2016 Ottawa Redblacks season
General managerMarcel Desjardins
Head coachRick Campbell
Home fieldTD Place Stadium
Results
Record8–9–1
Division place1st, East
Playoff finishWon Grey Cup
Team MOPErnest Jackson
Team MOCBrad Sinopoli
Team MORJason Lauzon-Séguin
Uniform

The 2016 Ottawa Redblacks season was the third season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Redblacks finished in first place in the East Division with an 8–9–1 record. This was the first time in CFL history that a team with a losing record finished first in their division.

The club failed to match their 12–6 record from the previous season; nevertheless, with their week 19 win in Winnipeg against the Blue Bombers the Redblacks repeated as regular season East Division champions, earning a bye to and the right to host the 2016 East Final in the process.[1]

The Redblacks' season featured the first-ever Grey Cup rematch to take place in an earlier round of the playoffs as the 2015 champion Edmonton Eskimos qualified as a crossover team for the East Division playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Final. The Redblacks avenged their 2015 Grey Cup loss with a 35–23 victory over Edmonton to earn the right to play in the 104th Grey Cup. At BMO Field in Toronto, the Redblacks won the first championship for an Ottawa CFL team since the Rough Riders did it in 1976.

Off-season

Open tryout sessions

On February 2, 2016, the Redblacks announced they would be holding open tryouts across North America during the spring.[2] The dates and locations are listed in the table below:

Location Venue Date
Miami, Florida Florida International University February 27, 2016
Atlanta, Georgia Lakewood Stadium February 28, 2016
Austin, Texas Bastrop Memorial Stadium April 9, 2016
Las Vegas, Nevada Bill 'Wildcat' Morris Rebel Park April 10, 2016
Ottawa, Ontario TD Place Stadium April 23, 2016
Indianapolis, Indiana Decatur Central High School May 21, 2016

Free-agency

Prior to the start of free-agency at 12:00pm ET on February 9, 2016, the RedBlacks extended the contracts of some significant players. They brought back defensive lineman Zack Evans, wide-receiver Chris Williams and linebacker Damaso Munoz.

Additions

  • Ottawa made a big splash on the first day of free-agency when they signed highly coveted former-Argos QB Trevor Harris. Harris played very well in 17 games for the Argos in 2015; completing 71% of his passes attempts with 33 touchdowns and 19 interceptions for 4,354 yards.[3] Harris was expected to be the back-up quarterback behind the then 41-year old, 2015 Most Outstanding Player, Henry Burris.[4]
  • Veteran national defensive back Ryan Hinds agreed to terms with Ottawa in the middle of February.[5] Hinds spent his first seven CFL seasons between the Tiger-Cats and the Eskimos. However, Hinds decided to retire citing that "his heart wasn't in it and he wasn't going to play anymore".[6]
  • Former Oakland Raiders and New York Giants wide receiver Juron Criner signed with the Redblacks on April 14 in time for training camp.[7] Following a successful pre-season Criner made the final roster.[8]

Losses

  • Star defensive end Justin Capicciotti signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on February 10. Capicciotti had been one of Ottawa's best pass-rushers in the previous two seasons, totaling 23 sacks and just shy of 100 tackles.[9]
  • Also on February 10, starting running back Jeremiah Johnson signed with the BC Lions. In two seasons with the Redblacks Johnson saw action in 15 games (missing 8 games due to injury in 2015), carrying the ball 135 times for 686 yards (5.0 average) with 11 rushing touchdowns.[10]
  • Veteran defensive back Jovon Johnson signed with the Montreal Alouettes.[11] Javon Johnson was an Eastern All-Star in 2015 and was one of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball.
  • Offensive tackle Colin Kelly signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL.[12] Kelly played 18 games in 2015 for Ottawa at right tackle.
  • Veteran defensive lineman Keith Shologan signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Shologon contributed 7 sacks during the 2015 campaign.[13]
  • Defensive lineman Shawn Lemon was released by the Redblacks following the conclusion of the 2015 season so he could pursue NFL opportunities. He ultimately signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in January.[14]

CFL draft

The 2016 CFL Draft took place on May 10, 2016. The Redblacks had nine selections in the eight-round draft after acquiring Saskatchewan's sixth and seventh-round picks in exchange for Maurice Price and their own sixth-round pick.[15]

Round Pick Player Position School
17Jason Lauzon-SeguinOLLaval
216Mikael CharlandDBConcordia
325Mehdi AbdesmadDLBoston College
435Kevin JacksonLBSam Houston State
543Randy BeardyOLWindsor
645Kyle Fraser-AuditOLGuelph
754Arto KhatchikianLBConcordia
760Jamal KettWRWestern Ontario
869Guillaume Tremblay-LebelLBLaval

Training camp

Non-mandatory spring mini-camp was held on April 24–26 at TD Place stadium. The sessions were open for the public to view.[16] Mandatory training camp took place between May 29 and through June 19. First-year CFL players had three practices prior to the official training camp (May 25 through 27). The majority of practices took place at TD Place Stadium, with two at Carleton University and one at Stade Mont-Bleu in Gatineau, Quebec. The team conducted a "mock-game" as part of their training camp on June 5.[17] This was the first training camp season in which the Redblacks had priority at TD Place, as the stadium was under construction in 2014 and hosting the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup last year.[18]

Preseason

Week Date Kickoff Opponent Results TV Venue Attendance Summary
Score Record
A Mon, June 13 7:00 p.m. EDT vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers W 18–14 1–0 TSN TD Place Stadium 17,947 Recap
B Fri, June 17 7:30 p.m. EDT at Hamilton Tiger-Cats L 25–42 1–1 Ticats.ca Tim Hortons Field Recap

[19]

 #  Games played with white uniforms.

Regular season

Standings

East Division
Team GP W L T Pts PF PA Div Stk
Ottawa Redblacks18891174864985–3L1Details
Hamilton Tiger-Cats187110145075025–3L2Details
Montreal Alouettes187110143834163–5W3Details
Toronto Argonauts185130103835683–5L7Details

Schedule

Week Date Kickoff Opponent Results TV Venue Attendance Summary
Score Record
1 Sat, June 25 7:00 p.m. EDT at Edmonton Eskimos W 45–37 (OT) 1–0 TSN/RDS Commonwealth Stadium 27,846 Recap
2 Thurs, June 30 7:00 p.m. EDT at Montreal Alouettes W 28–13 2–0 TSN/RDS/ESPN2 Molson Stadium 21,522 Recap
3 Fri, July 8 7:00 p.m. EDT vs. Calgary Stampeders T 26–26 (2OT) 2–0–1 TSN/RDS TD Place Stadium 24,621 Recap
4 Wed, July 13 7:30 p.m. EDT at Toronto Argonauts W 30–20 3–0–1 TSN/RDS BMO Field 12,373 Recap
5 Fri, July 22 9:00 p.m. EDT at Saskatchewan Roughriders L 29–30 3–1–1 TSN/RDS2 Mosaic Stadium 30,172 Recap
6 Sun, July 31 7:30 p.m. EDT vs. Toronto Argonauts L 20–23 3–2–1 TSN/RDS/ESPN2 TD Place Stadium 24,894 Recap
7 Sat, Aug 6 7:00 p.m. EDT vs. Edmonton Eskimos W 23–20 4–2–1 TSN TD Place Stadium 24,560 Recap
8 Bye
9 Fri, Aug 19 7:00 p.m. EDT vs. Montreal Alouettes L 19–43 4–3–1 TSN/RDS TD Place Stadium 24,907 Recap
10 Thurs, Aug 25 7:30 p.m. EDT vs. BC Lions L 23–29 4–4–1 TSN/RDS/ESPN2 TD Place Stadium 24,677 Recap
11 Thurs, Sept 1 7:30 p.m. EDT at Montreal Alouettes W 19–14 5–4–1 TSN/RDS Molson Stadium 19,117 Recap
12 Bye
13 Sat, Sept 17 5:00 p.m. EDT at Calgary Stampeders L 23–48 5–5–1 TSN McMahon Stadium 26,529 Recap
14 Fri, Sept 23 7:00 p.m. EDT vs. Toronto Argonauts W 29–12 6–5–1 TSN/RDS2 TD Place Stadium 25,088 Recap
15 Sat, Oct 1 10:00 p.m. EDT at BC Lions L 33–40 6–6–1 TSN/RDS BC Place 19,703 Recap
16 Fri, Oct 7 7:00 p.m. EDT vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders L 30–32 (OT) 6–7–1 TSN TD Place Stadium 24,668 Recap
17 Fri, Oct 14 7:00 p.m. EDT at Hamilton Tiger-Cats W 30–29 7–7–1 TSN Tim Hortons Field 23,868 Recap
18 Fri, Oct 21 7:00 p.m. EDT vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats L 36–39 (2OT) 7–8–1 TSN TD Place Stadium 24,210 Recap
19 Sat, Oct 29 4:00 p.m. EDT at Winnipeg Blue Bombers W 23–10 8–8–1 TSN/RDS Investors Group Field 26,097 Recap
20 Fri, Nov 4 7:00 p.m. EDT vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers L 20–33 8–9–1 TSN/RDS2 TD Place Stadium 24,432 Recap

[19][20]

 #  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 Bye
East Final Sun, Nov 20 1:00 p.m. EST vs. Edmonton Eskimos W 35–23 1–0 TSN/RDS/ESPN2 TD Place Stadium 24,248 Recap
104th Grey Cup Sun, Nov 27 6:00 p.m. EST vs. Calgary Stampeders W 39–33 (OT) 2–0 TSN/RDS/ESPN2 BMO Field 33,421 Recap

[19]

 #  Games played with colour uniforms.

Over 40,000 fans attended the Grey Cup parade at Lansdowne Park two days following the game.[21]

Team

Roster

2016 Ottawa RedBlacks roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Receivers

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Injured List

6-Game Injured List

  • currently vacant

Disabled

Practice squad

Italics indicate International player
Roster updated 2016-11-28
Depth Chart • Transactions
46 Active, 17 Injured, 0 Six-Game Injured,
10 Practice

→ More rosters

Coaching staff

2016 Ottawa Redblacks staff
Front office
  • Owner – Jeff Hunt
  • President and CEO – Bernie Ashe
  • General Manager – Marcel Desjardins
  • Assistant General Manager – Brock Sunderland
  • Director of player personnel – Jeremy Snyder
  • Pro Scout – Jean-Marc Edme
  • Football Operations Assistant – Pier-Yves Lavergne
  • Coordinator, Football Administration – Joey Swarbrick
  • Video Coordinator – Colin Farquharson
  • Assistant Video Coordinator – Braun Gheller

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

→ Coaching Staff
→ More CFL staffs

References

  1. ↑ "Redblacks beat Bombers to clinch East". TSN.ca. The Canadian Press. October 29, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Open Tryouts 2016 - Ottawa REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Archived from the original on 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  3. ↑ "REDBLACKS land quarterback Trevor Harris". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  4. ↑ "Ottawa RedBlacks' new quarterback Trevor Harris learns from legends". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  5. ↑ Dunk, Justin (2016-02-18). "Canadian defensive back Ryan Hinds agrees to terms with Redblacks". 3DownNation. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  6. ↑ "Would-be Redblacks decide to opt out before camp". Ottawa Citizen. 2016-05-30. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  7. ↑ Hansen, Greg. "Ex-UA standout receiver Criner signs with CFL's Redblacks". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  8. ↑ "Ottawa Redblacks drop pre-season finale against Hamilton Tiger-Cats". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  9. ↑ "Saskatchewan Roughriders welcome DE Justin Capicciotti". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  10. ↑ "Johnson, Allen vying to fill void in Lions' backfield". TSN. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  11. ↑ "Ottawa RedBlacks lose Jovon Johnson to Montreal Alouettes, but the question is why". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  12. ↑ Fucillo, David (2016-01-25). "49ers give CFL OL Colin Kelly $65,000 in guaranteed money". Niners Nation. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  13. ↑ "Bombers add Medlock, Shologan". CFL.ca. 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  14. ↑ "Riders sign defensive end Shawn Lemon". CFL.ca. 2016-01-14. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  15. ↑ CFL.ca Staff (11 January 2016). "Roughriders acquire Maurice Price from REDBLACKS". CFL.ca.
  16. ↑ "REDBLACKS Mini-Camp Set for April 24–26". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  17. ↑ "Ottawa Redblacks unveil training camp schedule". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  18. ↑ "Redblacks reveal training camp schedule". Ottawa Citizen. 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  19. 1 2 3 2016 Schedule
  20. ↑ "Where to watch: 2016 Broadcast information". Archived from the original on 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  21. ↑ "Ottawa rallies as 40,000-plus take in Grey Cup parade". CFL.ca. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
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