Meet the RedBlacks!

Have you heard?  Henry Burris is a RedBlack!

I was curious as to whether he would appear at the Meet The RedBlacks event last night.  Obviously he had been in town for the announcement of his signing, but for all anyone knew he might have another commitment to honour.  But he was there and emerged from backstage to a standing ovation from the season ticket holders in attendance.

The Ottawa Sun covered the event (step it up, Citizen!) but I want to add to that for those who couldn't attend.  Scroll on down past the picture below, lifted from the team's Instagram account.

For starters, much like at the naming event, Mike Sutherland does a great job with these things.  He's clearly comfortable with a microphone and seems to make the person being interviewed comfortable as well.

League Commissioner Mark Cohon took the stage first to discuss the state of the league and its vision for the future.  That done, players were brought up individually and chatted for a few minutes.  Delroy Clarke was first, followed by Eric Fraser, Simon Le Marquand and Keith Shologan.  Shologan and Sutherland had a particularly entertaining back-and-forth.  The defensive tackle became a fan favourite immediately.

Thomas DeMarco followed, then Burris and Head Coach Rick Campbell. Cohon was brought back for the Q&A segment.  General Manager Marcel Desjardins was in attendance, though not on stage, but he still offered some information from time to time from his seat in the front row.  Team President Jeff Hunt eventually joined the group on stage when questions were ultimately being directed to him in the audience anyway.

A few details were revealed that I'm surprised The Sun didn't bother to report.  To whit:

• Carleton was confirmed as the location for training camp.  Hardly a shock in light of the ownership group's connection to the university.  There'll be a rookie camp at the end of May and "full" camp will begin June 1st.  One day will be spent on the Gatineau side.
• The schedule is ready and will be revealed early next week, in all likelihood. 
• The uniform will be revealed in April.  Mark Cohon seemed particularly impressed by them. 

Following the Q&A, the various team members took to tables in the back of the room to sign autographs, chat with fans, etc.  There were plenty of snacks and drinks available, a small merchandise table was set up and the Grey Cup was brought in for photo opportunities.

Another fine event hosted by the RedBlacks who continue to display the commitment and class that past owners have failed to demonstrate.  Already looking forward to the next one.

Flashback, April 30th, 2012: Former QB joins Ottawa CFL team's staff

When gradually preparing the "Flashback" series of RedBlacks posts, my intention was to add them chronologically.

A Twitter comment by Arash Madani (former Renegades media relations man) reminded me of a stepping stone in the team's formation which I'd overlooked.  In my own defense, it was a quiet one and very lightly reported.

Madani mentioned that Rick Worman has "virtually secured" a scouting type of position with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Worman's name was familiar because in April of last year, the Redblacks "announced" the hiring of Rick Worman as a scout.  I quote "announced" because it was more of a mention in a radio interview.  Shortly thereafter, the Ottawa Sun had an article about it.  Here's a portion of that:

...Former CFL QB, coach and scout Rick Worman has been working for the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group since mid-March, scouting the U.S. college football scene.

And while that initially may sound odd, the Ottawa CFL team will be allowed to participate in next year's Canadian college draft -- but will only be able to select fourth-year Canadians who have been redshirted and who have used up only three years of eligibility...

"Who's going to be available with the ninth or 18th pick in the draft? I don't know. But of the 17, four or five have the potential to be starters," said Worman, 48, who quarterbacked in Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton and Saskatchewan and also spent time in a variety of coaching positions.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind adventure for Worman -- lots of time in airports and in rental cars.

"I've been from Virginia to Florida to Alabama to North Dakota to Indiana to Michigan to Utah to Oregon. I was in 10 states in 10 days. It was crazy. It seems like I've been everywhere," said Worman, who spent last season as running backs coach in Hamilton.

With a mutual CFL connection, Worman and OSEG's Jeff Hunt started talking in January.

"We couldn't let this opportunity pass," said Hunt. "We've always believed time is an asset and this is a start."

"I wasn't going back to Hamilton with the coaching change, so this really intrigued me," said Worman. "I know a lot about the league, I was part of it for 15 years. The CFL is ingrained in my blood.

"Jeff's motivation was to hit the ground running. It wasn't like I get my jollies out of travel, but they wanted me to put together a plan of attack. This is really intriguing, starting this thing from ground zero. I was part of an expansion team in Fresno (Arena Football League), and we started with Ricky Ray as our quarterback."

It was important for the Ottawa CFL group to get some eyes watching the U.S. college spring camps, with about a six-week window to do it.

"Some of these guys are good players at big schools in a backup capacity," said Worman. "So it's hard to evaluate a guy if you don't have video. In spring camp, every guy gets time on the field. It's a big deal. There were 40,000 people at the game in Oregon. This gives me a chance to watch them and list them one to 17."

The comment section to that article includes a nice endorsement from former Ottawa Rough Rider Ken  Evraire (not to mention a little bit of prophecy) :

Rick is a football guy through and through. Could not have picked a better guy for the job. If the team is looking for a Canadian scout may I suggest Miles Gorrell.

Worman quietly went about his business, then in March of this year, I found out that he had been "let go" by the RedBlacks.  Again, it was in a Twitter post and not a news article as such.  This time it was by AJ Akubec from what is now TSN1200 radio.

I question the use of the term "let go".  It implies a firing.  Due to the timing between the mention of Worman's involvement with the club and his departure time, I suspect that it's simply a matter of Worman's contract running out and not being renewed.  Marcel Desjardins was hired as General Manager two months earlier and, understandably, would have preferred to name his own staff.

Be that as it may, the foundation-building for this franchise in fact began with Worman.  I doubt that down the road he will get credit for it, so for what incredibly little it's worth, I want to include it here.

Flashback, May 29th, 2013: Desjardins names Sunderland Ottawa's Assistant GM

Not much to add; If Sunderland was with the Montreal Alouettes prior to his Jets experience, then his path and Desjardins' would have crossed during that time.  Since Jeremy Snyder spent the last three seasons with the Alouettes, that makes only Miles Gorrell the only front office member to not have spent a significant portion of his career with Montréal.

In 2004, the Alouettes posted a 14-4 regular season.  In 2005 they were 10-8 and lost the Grey Cup to Edmonton in overtime.

OTTAWA -- Ottawa’s new Canadian Football League franchise today announced that Brock Sunderland has been appointed Assistant General Manager.

Sunderland, now in his 10th season in professional football, will be involved in all facets of football operations including scouting and player contracts.

“I’m delighted to welcome Brock to our organization” said team General Manager Marcel Desjardins.

“He brings a wealth of experience and a proven eye for talent that will be invaluable to our organization as we evaluate players and build our team for the 2014 season.”

Prior to joining the Ottawa franchise, Sunderland spent six seasons with the NFL’s New York Jets in scouting roles, most recently covering college players in the western United States.

He also served as an advance pro scout, preparing reports for the Jets on upcoming opponents.  Prior to joining the Jets, Sunderland spent three seasons with the Montreal Alouettes where he was promoted to Director of Scouting after serving as a professional and amateur scout.

“I consider myself very fortunate to be able to return to the Canadian Football League and specifically to Ottawa,” said Sunderland.  “I'm looking forward to helping build a team from the ground up with people who are well respected in this industry.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

A native of Great Falls Montana, Sunderland was a wide receiver and punt returner for the University of Montana before knee injuries ended his playing career. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications.

Flashback, March 15th, 2013: Snyder, Gorrell and Covington hired

I originally tried to do these key events chronologically but, perhaps due to eagerness to get to the player personnel part of things, I skipped over some front office appointments from this past spring. Here they are:

March 15, 2013 (Ottawa ON.): Ottawa’s new CFL team today announced the appointment of two football veterans to the organization. Jeremy Snyder joins the team from the Montreal Alouettes as Pro/College Scout, and Miles Gorrell has been hired as Scouting Consultant.

“Both of these individuals will be key members of our football operations staff as we prepare to draft and sign players,” said Ottawa’s General Manager, Marcel Desjardins. “Jeremy has the ability to identify talent at the pro and college levels, both in Canada and the United States, and his administrative background will be invaluable to our Football Operations structure. Miles will focus primarily on the CFL and the upcoming CFL Draft. His hands-on approach to scouting and his ability to get to know prospects on a personal level will be of tremendous benefit to our organization.”

Miles Gorrell, an Ottawa U Gee Gee’s alumnus, is best known for his stellar 18-season career as an offensive lineman with five CFL teams, including the 1982 Ottawa Rough Riders. Since 2005, he served as a player personnel assistant with the Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts. Gorrell, a perennial CFL Eastern All-Star and two-time winner of the Leo Dandurand Trophy, will be inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame this September.

For the last three seasons, Jeremy Snyder scouted for the Montreal Alouettes. He prepared strategic advance scouting reports on opposing teams and assessed talent on US college and NFL rosters. Prior to joining the Al’s, Snyder was Pro Scout for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, and prior to joining the Eagles he spent four seasons as Football Operations Assistant with the Chicago Bears.

The Ottawa franchise also announced the appointment of Chantal Covington as Executive Assistant, Football Operations.

Not much to add, except to point out that these guys have been busy. Here's a paragraph from an Ottawa Citizen article fom August 3rd.

(Seattle) Seahawks camp was the second of Desjardins’ eight NFL stops, mostly in the Pacific time zone; he began with the Denver Broncos. Sunderland (RR edit: more on him later) and Snyder will each visit nine camps, but Gorrell just six because he’s returning earlier than the others to oversee Canadian Interuniversity Sport teams, whose season kicks off in August.

Oh, just six for that slacker Gorrell.  :-)

Sounds like no stone is being left unturned.

Flashback, January 30th, 2013: Ottawa Tabs Desjardins as First General Manager

After several months of legal wrangling, and with the stadium's construction well underway, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group took to building its front office with the naming of the Marcel Desjardins as their first General Manager.

Photo credit unavailable.

OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group today announced that Marcel Desjardins has been appointed General Manager of Ottawa’s new Canadian Football League franchise.  Desjardins, a 19-year CFL football operations veteran, will be responsible for all facets of team operations in Ottawa, including coaches, scouts and player contracts.

“I’m delighted that one of the CFL’s most experienced and accomplished football operations leaders has agreed to become the architect of our new team,” said Jeff Hunt, President, OSEG Sports.

“As an Assistant General Manager with the Montreal Alouettes, Marcel played a major role in the design of three Grey Cup winning rosters and he oversaw one of the League’s most effective football operations teams.  He has an ideal skill-set that’ll only grow in his new role with us, and I can’t wait to see the fruits of his labour when we kick-off a new era of CFL football in Ottawa in the summer of 2014.”

“I’m honoured and humbled by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a CFL team from the ground up,” said the 46-year-old Desjardins.  “Jeff Hunt and the other team owners are committed to reestablishing a winning football tradition in Ottawa and reigniting fan passions, and to be able to contribute to that process is a dream come true.”

Prior to joining the Ottawa franchise, the bilingual Desjardins served 5-seasons as Assistant General Manager under Jim Popp with the Montreal Alouettes, winning Grey Cups in 2009 and 2010.  He was responsible for scouting NFL camps, CIS football and some US college bowl games, as well as contract negotiations, salary cap management and day-to-day administration of the team.

Desjardins admitted he's looking forward to finally putting everything he's learned in Montreal into practice in Ottawa.

"It's done right there. (Jim Popp) has done a good job of structuring things," he said.

"Continuity means a lot at all levels, I honestly believe that. If you have the right people there, there's no reason to make changes. That's how the approach has to be here."

...

Prior to his AGM role with the Al’s, Marcel, a native of Burlington ON.,  served as General Manager of the Hamilton Tiger Cats from August 2006 through the 2007 season.  Prior to that, he served 5 seasons as Montreal’s Assistant General Manager and won a Grey Cup in 2002, and he served 3 previous seasons as the Al’s Assistant Director of Football Operations.

Before joining Montreal,  Marcel spent 5 years at CFL headquarters in Toronto where, among other things, he helped transition the football operations department into the database age.  He also ensured player contracts adhered to the League’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and was involved in other player personnel matters. 

Marcel holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialization in Sports Administration from Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON.  His experience in the sports industry prior to joining the CFL office included tenures with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League and the Canada Games Council.

"It's not about one person, you do it right, do it with the right people and if your thorough with the things you do, you'll have success," he said.

Following the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the Ti-Cats were 4-14 and 3-15 respectively.  Bearing in mind that Desjardins only took the reins in August of 2006, with that season well underway, it's clear he took over a franchise that was in need of more than a few tweaks in order to be competitive.

I recall that, when he was ousted, Desjardins made a comment along the lines that he was asked to rebuild from the foundation up, yet his superior(s) expected immediate results. It seems that not everyone was on the same page in Hamilton, whereas that's unlikely to be the case in Ottawa.  Everyone is keenly aware of the challenge facing Desjardins.