It is Ottawa Redblacks game day in the nation’s capital; Redblacks to kickoff against B.C Lions at home
After a long awaited 667 days since their last home game, the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks are back at TD Place and are back better than ever. There will be 15,000 fans watching the game live and hundreds of thousands on TSN as the capital of Canada gets football back after the pandemic.
Of course it may not be a normal game by any means, having just 15,000 of the 24,000 seats filled and wearing a mask, being spaced out from one another but the main thing for tonight’s kickoff at TD Place is that it is back. The Redblacks went 3-15 the last time they played at TD Place, losing their last home battle to the Montreal Alouettes but after a 1-1 road trip out west and a long off-season, improving the roster and coaching staff the Redblacks, who are led by Marcel Desjardins in the front office and Paul LaPolice as a head coach are ready to bring a win to all of R-Nation at home.
The Redblacks are fighting the injury bug in week 4 of the 2021 CFL season, losing Sherrod Baltimore, Abdul Kanneh, Gump Hayes, Stefan Charles, Stansly Maponga, Jordan Smallwood, Anthony Coombs and Timothy Flanders for the season’s home opener and potentially longer but there are plenty of other players here in Ottawa set to play in each of these positions. At defensive back rookies Marcus Lewis and Brad Muhammad are set to make their first CFL starts while Ese Mrabure and Davon Coleman replace the interior defensive linemen hurt for tonight and also on defence, Praise Martin Oguike is to make his CFL debut opposite from Avery Ellis on the defensive line. On offence Charone Peake, a former Clemson Tiger and New York Jets draft pick is making his CFL debut alongside running back Justin Davis who is an alum of USC and played with the Los Angeles Rams. The two additions on the offensive side of the ball bring strength, quickness and agility to a team that needs it and while the B.C Lions have struggled on the defensive side of the ball we may see the newcomers breakout at TD Place tonight, as well as DeVonte Dedmon and RJ Harris who each had themselves big games a week ago.
Ryan Davis 
RJ Harris 
DeVonte Dedmon 
Charone Peake to make his CFL debut
While it may be emotional for many, Paul LaPolice is beyond excited to have R-Nation at his very first Redblacks home game as the team’s head coach. He said earlier this week, “I want to make this the loudest place in the east.” as he refers to what he said when he was first hired by Ottawa now dating back to December of 2019. Watch the Ottawa Redblacks kickoff against the B.C Lions for the first time at TD Place since November 1st 2019 at 7:00 eastern and be on the lookout for the run game led by Justin Davis, Ryan Davis, DeVonte Dedmon, Charone Peake and RJ Harris in the pass game as well as Avery Williams, Don Unamba, Justin Howell and Avery Ellis on the defensive side of the ball as they and kickers Lewis Ward and Richie Leone could be big factors against the B.C Lions in tonight’s matchup.
Injuries headline preview of Ottawa Redblacks 2021 CFL home opener against B.C Lions
For the first time in 667 days the Ottawa Redblacks will be kicking off a CFL game at TD Place tomorrow against the B.C Lions. The game will start at 7:00 with fans rolling in as early as 6:00.
After starting the season 1-1 on the road with a win over the Edmonton Elks and a loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders it will be good to have the Redblacks back in the nation’s capital, getting home field advantage for the first time of the 2021 CFL season however it will be a much different team than R-Nation may have gotten use to the last time the stepped on the field at TD Place. Not only because of the number of changes they made throughout the long off-season but also because of the injuries the team have suffered early on in the season. They’ve brought in a whole new regime in Ottawa since the last CFL season, having a new coaching staff and close to an entire new look roster, improving the team since the 3-15 season in 2019, but after the road trip to start the 2021 CFL season a number of those new players brought in as well as some veteran Ottawa Redblacks players have faced injury problems, making it even harder for Redblacks fans to keep up with who is who on Saturday for the team’s home opener.
The players taken out of Saturday’s lineup include defensive backs Sherrod Baltimore, Abdul Kanneh, and Gump Hayes, defensive linemen Stansly Maponga, Cleyon Laing and Stefan Charles as well as receivers Anthony Coombs and Jordan Smallwood and running back Timothy Flanders. Of course these injuries could be a big blow to what the Redblacks may have had planned for the home opener, however it also creates a large opportunity for other players to step in and make plays. Kanneh, Baltimore, Laing and Coombs are all big names in the CFL. Without a doubt the Redblacks will miss having them in the line-up against the Lions, but in to replace them are a group of young guys that have been waiting their entire football careers for an opportunity just like this. On the offensive side of the ball we will see the first looks of Charone Peake and Justin Davis as well as younger receivers DeVonte Dedmon, Michael Klukas and maybe Wesley Lewis. Peake, a former Clemson wide out spent time with the NFL’s New York Jets after being drafted by them in 2016. He is a 6-foot-2, 210 pound receiver that brings strength and speed to the offence while Justin Davis, another key player R-Nation should keep eyes on will bring that exact speed alongside explosiveness and big play potential from the running back position. With Timothy Flanders in the offence the Redblacks were able to run the ball for good gains but never got past 8 yards. With Davis we may break that 8 yard long on the first drive of the game. He is explosive off of the snap and is very agile, making it hard on defenders to get hands on him. He was an exciting player to watch at USC and in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams and should bring the same excitement to the Redblacks.
As for the defensive side of the ball, defensive backs Marcus Lewis and Brad Muhammad are set to make their first CFL starts as well as defensive end Praise Martin Oguike. Also changed on the defensive side of the ball is the swaps of Cleyon Laing and Stefan Charles for Ese Mrabure and Davon Coleman in the interior defensive line. The linebacking core remains the same with Avery Williams, Micah Awe and Don Unamba leading the charge.
Despite all of the injuries and changes made to the Redblacks roster for the home opener at TD Place it will remain an exciting game. The B.C Lions are coming to Ottawa 1-2 and has a fire power offence with Lucky Whitehead and Bryan Burnham out wide and Shaq Cooper running the ball. They also have a good defence led by former Redblacks J.R Tavai and Anthony Cioffi alongside T.J Lee and Marcus Sayles but the young Redblacks offence and even their defence should be able to keep up with what they have set up.
See for yourself during tomorrow night’s game at TD Place as the game is set to begin at 7:00.
A rep is a rep; Ottawa Redblacks’ DeVonte Dedmon makes impact in any way in young 2021 CFL season
In 2019 we got our first looks at DeVonte Dedmon as a kickoff and punt returner. He returned a kickoff return for a touchdown in his first CFL pre-season game and returned two kicks for touchdowns in just his second of five regular season games in the 2019 CFL season in Montreal against the Alouettes. After finishing the five regular season games in 2019 prior to suffering injuries with 945 all-purpose yards on 43 touches, averaging 22 yards each time he touched the ball over the span of 5 regular season games he felt like he was ready to take on a larger role.
During the off-season he did an interview with myself and talked about how he doesn’t want to be a “one trick pony.” He said, “I know I can do a lot more than just return kicks and even though I can make a huge impact doing exactly that I have been grinding a lot this off-season to make an impact on offence too and I can be a difference maker in our offence.” And being a difference maker is exactly what he has been.
There is only two games to show for it and just one of offensive production but in a short span of time Dedmon has proven to be much more than a one trick pony, only returning kicks. In the return game though, he has brought a huge bright spot and spark to the team, providing the offence with great field position nearly every time he touches the ball, now having generated 257 yards on 19 kickoff and punt returns. He has a long 26 yard punt return thus far to pair with what he was able to do on the offensive side of the ball in Saskatchewan in the Redblacks’ week 3 matchup against the Roughriders. Following Timothy Flanders’ injury late in the first half of the Redblacks and Roughriders game in week 3 the Ottawa Redblacks had Dedmon taking handoffs in the backfield from Matt Nichols and Dominique Davis. He ran the ball 5 times for 31 yards and one touchdown and caught it once for 9 yards, combining for 40 yards and a touchdown on just 6 offensive touches. Bringing a spark to the offence each time he had his hands on the football the Redblacks should look to continue to feed DeVonte Dedmon moving forward and if they do so we know DeVonte will take the opportunities and run with them, like he’s been doing since the start of his career. At Tuesday’s practice where he also was found taking handoffs alongside running back Justin Davis as Timothy Flanders remains out of the picture Dedmon said, “Whatever the coaches want me to play, I’ll play it. I’m just one of those guys where I just do my job and thats it.”
As we get closer to Saturday’s home opener at TD Place the Ottawa Redblacks should have their injury report finalized and it will be clear who is and who isn’t playing, however right now as we stand mid week, following both Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices it looks like that job that DeVonte Dedmon has this week could be fairly large. Running back Timothy Flanders remains out of the picture, making it just him and Justin Davis at running back and receivers RJ Harris, Jordan Smallwood and Anthony Coombs have been found on the injury report, making ways for him in the pass game so if the players mentioned are indeed out of the lineup on Saturday against the B.C Lions it can be a busy day for Dedmon. He may be found on special teams, in the return game, run game and pass game throughout the game, all in front of the Redblacks fanbase at TD Place. For the first time since November 1st of 2019 the stadium at TD Place will have fans in the stands. Close to 15,000 members of R-Nation will be in attendance and DeVonte Dedmon is one of many players excited to have the opportunity to play in front of them once again. “Its been awhile.” he said, “Anytime I’m on the field I’m trying to make a play, bring some excitement, whether that be receiver, running back, kick returner, punt returner, I’m just going to do what they need me to do and bring some joy to the fans.” The game on Saturday will be the Redblacks’ third of the season as they look to bounce back from their first loss of their young 1-1 season for the 2021 CFL season and it should be a much better game on all aspects from the two we have seen from the team already this season. Redblacks players are all in sync with each other and have created a bond over the past three weeks in preparation for the next 12 games of the season, beginning with their home opener which you can buy your tickets for now at ottawaredblacks.com.
Montreal’s Jaden Victor “making the most of every opportunity” as he continues to receive division one offers
In the past it wasn’t very common to see skill position Canadians making plays south of the border. We got use to seeing just offensive linemen and defensive linemen making it across the border to play in the NCAA and NFL and didn’t think much of the skill position guys until recently. There has been a huge growth of Canadian content south of the border recently when it comes to the skill positions. The coaching has improved around the country, and that explains the growth in talent but what has also come to fruition has been the exposure. Before, there may have been talent at every position on the field coming from Canada but nobody was here to see it. The Canadian universities were the only ones getting to look at the players in the country and had them play at their schools then the CFL. That took away all of the opportunities they could have had to play division one football and on Sundays but now with social media playing a large role in recruiting and the development in Canada not only coming in the athletes but the coaches as well with their relationships with coaches around the globe the secret has gotten out. People are now starting to realize what kind of talent is in Canada.
In the 2021 NFL Draft the record of four Canadians selected was tied, while even seeing four more sign undrafted free agent contracts on day three of the draft, paving the way for future Canadian athletes like defensive back Jaden Victor.
Victor is a Montreal, Quebec native. He’s from the same area as newly drafted Washington Football Team cornerback Benjamin St Juste and at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds he is ready to make an impact at the next level. He is entering his first season across the border, also his senior season of high school with Miami International Academy. He goes into his first season with a number of division one offers which he has been receiving since he began talking with coaches like Coach Jean Guillaume, one of his former teammates’ Edwin Tara-Kolenge’s mentors from the Ottawa, Ontario area. Among his offers are Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Eastern Carolina, Temple, UCONN, Toledo, Arkansas State and more. When asked by JZ Media’s Jordan Zlomislic about the offers Victor said with a big smile, “It is awesome.” he continued, “I’ve been working hard and to see it pay off a little bit makes me work even harder knowing that what I want is reachable.” What he wants right now? To help the team he is on now win games, “I want to make plays this year and continue to show schools out there who I am and why they should get me.”
In Victor’s interview with Jordan Zlomislic he also touched on how thankful he is to be in the position he is in. He has a teammate, Edwin Tara-Kolenge who is one of the top athletes from Canada and recently committed to Boston College that went through the entire recruiting process but as he goes through it himself he says, “its crazy” he explained, “My phone has been blowing up with all of the coaches that like my film. I’m thankful to be where I am. I am going to continue making the most of every opportunity because its not every athlete that gets these chances, especially coming from Canada.”
Jaden Victor has also recently been invited to the Martin Luther King Jr Day All-Star Classic Bowl in Las Vegas alongside Tara-Kolenge from Montreal.
Ottawa Redblacks return home after 1-1 start in the west; what has worked early on and what needs work
featured image: KAYLE NEIS/THE CANADIAN PRESS
After Saturday night’s game in Saskatchewan the Ottawa Redblacks fell to 1-1. They come out of their west coast trip with a 16-12 victory over the Edmonton Elks and a 23-10 loss to the Roughriders, and despite only scoring 26 points over the two matchups and struggling to move the ball into the end zone there have been a number of bright spots come from this 2021 Ottawa Redblacks team.
What has worked?
Defence keeping points off of the board: Starting off with the defence, and what could arguably be one of the best defences in the CFL this season, the Ottawa Redblacks have done a good job in stopping offence’s from making big plays and also holding both Edmonton and Saskatchewan to a combined 1 touchdown and 9 field goals, they keep points off of the board.
The tackling: After a full year and a half without CFL football, many were worried about the quality of play to start out the 2021 season. One of the biggest worries for some fans and people around the league came at the tackling but for the Ottawa Redblacks that hasn’t been a problem. The Ottawa Redblacks have yet to give up a big play, the longest so far being a 35 yard catch and run to Derel Walker in the first game from Edmonton’s Trevor Harris. They’ve held the run game to a 14 yard long coming from both Cody Fajardo and James Wilder Jr and really have had very few missed tackles. Leading the group would be the trio of linebackers, Avery Williams (23 tackles), Don Unamba (8 tackles) and Micah Awe (10 tackles) who combine for 41 tackles over the two first games of the season. If the Redblacks defence is able to keep this up, all the offence has to do is put points on the board and make big plays of their own to be the team to beat in this league.
Photos of Micah Awe, Sherrod Baltimore and Abdul Kanneh from Jordan Zlomislic
Getting good field position: In the first game of the season against the Edmonton Elks the Redblacks won the game with one defensive touchdown and 3 field goals, they forced the Elks to punt 8 times which got them in good field position courtesy of DeVonte Dedmon’s return game. They did it again in Saskatchewan, giving up just the one touchdown and then getting good field position from 5 field goals and 6 punts. Unfortunately the Redblacks didn’t have the takeaways like they did in the first game getting them into even better field position, however with the defence and special teams unit that the Redblacks do have this season the offence is almost guaranteed to be in a good spot on the field to start drives. It has been very rare to see Nichols and his offence start drives backed up in their own zone, and in week one it was a good way to get points on the board via Lewis Ward field goals. They have been doing it and if the defence and special teams are able to continue to give the offence good field position it is only a matter of time where the league sees how big of an advantage it really is.
What needs work?
The run game: In both Edmonton and Saskatchewan the Ottawa Redblacks were given great field position to start drives. They were practically given opportunities by the defence and special teams unit but were never able to capitalize on the opportunities given. A large part of it came from the run game. Timothy Flanders, in one and a half games has ran the ball 19 times for 74 yards. It may not be the worst numbers, he was able to move the ball here and there but he didn’t make the big plays needed from the offence. His longest run from the first two games stands at just 8 yards. There has been no spark from the run game to kick start drives except for the times that returner and receiver DeVonte Dedmon filled in. In three carries two goal line attempts he gained 31 yards and scored one touchdown. With a long of 14 yards and another run for 9 yards, Dedmon brings that spark to the offence and gives momentum to the drive, exactly what the Redblacks have been missing. After scoring the team’s first offensive touchdown of the season the Ottawa Redblacks should keep Dedmon in the lineup, and if Flanders is too banged up for the Redblacks home opener against the B.C Lions we may see running back Justin Davis in the lineup, who like Dedmon brings explosiveness to the run game and can help move the ball alongside Dedmon as a part of a one-two punch, Davis taking care of the majority of runs and Dedmon being found in the run game as well but also in the pass game. Although, if Flanders is good to go for week 3 they can keep him in the lineup and treat him as the starting running back, while giving DeVonte Dedmon the ball when in need of a spark.
Getting sacked: Against Saskatchewan on Saturday night Matt Nichols was sacked a total 6 times. In Edmonton he was sacked 5 times, making it a total 11 sacks given up over the first two games of the 2021 CFL season, but the problem hasn’t always been the offensive line. Of course there have been some instances where the line isn’t giving Nichols enough time in the pocket but one re-occurring problem over the first two games of the season have been Nichols holding on to the football in the backfield. Nichols has struggled to get rid of the football over the first two games of the season, forcing him to get sacked 11 times, and now throwing an interception to add into the mix. That is 12 offensive plays that Nichols and the Redblacks’ offence would love to have back, and moving forward should look to eliminate. If the sacks turn into dump offs to running backs or receivers it will help the field position battle and could keep the Redblacks in games, therefore if Nichols is able to have a security blanket or two on each offensive snap there should be less sacks and interceptions moving forward in the season. Nichols was 19 of 24 for 176 yards against Saskatchewan, completing 79% of his passes so his accuracy is clearly there, but with 6 sacks in the game it would be good eliminate the sacks and turn them into completions and yards gained.
Getting to the opposing quarterback: Along with the problems on the offensive side of the ball in the backfield, the Redblacks have the same, but different problems on the defensive side of the ball. Coach Mike Benevides has done an excellent job as of yet with the Ottawa Redblacks defence, only giving up the one touchdown so far and holding the two teams to a total 9 field goals instead of touchdowns but they have struggled to create pressure in the backfield for the quarterbacks. In the first game they did well. Ottawa sacked Trevor Harris 3 times, pressuring him to throw 3 interceptions and 8 incompletions but in Saskatchewan, Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo got too comfortable in the pocket. Outside of the pass breakups from the defensive line, Fajardo wasn’t too worried about the Redblacks front seven, having been sacked zero times and completing 30 of 35 passes (85%) while even running the ball 47 yards on 9 carries and a touchdown. If the Redblacks defence can improve in this category starting next week at home against the Lions, they can not only sack the quarterback, getting them further away from the first down and goal line but also pressure them throughout the game.
Outside of these categories, the Ottawa Redblacks have done a great job to open up the season 1-1 on the west coast. They have been able to play games great defensively and on special teams, while also moving the ball here and there, showing glimpses of what they are able to do and if they are able to play to their full potential, get to the quarterback, establish the run game and eliminate the sacks on offence they can be a top team in the CFL this season.
Ottawa Redblacks fall to Saskatchewan Roughriders in week 3 matchup; all eyes on home opener against B.C Lions
In the second game of the season the Ottawa Redblacks kicked off against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. They began the game 1-0, and the Roughriders did so 2-0. Saskatchewan was coming off of a big win a week ago against the Hamilton Tiger Cats and it was going to be a big test for the Ottawa Redblacks and it was a big test.
Early on in the football game the Redblacks showed that they can play with the Roughriders. They were able to move the ball and get some first downs, even stretch the field with a long 42 yard throw to RJ Harris early in the game. The defence also began the game very well, starting exactly how they finished the last game against the Edmonton Elks but things started to catch up to the Redblacks. Their 2 or 3 first downs that they were getting early on in the game weren’t good enough to end drives with points, the defence’s stops only helped so much with the offence struggling to capitalize on them and most importantly the Saskatchewan Roughriders started to find the Redblacks weaknesses. Cody Fajardo was having success running the ball himself, running it 9 times for 47 yards and a score and also on intermediate passes, completing 85 percent of his passes for a total 321 yards on the night without a single sack or turnover.
The Redblacks only gave up the one touchdown on defence from Fajardo’s scrambling, held the Roughriders to 23 points which was great considering the defence was on the field for over 31 minutes and they won a lot of different battles throughout the game but as mentioned previously the offence wasn’t able to capitalize on the defence’s victories. Forcing the Roughriders to punt the ball 6 times and holding them to 5 field goals, the Redblacks offence was given a number of opportunities to put points on the board, but only did so twice throughout the entire game. The first points of the game came on a Lewis Ward field goal in the Redblacks third drive of the game and the next time they scored was courtesy of DeVonte Dedmon who filled in for the injured Timothy Flanders at running back in the second half.
Dedmon ended up being one of the Redblacks key contributors on the offensive side of the ball in the second half and proved to head coach and play caller Paul LaPolice that he can carry the rock too. He ran the ball 5 times for 31 yards, caught it once for 9 yards and had 97 return yards on 8 kickoff and punt returns along with his rushing touchdown. That is 137 all-purpose yards on 14 touches. It may not be anything close to Diontae Spencer’s 496 in 2017 but it shows promise moving forward. Another key player on the offensive side of the ball was RJ Harris. Harris caught just 2 passes for 20 yards in week one against the Edmonton Elks and as the number one receiver in the offence this year those are not super star caliber numbers but he put up good numbers and looked good on film in Saskatchewan this week. The number one receiver caught all 5 of his targets for 101 yards including a beautiful 42 yard diving catch early in the game which stands as the Redblacks longest play of the season so far. On the throw on that 42 yard completion was Matt Nichols who looked good against a good Saskatchewan defence at times. He completed 79% of his passes, 19/24 for 176 yards, improving a lot from his 71 yards in week one but the problems from Nichols this week came behind the line of scrimmage. He was sacked 6 times by the Saskatchewan Roughriders front seven and had trouble running away from the pressure, running the ball just once for one yard. Nichols also was intercepted once by Ed Gainey on a deep throw to Nate Behar but if the Ottawa Redblacks offensive line and Matt Nichols can limit the sacks and the team can also cut back the penalties having been penalized 11 times for 104 yards in week 3, the run game was there against Saskatchewan, while healthy Flanders ran 8 times for 35 yards, Dedmon had 31 yards on 5 carries, the receivers looked good, Harris leading the group with 101 yards, Ryan Davis catching 4 of 5 targets for 21 yards, Petermann and Behar combined for 5 catches on 8 total targets for 31 yards and the defence has only given up the one offensive touchdown all year, the Redblacks are a really good football team, they have proven it and can win a lot of football games moving forward.
This was a good test for the Ottawa Redblacks, and even-though they may have fallen to 1-1 and are not at the top of the division with the 2-1 Toronto Argonauts, they have 12 games left in the season, 7 home games and many more opportunities to prove themselves right. Don’t count out the Ottawa Redblacks just yet.
It is Ottawa Redblacks game day; big test at Mosaic Stadium kicks off at 7:00 EDT
featured image courtesy of the Ottawa Redblacks
The Ottawa Redblacks kicked off their 2021 CFL season on the road against the Edmonton Elks. In their week one battle they brought home a win, having beat the Elks 16-12 and all of the momentum that was created in Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton was brought home with the win. It was a huge defensive and special teams win for the Redblacks. Edmonton’s Trevor Harris was sacked and intercepted 3 times and Bob Dyce’s special teams unit generated over 130 kickoff and punt return yards, kicked 3 field goals and punted the ball 11 times for a total 534 yards and even though the offence may have only moved the ball 127 yards all game, 71 in the air and 56 on the ground, they showed glimpses of what can be coming in tonight’s matchup in Regina.
Ottawa’s offence will need to move the ball much better and have some big plays in tonight’s game to remain in it as Saskatchewan’s defence looks to be much better than the Elks defence they faced in week 1. Saskatchewan sits at 2-0, having beat both the B.C Lions and Hamilton Tiger Cats. They have shown some weaknesses in the short passing game, which for quarterback Matt Nichols is his forte and in the two games they’ve played as of yet they have had some problems with the speed receivers and the deep ball. Each of these, alongside the run game which Saskatchewan hasn’t really seen yet this season, only defending 20 rushing attempts in the first two games of the season, are things that the Ottawa Redblacks need to attack in their game at Mosaic Stadium. The run game will be handled by Timothy Flanders once again who ran the ball 11 times for 39 yards in his first game in red and black but they may also throw both DeVonte Dedmon and Ryan Davis into the run game on jet sweeps and other wildcat formation and plays with Brendan Gillanders out of the lineup. Both Dedmon and Davis can also be featured as speed receivers, maybe even finding themselves in the deep ball with Jordan Smallwood, RJ Harris and Michael Klukas who can also make an impact in that category. As for the short game, Flanders had plenty of success earlier in his career catching passes out of the backfield, Daniel Petermann is great with his run after catch and Nate Behar has been a solid possession receiver over his career with Edmonton and Ottawa, they can each be found in the short passing game, as well as RJ Harris and Ryan Davis who caught some balls in week one.
Outside of that, the offensive line will need to play lights out. Saskatchewan have already found themselves in the backfield on a number of occasions early on in the season, having 8 sacks to the team’s stats, 6 coming in their last game against the Tiger Cats. Ottawa is without veteran offensive lineman Nolan Macmillan tonight, so the young offensive linemen like Tyler Catalina, Jakub Szott, and Juwan Bushell-Beatty who are getting some of their first tastes of CFL football will need to defend Matt Nichols extremely well and also make way for Flanders to get the run game moving.
As for the defensive side of the ball, week one was a big game for them. They proved that they can not only play in this league together but win in it as well. In Saskatchewan they will want to continue to get to the quarterback and stop the run game. Cody Fajardo isn’t the same quarterback as Trevor Harris who Ottawa lined up against in week one, he brings the run game with him as well while he’s in the backfield so not only do you have to get to him in the backfield but you have to ensure you don’t let him scramble away from you. He is coming off of a monster game against Hamilton where he ran the ball for 66 yards and a touchdown, that is the opposite of what Ottawa wants to see in tonight’s matchup. Mike Benevides will be looking to also stop the short passing game, something that Fajardo has been extremely efficient with early on this season, completing 75% of his passes as of yet and also find a way to stop the run game with not just Cody Fajardo but William Powell as well. Powell was once on our side of the football field, serving as the Redblacks starting running back since the tail end of the 2015 season. He has since made a name for himself, running the ball consistently and effectively. He currently has 30 carries for 132 yards and 1 touchdown to his name, which split between the two games he would average just under 70 a game, so if the Redblacks front seven, led by defensive linemen Avery Ellis, Cleyon Laing, Davon Coleman and linebackers Avery Williams and Micah Awe can hold him under 50 yards that would be crucial to stay in the game and not let them run the clock on offence.
All in all, the Redblacks have a big test in front of them in tonight’s game at Mosaic Stadium, and with the Montreal Alouettes loss last night against the Calgary Stampeders they can now improve to 2-0 and the top of the eastern division with a win over the Roughriders. It may be a little early on in the season to be talking about the standings but in a short season it will mean a lot to win the games early in the season and get moving. Tune into the Ottawa Redblacks second game of the 2021 CFL season tonight on TSN and ESPN2 at 7:00 eastern day light time and wear your red and black as they kickoff against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in front of the 13th man who the Redblacks will have to play against as well.
“I’m just getting started.” St. Petersburg, Florida native Ryan Davis looks to continue to bring spark to Ottawa Redblacks’ offence and “win more games”
In week one of the 2021 CFL season R-Nation had seen a lot of new faces. From the sidelines to both sides of the football, the Ottawa Redblacks have …
“I’m just getting started.” St. Petersburg, Florida native Ryan Davis looks to continue to bring spark to Ottawa Redblacks’ offence and “win more …
“I’m just getting started.” St. Petersburg, Florida native Ryan Davis looks to continue to bring spark to Ottawa Redblacks’ offence and “win more games”
In week one of the 2021 CFL season R-Nation had seen a lot of new faces. From the sidelines to both sides of the football, the Ottawa Redblacks have almost entirely changed since their last season in 2019 and they’ve changed for the better. One of the Redblacks’ biggest adjustments came on the offensive side of the ball at the receiver position where they had receivers RJ Harris, Nate Behar, Jerminic Smith, Wesley Lewis, Shannon Smith and DeVonte Dedmon returning to the capital and a long list of newcomers like Ryan Davis. Davis, a St. Petersburg, Florida native and former Auburn Tiger was one of 12 receivers to latch onto a roster spot for the 2021 CFL season and is now one of those new faces to know and remember moving forward this season.
The Redblacks’ week one battle against the Edmonton Elks ended with an Ottawa win and that is all you can ask out of the team’s first game in well over a year and a half but it was clear that there was some rust to be shaken off, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Ottawa’s offence moved the ball for a total 127 yards and kicked three field goals on offensive drives. One of those drives that ended in a field goal included three Ryan Davis catches for 27 of his 33 receiving yards against the Elks. Davis also ran the ball once for 6 yards and returned one kickoff for 22 yards along with an overturned punt return touchdown, showing glimpses of what he can do in red and black. “It was good to have some small success in week one. It was a big confidence builder and I’m definitely excited to get back on the field in Saskatchewan. I’m just getting started and I know myself and my 11 teammates on the field with me can make a lot more plays.” Davis told Jordan Zlomislic in an interview in preparation for his second game in the CFL. His time in the league comes after a long and successful career which all began in his home town of St. Petersburg, Florida. Playing little league and at Lakewood High School Ryan Davis showed a lot of versatility, having thrown for 2,140 yards and 18 touchdowns while running for 1,233 yards and 17 touchdowns in his senior year at Lakewood where he played alongside a number of NFL stars like both Shaquil and Shaquem Griffin, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Dante Fowler Jr, Rodney Adams and more. Davis also played with these players and more with Woodrow Grady’s Team Tampa 7 on 7 team. The team consisted of the best athletes in the Tampa Bay, Florida area, giving the players the opportunity to play with the best and also play against some of the best in the country, preparing for a long career ahead, like the one Davis has had at Auburn and in the pros.
When talking about the time he spent with Team Tampa and in High School in preparation for the career he is living right now in the CFL Ryan Davis said, “It was a pleasure to be able to play with all of the best players in my home town. The experience was great. I learned a lot from Coach Grady with Team Tampa and he gave me the chance to explore future opportunities and get exposure to colleges. I am super grateful for what he did for me in my early career.” The time with the two programs during high school opened up opportunities as mentioned, like the one at Auburn University where he eventually played 48 games, catching a University record 178 receptions for 1,555 yards and 7 receiving touchdowns. He also completed 3 of 4 passes for 105 yards and 3 touchdowns, ran the ball 8 times for 37 yards and returned 24 punts for 259 yards. Davis also played NFL pre-season with the New England Patriots and had a short stint with the XFL’s Tampa Bay Vipers prior to the opportunity he has in front himself with the Ottawa Redblacks, however he is not the only Team Tampa alumnus on the Redblacks roster. He is actually alongside former Team Tampa teammate Brad Muhammad here in Ottawa. “I knew of Brad growing up and in high school. We always crossed paths with each other but never played together until Team Tampa because he’s older than me and after Team Tampa we stayed in touch. We worked out together during off-seasons and he’s always pushed me to work harder so its cool to be able to play with him in the pros here in Ottawa.”
Muhammad is just one of many great athletes that Ryan Davis is able to play alongside with the Ottawa Redblacks, and just one game into his tenure with the team he believes “this team has a special bond.” he said, “This is one of the best teams I’ve been on, we all want to work hard for each other, especially our receiving core. We feed off of each other in practice and I know its going to transition into a lot of big plays to help us win more games.”
Davis is set to hit the field at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday against the Saskatchewan Roughriders for his second CFL game and as a part of the 1-0 Ottawa Redblacks he looks to bring his versatility onto the field and improve to 2-0. Regarding the game in Saskatchewan, he said with excitement, “I’m ready to hit the field again and make big plays.”
BONUS: Ryan Davis comes from the St. Petersburg, Florida area and went to Auburn University in Alabama so the opportunity with the Ottawa Redblacks marks the first football opportunity outside of his country. For many the transition to the CFL and to the country of Canada is hard to make, but Davis says it wasn’t that hard of a transition on the football field, “Football wasn’t that big of an adjustment as some people told me it may be. The biggest change was the extra running on the waggle” he said, “You can be running a 5 yard hitch from the line of scrimmage but can really be a 15 or 20 yard route because of the run up.”
Off of the football field, Davis has enjoyed the city of Ottawa. “Its much different than Florida, but I like it a lot. I like that you can just walk around the city and everyone minds their own business. You can really just be yourself here and I like that a lot. I like the views here in Ottawa, there’s a lot of nice places but what I don’t like is the spiders. There are so many insects here and there are some spiders that I never saw before which really creep me out but so far thats the only negative thing here in Ottawa so I’m liking the city and I’m looking forward to being here some more.”
Ryan Davis also went to the same high school as Toronto Blue Jays baseball player Bo Bichette and world renown rapper Rod Wave. When asked about Wave Davis had said, “Rod was rapping in the hall ways and stuff. You always heard his voice at school, he’s always had the talent and its a blessing to see someone that I knew of growing up at the top now. He’s earned it.”
JZ MEDIA 