2017_Ottawa_Redblacks_season
The 2017 Ottawa Redblacks season was the fourth season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Redblacks finished in second place in the East Division with an 8–9–1 record and hosted a playoff game for the third consecutive year. The team lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the East Semi-Final in a season where Ottawa hosted the 105th Grey Cup championship at TD Place Stadium. This was the fourth season with Marcel Desjardins as general manager and Rick Campbell as head coach.
Quick Facts Ottawa Redblacks season, General manager ...
| 2017 Ottawa Redblacks season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Marcel Desjardins |
| Head coach | Rick Campbell |
| Home field | TD Place Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–9–1 |
| Division place | 2nd, East |
| Playoff finish | Lost East Semi-Final |
| Team MOP | Greg Ellingson |
| Team MOC | Brad Sinopoli |
| Team MOR | Sherrod Baltimore |
| Uniform | |
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Open Tryout Sessions
On January 15, 2017, the Redblacks announced they would be holding open tryouts across North America during the spring.[1] The dates and locations are listed in the table below:
More information Location, Venue ...
| Location | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis, Indiana | Decatur Central High School | April 1 |
| Durham, North Carolina | North Carolina Central University | April 2 |
| Houston, Texas | Houston Baptist University - Husky Stadium | April 8 |
| San Jose, California | San Jose City College Stadium | April 9 |
| Atlanta, Georgia | Georgia State University | May 20 |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | Bill "Wildcat" Morris Rebel Park | May 21 |
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Coaching Staff
On December 23, 2016 the Redblacks announced they would be bringing back their entire coaching staff from the previous season.[2]
Retirements
On January 24, 2017 starting quarterback Henry Burris officially announced his retirement.[3] Burris joined the Redblacks prior to their inaugural season, and was the team's starting quarterback for the franchise's first two seasons, and then again for portions of the 2016 season, eventually leading the team to victory in the 104th Grey Cup game. The retirement pushes Trevor Harris into the starting quarterback role, having acquired him prior to the 2016 season for the purpose of being Burris' successor.
Free-Agency
The 2017 CFL free agency period officially opened at 12:00pm EST on February 14, 2017. Key transactions are listed below:
Retained
More information Date, Position ...
| Date | Position | Player Name | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 14, 2016 | LB | Antoine Pruneau | [4] |
| January 10, 2017 | LB | Taylor Reed | [5] |
| February 10, 2017 | WR | Greg Ellingson | [6] |
| February 13, 2017 | DB | Jerrell Gavins | [7] |
| February 14, 2017 | OL | Nolan MacMillan | [8] |
| March 9, 2017 | DL | Moton Hopkins | [9] |
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Incoming
More information Date, Position ...
| Date | Position | Player Name | Former Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 14, 2017 | LB | Khalil Bass | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | [10] |
| WR | Kenny Shaw | Toronto Argonauts | [11] | |
| February 15, 2017 | DB | A.J. Jefferson | Toronto Argonauts | [12] |
| WR | Diontae Spencer | Toronto Argonauts | [13] | |
| May 4, 2017 | WR | Tori Gurley | Toronto Argonauts | [14] |
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Departing
More information Date, Position ...
| Date | Position | Player Name | Destination | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 4, 2017 | DB | Forrest Hightower | New Orleans Saints (NFL) | [15] |
| DB | Mitchell White | Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) | ||
| DB | Jeff Richards | Carolina Panthers (NFL) | ||
| February 14, 2017 | DB | Abdul Kanneh | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | [16] |
| RB | Kienan Lafrance | Saskatchewan Roughriders | [17] | |
| February 16, 2017 | WR | Ernest Jackson | Montreal Alouettes | [18] |
| February 17, 2017 | WR | Chris Williams | BC Lions | [19] |
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CFL draft
The 2017 CFL Draft took place on May 7, 2017.[20] The Redblacks made no trades in the draft and selected last in each of the eight rounds by virtue of winning the Grey Cup.[21]
More information Round, Pick ...
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Evan Johnson | OL | Saskatchewan | Regina, SK |
| 2 | 18 | Anthony Gosselin | FB | Sherbrooke | Otterburn Park, QC |
| 3 | 26 | Eli Ankou | DL | California, Los Angeles | Ottawa, ON |
| 4 | 35 | Louis-Philippe Bourassa | RB | Montreal | Trois-Rivières, QC |
| 5 | 44 | Mathieu Dupuis | DL | Montreal | Laval, QC |
| 6 | 53 | Austen Hartley | WR | Calgary | Calgary, AB |
| 7 | 62 | Ed Ilnicki | RB | Alberta | Spruce Grove, AB |
| 8 | 71 | Jordan Filippelli | OL | Calgary | Sherwood Park, AB |
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Training camp
Non-mandatory spring mini-camp was held on April 27–29 at TD Place stadium. Mini-camp focused on quarterbacks, rookies and new signings.[22] Mandatory training camp began on May 28 and will continue through June 14. Training camp consists of 12 practices, 2 walkthroughs and 1 mock game on June 3.[23] Like in previous seasons the sessions of both the mini-camp and training camp were open for the public to view.
Schedule
More information Week, Date ...
| Week | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | TV | Venue | Attendance | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | ||||||||
| A | Thu, June 8 | 7:30 p.m. EDT | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | W 30–29 | 1–0 | TSN | TD Place Stadium | 23,252 | Recap |
| B | Thu, June 15 | 7:30 p.m. EDT | at Montreal Alouettes | L 5–38 | 1–1 | TSN2/RDS | Molson Stadium | 12,533 | Recap |
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- # Games played with colour uniforms.
Standings
More information Team, GP ...
| Team | GP | W | L | T | Pts | PF | PA | Div | Stk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Argonauts | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 482 | 456 | 6–2 | W2 | Details |
| Ottawa Redblacks | 18 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 17 | 495 | 452 | 5–3 | W3 | Details |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 443 | 545 | 4–4 | W1 | Details |
| Montreal Alouettes | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 314 | 580 | 1–7 | L11 | Details |
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Schedule
More information Week, Date ...
| Week | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | TV | Venue | Attendance | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | ||||||||
| 1 | Fri, June 23 | 7:30 p.m. EDT | vs. Calgary Stampeders | T 31–31 (2OT) | 0–0–1 | TSN/RDS/ESPNews | TD Place Stadium | 24,565 | Recap |
| 2 | Thu, June 29 | 9:00 p.m. EDT | at Calgary Stampeders | L 39–43 | 0–1–1 | TSN/RDS | McMahon Stadium | 24,613 | Recap |
| 3 | Sat, July 8 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | vs. Toronto Argonauts | L 25–26 | 0–2–1 | TSN/RDS | TD Place Stadium | 24,347 | Recap |
| 4 | Fri, July 14 | 10:00 p.m. EDT | at Edmonton Eskimos | L 21–23 | 0–3–1 | TSN | Commonwealth Stadium | 36,260 | Recap |
| 5 | Wed, July 19 | 7:30 p.m. EDT | vs. Montreal Alouettes | W 24–19 | 1–3–1 | TSN/RDS | TD Place Stadium | 24,756 | Recap |
| 5 | Mon, July 24 | 7:30 p.m. EDT | at Toronto Argonauts | L 24–27 | 1–4–1 | TSN/RDS/ESPN2 | BMO Field | 15,801 | Recap |
| 6 | Bye | ||||||||
| 7 | Fri, Aug 4 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | L 30–33 | 1–5–1 | TSN/RDS | TD Place Stadium | 23,725 | Recap |
| 8 | Thu, Aug 10 | 7:30 p.m. EDT | vs. Edmonton Eskimos | L 20–27 | 1–6–1 | TSN/RDS | TD Place Stadium | 23,851 | Recap |
| 9 | Fri, Aug 18 | 7:30 p.m. EDT | at Hamilton Tiger-Cats | W 37–18 | 2–6–1 | TSN/RDS | Tim Hortons Field | 23,524 | Recap |
| 10 | Sat, Aug 26 | 3:30 p.m. EDT | vs. BC Lions | W 31–24 | 3–6–1 | TSN/RDS2 | TD Place Stadium | 24,887 | Recap |
| 11 | Thu, Aug 31 | 7:30 p.m. EDT | at Montreal Alouettes | W 32–4 | 4–6–1 | TSN/RDS | Molson Stadium | 18,325 | Recap |
| 12 | Sat, Sept 9 | 6:00 p.m. EDT | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | L 22–26 | 4–7–1 | TSN/RDS2 | TD Place Stadium | 24,901 | Recap |
| 13 | Sun, Sept 17 | 1:00 p.m. EDT | at Montreal Alouettes | W 29–11 | 5–7–1 | TSN/RDS/ESPN2 | Molson Stadium | 22,596 | Recap |
| 14 | Fri, Sept 22 | 8:00 p.m. EDT | at Winnipeg Blue Bombers | L 9–29 | 5–8–1 | TSN/RDS | Investor's Group Field | 26,588 | Recap |
| 15 | Fri, Sept 29 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders | L 17–18 | 5–9–1 | TSN | TD Place Stadium | 24,893 | Recap |
| 16 | Sat, Oct 7 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | at BC Lions | W 30–25 | 6–9–1 | TSN | BC Place | 19,324 | Recap |
| 17 | Fri, Oct 13 | 10:00 p.m. EDT | at Saskatchewan Roughriders | W 33–32 | 7–9–1 | TSN | Mosaic Stadium | 33,350 | Recap |
| 18 | Bye | ||||||||
| 19 | Fri, Oct 27 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | W 41–36 | 8–9–1 | TSN | TD Place Stadium | 24,781 | Recap |
| 20 | Bye | ||||||||
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- # Games played with colour uniforms.
- # Games played with white uniforms.
Schedule
More information Game, Date ...
| Game | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | TV | Venue | Attendance | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | ||||||||
| East Semi-Final | Sun, Nov 12 | 1:00 p.m. EST | vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders | L 20–31 | 0–1 | TSN/RDS/ESPN2 | TD Place Stadium | 24,107 | Recap |
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- # Games played with colour uniforms.
Roster
More information Ottawa Redblacks roster ...
| Ottawa Redblacks roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Injured list
6-Game injured list
Practice squad
Italics indicate International player | |||||
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Coaching staff
More information Ottawa Redblacks Staff ...
| Ottawa Redblacks Staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
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- "Open Tryouts 2017 - Ottawa REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Archived from the original on 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
- "Redblacks bringing back entire coaching staff - Article - TSN". TSN. 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
- "Hank Hangs 'Em Up: Burris confirms retirement after 18 seasons". CFL.ca. 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
- "REDBLACKS re-sign Antoine Pruneau". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
- "REDBLACKS, Reed agree on one-year extension". CFL.ca. 2017-01-10. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
- "Redblacks sign Ellingson to two-year deal - Article - TSN". TSN. 2017-02-10. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- "Gavins back with REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-02-13. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
- "Nolan MacMillan re-signs with REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
- "REDBLACKS re-sign DL Hopkins". CFL.ca. 2017-03-09. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
- "REDBLACKS open free agency with signing of Khalil Bass". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
- "REDBLACKS sign WR Kenny Shaw". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
- "REDBLACKS land corner help in Jefferson". CFL.ca. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
- "Free agent frenzy sees REDBLACKS add three more". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
- "REDBLACKS ink former Argo, Bomber WR Tori Gurley". CFL.ca. 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
- "REDBLACKS grant releases to three players". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-01-04. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
- "Ticats bolster secondary; add Abdul Kanneh". CFL.ca. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
- "Riders add ratio-breaker in Lafrance". CFL.ca. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
- "Als sign top-ranked free agent Ernest Jackson". CFL.ca. 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
- "Lions land speedster Chris Williams". BC Lions. 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
- "2017 Draft Tracker". cfl.ca. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
- "REDBLACKS to hold 2017 Mini-Camp April 27-29". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
- "2017 Training Camp Schedule - Ottawa REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Retrieved 2017-05-30.[permanent dead link]