2017 Ottawa Redblacks season

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2017 Ottawa Redblacks season
Head coachRick Campbell
General managerMarcel Desjardins
Home fieldTD Place Stadium
Results
Record8–9–1
Division place2nd, East
Playoff finishLost East Semi-Final
Team MOPGreg Ellingson
Team MOCBrad Sinopoli
Team MORSherrod Baltimore
Uniform
CFL OTT Jersey 2016.png

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.

Off-season[]

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:

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

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[]

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]

Incoming[]

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]

Departing[]

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]

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]

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 DL Montreal Laval, QC
6 53 WR Calgary Calgary, AB
7 62 Ed Ilnicki RB Alberta Spruce Grove, AB
8 71 OL Calgary Sherwood Park, AB

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.

Preseason[]

Schedule[]

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

[24][25]

 #  Games played with colour uniforms.

Regular season[]

Standings[]

East Division
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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

Schedule[]

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

[24][26][27][28]

 #  Games played with colour uniforms.
 #  Games played with white uniforms.

Post-season[]

Schedule[]

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

[24]

 #  Games played with colour uniforms.

Team[]

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
Roster updated 2017-11-12
Depth Chart • Transactions
46 Active, 6 Injured, 7 Six-Game Injured,
10 Practice

→ More rosters

Coaching staff[]

Ottawa Redblacks Staff
Front Office
  • Owner – Jeff Hunt
  • President and CEO – Bernie Ashe
  • General Manager – Marcel Desjardins
  • Director of Player Personnel – vacant
  • Coordinator, Football Administration – Chantal Covington
  • Video Coordinator, Braun Gheller
  • Pro Scout, Kenny McClay

Head Coaches

Offensive Coaches

 

Defensive Coaches

Special Teams Coaches

Strength and Conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning Trainer – vacant

→ Coaching Staff
→ More CFL staffs

References[]

  1. ^ "Open Tryouts 2017 - Ottawa REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Archived from the original on 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  2. ^ "Redblacks bringing back entire coaching staff - Article - TSN". TSN. 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
  3. ^ "Hank Hangs 'Em Up: Burris confirms retirement after 18 seasons". CFL.ca. 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  4. ^ "REDBLACKS re-sign Antoine Pruneau". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
  5. ^ "REDBLACKS, Reed agree on one-year extension". CFL.ca. 2017-01-10. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  6. ^ "Redblacks sign Ellingson to two-year deal - Article - TSN". TSN. 2017-02-10. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
  7. ^ "Gavins back with REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-02-13. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  8. ^ "Nolan MacMillan re-signs with REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  9. ^ "REDBLACKS re-sign DL Hopkins". CFL.ca. 2017-03-09. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  10. ^ "REDBLACKS open free agency with signing of Khalil Bass". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  11. ^ "REDBLACKS sign WR Kenny Shaw". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  12. ^ "REDBLACKS land corner help in Jefferson". CFL.ca. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  13. ^ "Free agent frenzy sees REDBLACKS add three more". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  14. ^ "REDBLACKS ink former Argo, Bomber WR Tori Gurley". CFL.ca. 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  15. ^ "REDBLACKS grant releases to three players". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-01-04. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
  16. ^ "Ticats bolster secondary; add Abdul Kanneh". CFL.ca. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  17. ^ "Riders add ratio-breaker in Lafrance". CFL.ca. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  18. ^ "Als sign top-ranked free agent Ernest Jackson". CFL.ca. 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  19. ^ "Lions land speedster Chris Williams". BC Lions. 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
  20. ^ MARQUEE MOMENTS HIGHLIGHT 2017 CFL SCHEDULE IN CANADA’S 150TH YEAR
  21. ^ "2017 Draft Tracker". cfl.ca. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  22. ^ "REDBLACKS to hold 2017 Mini-Camp April 27-29". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
  23. ^ "2017 Training Camp Schedule - Ottawa REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Retrieved 2017-05-30.[permanent dead link]
  24. ^ a b c 2017 Schedule
  25. ^ Ottawa Redblacks edge Hamilton Tiger-Cats in pre-season opener
  26. ^ Marquee moments highlight 2017 CFL schedule in Canada's 150th year
  27. ^ 2017 RDS CFL Schedule
  28. ^ CFL, ESPN unveil 2017 U.S. broadcast schedule
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