One Raven Player Of The Week...And One Raven Who Should Be.

Yesterday wasn't a great day for the city's university football clubs. The University of Ottawa couldn't keep up with Laurier, losing to the tune of 39-21 while Carleton squandered a lead at home to lose to the defending champion Western Mustangs in overtime 26-23.

“We had these guys in the bag,” said Ravens quarterback Mike Arruda, who threw touchdown passes to fullback Mitch Raper and slotback (Phil) Iloki in a wild second quarter, when the Ravens outscored the Mustangs 17-3. “We knew we has these guys after the first half. This should never have come down to overtime." 

“First week (of the schedule) and we’re up 17-3 and I think we took our foot off the pedal. This loss is going to teach us a lot. Maybe the good thing is we sent a scare to the rest of the league. We can feel good about that.”

Sounds a lot like what the RedBlacks went through after blowing a 24-point lead against Toronto earlier this year. If you need learn such a lesson, at least learn it early.

Taking the champs to the wire in such fashion naturally involves a number of outstanding performances and on Ravens player was recognized for his performance; Michael Domagala is the Ontario University Athletics Special Teams player Of The Week.

The Ravens kicker connected on three field goals in the game, while adding a pair of extra points to bring his total output to 11 points for the game. 

His first field goal came in the first quarter, connecting on a 20-yarder to open the game’s scoring. From there, Domagala took it to another level. His second make – a 42-yarder - came in the second quarter to give the Ravens the 6-3 lead, but he saved his best for last. After a Mustangs comeback in the second half gave Western the lead, Domagala stepped up for a game-tying 50-yard make with just one second left on the clock to send the game to overtime.

Acknowledging that relying on stats to tell the whole story can be misleading, another player caught my eye while reviewing the box score.

Let's preface this by pointing that the recipient of the defensive player of the week gathered the following numbers: "Five solo tackles, along with one assisted, to total 5.5 for the game, (later) forcing a fumble. (He) also notched one pass breakup."

Busy day. But I submit it to you Ravens linebacker Josh Walsh.

Photography by Valerie Wutty

Walsh was not the leading tackler on the team. That distinction belongs to fellow linebacker Jack Cassar with nine (and three assists).

But Walsh had eight, also with three assists. He is credited with a sack for an 8-yard loss, two of his tackles were for a total of 11 yards lost, he broke up a pass and intercepted another which he returned for 21 yards.

Maybe stats don't tell the whole story but the part of the story that those tell is pretty convincing.  This is Walsh's third year and, against quality competition, he may have just announced that it's his break out year.

Jo-Anne Polak's Media Guide Page

Inspired by Jo-Anne Polak's selection as a CFL Diversity Is Strength campaign "trailblazers", I thought I would share her bio from the 1989 Rough Riders media guide. It will be easier to read if you open it in another tab. Pardon the inevitable curving at the spine.

The league was quite new to me at the time of the hire. I don't recall being particularly surprised that a woman would get the job or whether a woman in the position created a great deal of controversy.

The only thing I can say is that she is one of the few front office employees from that period (mid 80's to the ugly end in 1996) that is still has the respect of fans from back then.

I only became a fan during "Super Season '88" which concluded with a 2-16 regular season record.

Polak, though, attempted and succeeded in making the fan experience fun regardless of the putrid on-field product. The 1991 media guide (her final year with the team) explains: "Jo-Anne and her staff have instituted an awareness campaign based on player identification, community orientation and unorthodox promotion".

If speaking to someone who's never heard of her, you could begin your description by pointing out that she would be a great fit with the current ownership. Player identification, community orientation and unorthodox promotion have all played large parts in the Redblacks success. Polak applied the same strategy to the Rough Riders 30 years ago.

NFC Quarter Finals: Ottawa Sooners 21 at Sudbury Spartans 14

This game was actually played on July 28th but having been away much of that time, I am only finding out about it now.

The recap below is an abbreviated article from the Sudbury Star and was written by one Ben Leeson. I believe he took the accompanying picture as well. I am copying it from the league's website but am unable to find a direct link to it.

Hunter Holub could have found reasons to hang his head Saturday night. 

His Sudbury Spartans had just dropped a heartbreaker 21-14 decision to the Ottawa Sooners in their Northern Football Conference quarter-final, in a game the Nickel City squad may have won, if not for a dropped TD, a pair of missed field goals and a late fumble. 

...

Hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2015, the Spartans had a slow start against the Sooners, who were missing a couple of strong starters, but remained a quality club on both sides of the ball. 

They showed that when quarterback Danny Mullins led a long first-quarter drive and finished with a short keeper for a TD. The ensuing convert made it 7-0. 

Ottawa’s offence sputtered deep in its own end near the midway mark of the second frame, however, allowing Sudbury to take over at the visitors’ 34-yard line. A 14-yard catch and run by Josh Cuomo put the locals inside the 20, where they came within a hair of scoring a major of their own when Holub found James Howatt open in the end zone, but Howatt couldn’t quite hold onto the pass. 

Spartans kicker Massimo Cimino then attempted a field goal, but booted it just wide.
Sudbury’s defence stymied Ottawa on another drive down the field, sacking Mullins to end the half. 

Holub had just missed Poirier with a long pass when the first-year quarterback aired it out for No. 20 again, this time connecting for a 87-yard score and bringing the crowd to its feet. Cimino’s PAT tied the score, 7-7, with 7:50 left in the third quarter. 

The Spartans missed on another field goal attempt later in the third. 

Ottawa restored its lead (with) Daniel McGrowder’s eight-yard reception in the fourth quarter, then scored again on an option pitch to Mike Leno. 

The Spartans embarked on a strong drive late in the contest that culminated in Holub’s wild scramble for a 21-yard TD, narrowing the score to 21-14, but could come no closer.

The Sooners will travel to Toronto on August 11th to challenge the powerful GTA All-Stars in the league semi-final. Tough gig; The All-Stars beat the Sooners at home earlier this year 39-16.

Killer Instinct, Or Lack Thereof

From the August 2nd game recap:

After a tumultuous first half, (quarterback McLeod) Bethel-Thompson led the Argos back from a 38-14 deficit with the go-ahead touchdown with one second left (in a) 42-41 win over Ottawa to set a wild pace for Week 8 of the CFL season.

The Argos swarm wide receiver Armanti Edwards after he caught the game-winning touchdown pass with one second left Thursday night.  (RICHARD LAUTENS / TORONTO STAR)

How brutal was that? Losing any one game in that fashion would be painful. As I listened to post-game interviews and read recaps, it occurred to me that it's particularly painful because blowing leads has been a trend with this franchise since inception and shows no sign of going away.

Head Coach Rick Campbell has never been able to make his teams play 60 minutes consistently. All they've been able to do is repeat the same platitudes about "needing to close games out" and "learning from this" post-game. 

The saving grace has been that these blown leads have not all turned wins into losses but they have been frequent enough throughout the team's short history that it's clearly just a part of who they are. 

Rick Campbell is said to be as even-keel as anyone. He preaches that no loss is a complete disaster, no win makes you unbeatable. He keeps his players well-grounded but I now believe the other side of that coin is that he's unable to generate a sense of urgency in his teams when it's needed.

Let's go back to the team's very first game back in 2014. Up 21-7 at the end of the first quarter, they would ultimately lose 36-28 in Winnipeg. The next week, they would lead Edmonton 7-2 at the half and lose 27-11.

All right, that was an expansion team. The following year, the team won 12 games and hosted the Eastern final. That led to the incredible 2nd-and-25 moment, the excitement of which causes us to forget that the team created the need for that miracle in the first place. Ottawa led 25-17 after three quarters only to see the game tied when Henry Burris and Greg Ellingson connected for 93 yards.

But they got to the Grey Cup! Unfortunately they lost it 26-20 to the Edmonton Eskimos when they gave up a TD with just over three minutes left. They had led 20-18 after scoring the game's first 13 points.

Hugh Charles #28 of the Ottawa Redblacks is hit by Cauchy Muamba #8 of the Edmonton Eskimos during first half Grey Cup 103 action at Investors Group Field on November 29, 2015 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

TREVOR HAGAN / GETTY IMAGES

In 2016, winning at home inexplicably became a challenge. Among many home losses, one was a game that went into overtime against Hamilton which Ottawa had led 27-12 at halftime.

The Redblacks did win the Eastern Final in 2016, again needing a late touchdown to seal it. They had led 25-3 but their lead was reduced to 28-23 when Kienan Lafrance ran a touchdown in late to close things out.

Ottawa Redblacks' Kienan Lafrance (27) gets tackled by Edmonton Eskimos' Kenny Ladler (37) during second half CFL Eastern Final action, in Ottawa on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

That, of course, led to an exciting overtime Grey Cup victory against Calgary. It went into overtime even though at one point Ottawa was ahead 27-7 early in the second half.

The 2017 season kicked of with a rematch against Calgary which also went into overtime and resulted in a tie. Ottawa led that game 28-14 with about seven and a half minutes left in the 4th quarter.

Two weeks later, Ottawa hosted Toronto, led 12-1 at halftime but lost 26-25. When they hosted Saskatchewan later in the year, Ottawa led 17-0 with a little over four minutes left in the third quarter but ultimately lost 18-17.

And here we are in 2018, still "learning" and giving post-game speeches about needing to play 60 minutes.

Five years in, those speeches are starting to lack credibility. Display sustained competence for a few weeks in a row and perhaps these blown leads will start to look like the exception rather than the trend.

Richmond Connection

This post was inspired by a Redblacks signing made official yesterday.

Most of that is pretty standard fare for a guy signed to the practice roster but it was the mention of Richmond university which caught my eye.

Years ago, while writing out the Ottawa Rough Riders draft history, I noticed that quite a few players acquired through territorial exemption came from Richmond University in Virginia. It seemed unusual for so many local guys to end at that one school but I figured that attempts to research the specifics of the reason would be pointless. The most logical explanation was simply that a member of the Rough Riders organization knew someone at the school.

The details fell into my lap one day. The team began releasing a newspaper during the season in 1978 and I acquired the second issue from that year, dated September. In it, Doug McGee walks us through it all (click image for larger version).

Wayne Tosh, John Palazeti, Rick Sowieta, Doug McGee, Ian Beckstead, Glenn Cook are all mentioned above but running back Mark Philp, and defensive lineman Mark Seale came later. Jim McCaffrey was drafted from Richmond but I don't believe he ever played for Ottawa.

In all, seven players were acquired through the draft from Richmond, the most of any American school (Tosh and Sowieta were not). Nice way to supplement a roster!

May 31st Depth Chart

I am posting this here to review at various times during the year. It is easy to lose track of just how many moves a team makes during the course of a season and how the final roster (meaning the one for the last game in October or November) is nothing like the starting roster. I will keep the week one chart as well and compare the two at the end of the year.

Here we go, typo and all.

Click the image above to see the full-sized version.

Of course we need to take into account those that the team is being "cautious" with.

Sorry about the wonky positions, the file lost a little integrity when I blew it up.

A few notes and reminders, again for future review.

• WR Dominique Rhymes gets the start after contributing in 11 games last year (15 receptions, 219 yards). He has been talked up in interviews, particularly by QB Trevor Harris so let's check in November and see how that worked out.
• DT Daryl Waud has a history of injuries over the last two years so while I understand the reasoning behind being cautious, seeing him on the "not dressed" list is a little worrisome. We'll see.
• DE Connor Williams doesn't make either list. It's sounding more and more like injuries will force him into retirement, or at best a comeback attempt next season, which is too bad. He only played in one game last year.
• DT George Uko was said to be among the starters at the start of camp but is now listed with the 2nd team behind Harold Brantley. 
• The plan to start two Canadian receivers appears to be proceeding along with Austen Hartley and Julian Feoli-Gudino both showing as first-team.
• Honoured as the country's best university player, Ed Ilnicki is behind the far-less celebrated Wayne Moore, who was quietly signed in July of last year.

What does all of this mean? Not a damn thing, they're just some points to review a few months from now to see how they played out. Enjoy the game!

Orleans Bengals Midget Squad To Be Named The Orleans Raftsmen

Today, the storied Orléans Bengals Midget Team is pleased to announce that as part of joining the Quebec Midget Football League for the 2018 season, the team will be named the Orléans Raftsmen. 

 

The Raftsmen bilingual heritage of Orléans and Ottawa is rich in tradition and our Midget football club will echo the spirits of the land, the rivers and the people of the Ottawa Valley. 

“This will be an exciting and rewarding opportunity for our players to play in one of the best football leagues in the country,” said George Zigoumis, president of the Orléans Bengals. “Our football club is committed to developing these student athletes by enhancing higher education possibilities for them.” 

For athletes 16 and 17 years of age looking to play for an Ontario-Quebec inter-provincial championship and gain exposure to CEGEPs and universities, message the Head Coach-Ron Raymond at ronraymond@rogers.com

Raftsmen was one of the names being floated around for the new CFL franchise though I don't recall (or care, at this point) if it was an option teased by the team or one suggested by fans.

This is just personal opinion, but I detest when teams name/brand themselves after existing franchises. I think the Orleans organization went in the right direction here and while it's doubtful I'll get to attend too many of their games, I'd love to load up on merchandise bearing that logo.

MIDGET FOOTBALL BIG 10

Montreal/Ottawa, May 4th, 2018 – The Quebec Midget Football League and the National Capital Amateur Football Association announce the official launch of the Midget Football Big 10 Canada. This is a game-changing football experience for players and coaches in Eastern Canada. The Midget Football Big 10 Canada will be made up of 10 teams among the 16 clubs of the QMFL and NCAFA. 

Teams in the Midget Football Big 10 Canada will play 2 cross divisional games which will count in each team’s respective league standings. The QMFL and NCAFA champions will participate in the Midget Big 10 Championship Game held each November. Teams not scheduled to play in the regular season cross over games can still qualify for the Midget Football Big 10 Championship Game by winning the QMFL’s Wilbert Scott Division and entering the QMFL play-off structure as the 4th rank team.

As part of the revamp, we are pleased to announce the addition of the Orleans Bengals to the QMFL Wilbert Scott Division, as well as the return of the Gatineau Vikings to QMFL play in 2018.

The Midget Football Big 10 Canada is now the premier place to get prepared and scouted for the next level. Stay tuned for more exciting news as we announce the 2018 schedule and establish regular podcasts and power rankings.  

Midget Football Big 10 Line up for 2018 

Bel-Air Norsemen (NCAFA)  
Greenfield Park Packers (QMFL)
Kanata Knights (NCAFA)
Lasalle Warriors (QMFL)
Myers Riders (NCAFA)
Nepean Eagles  (NCAFA)
North Gloucester Giants (NCAFA)
North Shore Lions (QMFL)
St Leonard Cougars  (QMFL)
Sun Youth Hornets  (QMFL)


Wilbert Scott Division

St Laurent Spartan
Chateauguay Raiders
Gatineau Vikings
Sherbrooke Bulldogs
Orleans Bengals
St-Lazare Stallions 

The QMFL was formed in 1978 and has 11 teams. The NCAFA was formed in 1955 and has five midget teams participating in the Big Ten conference. Stay tuned for more exciting news as we announce the 2018 schedule and establish regular podcasts and power rankings.

2018 Draft Results

I'm going to try something here. It might suck, it might not, I may never do it again, but I'll try live blogging this draft for Ottawa. Besides adding the name of player chosen, I'll add whatever comments and quotes I come across and edit the post frequently throughout the night.

1-04 - OL Mark Korte, U. of Alberta, 6'02" / 293

Korte was Canada West’s top lineman last year and a division all-star after anchoring an offensive line that paved the way for Hec Crighton Trophy winner Ed Ilnicki to rush for a conference-record 1,468 yards.

The scouting report on Korte says he’s a “tenacious run blocker who plays with good physicality.” It adds he’s a good athlete with “the ability to operate in space,” and dominated his level of competition. Article.

Korte played for the West Team in the U SPORTS East-West Bowl and started eight regular season games at left tackle in 2017. The 6-foot-2, 293-pound offensive lineman was named a Canada West All-Star, Canada West’s Most Outstanding Lineman and a U SPORTS First-Team All-Canadian.

Over his four-year career at the University of Alberta, Korte played in and started every regular season game at left tackle.  Article.

@TSN1200Bunda  #Redblacks GM Marcel Desjardins on if OL Mark Korte can come in and play relatively quickly - "Yes, absolutely" 

2-13 -WR Marco Dubois, Laval, 6'03" / 217

Arguably the most sound special teams player in the draft, Marco Dubois’ game is all about length. Length of arms to lock out blockers on a punt coverage unit, length of stride to outrun teammates on kickoff coverage, and length of speed to outrun many larger players. Dubois will make whatever team picks him better on special teams immediately.  CFL.ca Mock Draft

It was mentioned during the draft broadcast that Dubois was not a starter at the wide receiver position. No kidding; He had one reception for 12 yards in 2017. But he tested well and obviously has good size.

3-22 - OL Andrew Pickett, Guelph, 6'03" / 313

Suited up for 24 games for the Gryphons. OUA All-Star in both 2016 (second team) and 2017 (first team).

4-29 - DE Kene Onyeka, Carleton, 6'02" / 244
(Aquired from BC for Odell Willis or, in effect, Jake Ceresna)

Co-sack leader in University sports in 2017, said to be planning to return to school in 2018.

Onyeka recently finished one of his best seasons to date with the Ravens, turning out 10.5 sacks, 32 solo tackles, 14 assisted tackles, four forced fumbles and two pass break-ups. He was also named an OUA First-Team All-Star, U SPORTS All-Canadian, and was awarded with the OUA J.P Metras trophy as the conference’s Lineman of the Year. Article.

4-30 - LB Mickael Coté, Concordia, 6'03" / 225

Côté, from Mont-St-Hilaire, recorded a conference-leading 40 tackles last season in only seven games along with three quarterback sacks. He was a conference all-star and second-team all-Canadian. He was named the Stingers’ most valuable player.

The 6-foot-3, 225 pounder ran a 4.88-second 40 on Saturday and has been interviewed by seven of the league’s nine teams. He likes to play fast, be physical and run to the ball. Article.

7-55 - DB Justin Howell, Carleton, 5'11 / 198

Howell maintains leverage and positioning on special teams better than almost any other defensive back on film in the 2018 CFL Draft. He has the size of a weak side linebacker but plays with the burst of a halfback. CFL Mock Draft 3.0

8-64 - OL Jacob Czaja, St. Francis Xavier, 6'03" / 289

AUS First-team all-star at guard in 2017.

Hey, How About Those Negotiation List Players?

Remember the ten guys from the team's negotiation list that the REDBLACKS announced this past February?

Yeah, me neither. So here they are.

Tyler Ferguson, QB, Western Kentucky 

Bug Howard, WR, North Carolina 

Joey Ivie, DL, Florida 

Kaleb Johnson, OL, Rutgers 

J.T. Jones, DL, Miami (Ohio) 

Greg Little, WR, North Carolina 

JoJo Natson, WR, Akron 

Ejuan Price, LB, Pittsburgh 

Phillip Walker, QB, Temple 

Andrew Wylie, OL, Eastern Michigan

You know what they all have in common? Not a single one has signed with the team in the months since these names were revealed.

That isn't to say that the negotiation list is useless. Hardly. I recall seeing some of the list prior to the team's first season. I began to follow Jamill Smith on Twitter as a result and he signed with Ottawa about a year later. For that matter, I remember Darian Durant was on the Renegades negotiation list at some point. Some of these guys are long-term projects. And for all we know, several of the rookie players who have signed on for 2018 were on the neg list at some point.

I just find it overrated by some. Some people argue that the list should be public because it will "generate discussion" by fans. Really? How much conversation did finding out that Joey Ivie and Jojo Natson are Redblack property generate?

The only name up there that is remotely interesting is Philip Walker, former QB at Temple University (during which time he went by the name PJ Walker) and presently on a futures contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Let's pull his collegiate records from Wikipedia.

 

As of July 2017, Walker is the Owls all-time leader in wins by a starting quarterback (28), passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions, attempts, total yards and total touchdowns. Phillip lead the Owls to their first conference title in 49 years (2016) and their first ever back-to-back bowl appearances in school history (2015 and 2016).

A hell of a resume in and off itself, but made more interesting when reminded that Henry Burris played his college ball at Temple in the 1960s (all right, it was 1993 to 1996).

It's ultimately irrelevant; I doubt that Burris' play in Ottawa impacts Walker's career path a whole lot. But we've seen stranger coincidences come to pass than two successful QBs from the same program lead the same pro team.

Maybe Walker will be lobbing passes to former Colts teammate Bug Howard, who was released in the middle of April. We all knew that, right?  ;-)

Jamill Smith photo: Greg Kolz/Freestyle Photography
Phillip Walker photo: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images North America