnabe's third quarter single gave the Varsity Gee-Gee's a 13-12 decision...GeeGee's took the lead in the first quarter on a line plunge by speedy Derek Callan.  Carleton lost the game when the winners capitalized on a fumble with Mike blain going nine yards for their second touchdown.

1960- University of Ottawa 28, Carleton University 06
Ottawa Citizen (uncredited) - (Bill) McIntyre...figured in on all four majors picked up by the Gee-Gees and for the second  straight week scored three times.  He passes to Pete Barnabe for the fourth...Pilfering (Pedro) this time were a couple who posed as newshawks seeking a story."

Pedro was busy at both ends of the calendar in 1960.  He attended the opening of the U of O carnival in January and had to be rescued from McMaster university in December.

1959- University of Ottawa 42, Carleton University 00
Ross Peterkin, Ottawa Citizen - "Bill McIntyre...started the 1959 season in fine style with a three touchdown performance.  Mcintyre...managed to churn out 164 yards on 16 carries.  Pedro the Panda...met with defeat at the hands of eager Carleton supporters during the halftime intermission.  The panda, which enjoyed a tour of Canadian colleges and unversities last year, had its head removed by the roughians...Chris Nowakowski was easily Carleton's top ball player.  The Ashbury graduate was in on almost every tackle and was a tired boy when the game finished...U of O found holes through Carleton's line for 415 yards on the ground and added another 97 passing.  Carleton was held to 97 yards on the ground, 38 through the air."

1958- University of Ottawa 23, Carleton University 00
Ron McGrath, Ottawa Citizen - "(Bill) McIntyre scored two touchdowns, added a pair of converts, and Claude Lauriault scored an opening major as the Gee-Gees mesmerized the hapless Ravens...Carleton did not complete a single pass..."

1957- University of Ottawa 44, Carleton University 00
Ron McGrath, Ottawa Citizen - "(Dick) Barch and (Claude) Lauriault collected a pair of touchdowns apiece, while (Bill) McIntyre and Paul De Le Franier got the others...In the final analysis, weak and sometimes non-existent tackling hampered the Raven defence, while the Varsity defence were efficient to an extreme, forcing Carleton to give up the ball three times on third down gambles.

1956- University of Ottawa 10, Carleton University 14
Ottawa Journal (writer not identified) - "Carleton roared back with a converted touchdown in the second quarter to lead 7-2 at the half.  Connie Poulin...scored the major on a three-yard dive over centre....Varsity quarterback Jack Richardson capped a 59-yard march for the losers by skirting his own right end on an option play from 15 yards out...Poulin got that one back with a two-yard plunge for his second TD of the day."

1955- University of Ottawa 06, Carleton University 14
Bernie Nells, Ottawa Citizen -"Wally Lacosta, the Ravens' outstanding tackle, paced the Carleton scoring attack with pair of field goals and one convert, while Bobby Anderson scored a touchdown and Brian Turner booted two singles...The Ravens' only touchdown of the game came when they recovered a bad U of O snap and quarterback Gordon Johnston heaved a 25-yard pass to Anderson in the endzone."