Brad Sinopoli, the long time Redblack is now in year 5 in plaid. In the years he’s spent in Ottawa, he has had 4 straight seasons where he’s gained 1000+ receiving yards.
Before getting the chance to play in Ottawa, he was a backup QB for Calgary coming from Ottawa University, and later made the switch to play Slot-back. In his first seasons at the new position, he racked up over 500 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.
Once he had been signed by Ottawa, he was given instant success, being brought in with Greg Ellingson, Chris Williams and Ernest Jackson, and the quarterback being Henry Burris, it was screaming success on paper.
Not only on paper, the 4 receivers were breaking records for being the first 4 receivers on the same team to have 1000+ yards back to back seasons. Both 2015 and 2016 ended in the Grey Cup for Sinopoli and the Redblacks. After winning the Grey Cup with Ottawa in 2016, the team lost both Chris Williams and Ernest Jackson, and the team was in for a roller coaster.
After losing a few big targets, in 2017, the Redblacks went 8-9-1 which would math the team’s record from the Grey Cup season in 2016. The team went on the lose the East Semi-Final against the Saskatchewan Rough Riders.
After a rough 2017 season, the team pretty well stayed the same, other than gaining more experience from the guys from the past season. 2018 was a terrific season for the Redblacks and Sinopoli. Brad had the best season of his career, rallying for 1376 yards on a CFL record 116 catches.
The 2018 Redblacks went on to win the 2018 East Final against the Hamilton Tiger Cats, where QB Trevor Harris had thrown for 6 touchdown passes.
Although the team had a great outing the week before, the Grey Cup was a different story, Ottawa was defeated by the Calgary Stampeders in the 2018 Grey Cup.
Now, the 2018-19 off-season. It all changed for Ottawa. The Ottawa Redblacks lost their whole offensive identity, including fellow bud, Greg Ellingson.
With a tough off-season, the team overcame the losses and went on to go 2-0, one win coming against their Grey Cup opponent Calgary Stampeders.
Although the team went on a 2-0 start, a bye week gave the team a reality check, which would give the team 3 straight losses. At week 7 of the 2019 season, the Redblacks sit at 2-3 while Quarterbacks Jonathon Jennings and Dominique Davis have both struggled to throw Sinopoli’s way, as he only has 179 yards in the 5 games played. Sinopoli looks to refresh his mindset and focus on the small things, as him and the Redblacks fight for a win against Calgary tomorrow!
Interview Timeout
Q: You’re now in your 5th season as a Redblack, and you’ve now caught balls from both Henry Burris and Trevor Harris. This season, the two Dominique Davis and Jonathon Jennings have shared reps at the Quarterback position. What do you have to say about their transitions to starting quarterback?
A: “I mean both guys are great Quarterbacks and have had some big plays this year. Jennings is more experienced with the CFL because of his seasons in B.C, where he had lots of success and we knew that he was a great QB coming in. While Dom was with us last year, so he is a little more familiar with the system, the players and everything that’s going on in the offensive zone. I was excited to have two great guys at the position, it’s always great when you have two great quarterbacks as well. In the CFL you never know what can happen. It’s great, we have good communication, which is very important and they see the game very well so far it has been pretty good.”
Q: With the two quarterbacks a little unfamiliar with the offense, you haven’t seen the ball as much as you’re used to. Has it been frustrating for you to not have to opportunities to contribute to the offense?
A: “ I think I everyone individually can be frustrated, everyone’s wants to do as much as they can to help out. That’s what makes all of us competitive and at the same time, that’s how football goes. It’s a team game and there’s lot of moving parts, just stay on the course and you’ll be looked at. It’s frustrating that we’re not winning, and all the small things are being highlighted while everyone is doing all they can to get the next win.“
Q: You’ve played in the CFL for over 7 years now, and played on some very good teams while having a few struggled seasons. What is different about this season compared to successful seasons you’ve had in the past?
A: “I’d just say that we’re young, we’ve got a group of guys that lack experience. In past years, we had a lot of veteran guys which made a experienced group, and with those groups, we also had some struggles. When you struggle with experienced guys, its much different because the guys have all went through it before, and everyone isn’t as worried as they are with young guys. This year, we are young, and worrying, we’ve all overcame struggles individually, so we can definitely overcome this“
Q: In the 5 years here in Ottawa, you’ve had lots of success, but also struggled in each season, but the fans always kept supporting. What do you have to say about the support the fans have had?
A: “That’s the biggest thing, I think we have the best fans in the league, there’s nothing like it on gameday. I think I’ve talked about walking to TD Place before the game, the atmosphere is unreal. The excitement in the air is crazy. We’ve struggled at home, and the fans keep coming and supporting no matter the conditions. The fans are always having a good time, and we try and help them out and have a great game.”
JZ MEDIA 