For virtually everyone outside of the Ottawa REDBLACKS’ locker room, their 5-2 start has come as a shock, as most pundits predicted they would finish toward the bottom of the East Division in 2024.
In the offseason, General Manager Shawn Burke rolled with many of the same players that brought the REDBLACKS to a 4-14 record in 2023, but a handful of additions, including quarterback Dru Brown, receiver Dominique Rhymes, defensive back Adarius Pickett, and Offensive Coordinator Tommy Condell have proven to be difference makers, helping Ottawa surpass their win total from a season ago in just seven games.
Doubt swirled in the winds above TD Place ahead of the season, but the REDBLACKS’ success truly began in training camp, when everyone in attendance could sense a different vibe surrounding the club. It was clear that the team expected to be good, and demanded nothing less, from the very top of the organization, right down to the last player on the roster.
They rolled into Hamilton, and won their first preseason game using largely backups, before squeaking out a win against the Montreal Alouettes the next week at home, but even that wasn’t good enough, and the fans in Ottawa got their first real taste of Brown’s intensity and fire during a halftime interview with TSN’s Farhan Lalji.
“I mean, we did as bad as we possibly could,” Brown said in response to being asked to assess his team’s first half. “We have to focus, we have to come out here and play with some intention. Offensively [we’re treating this] like it’s a preseason game, this is not a preseason game, this is our first opportunity to come out and compete as an offence. I have to be better, everyone has to be better.”
With cutdowns finished and the team ready to go, the REDBLACKS sat on the sideline in Week 1, using the early season bye to polish a handful of things, and prepare themselves for a clash with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 2.
On that day, nothing – not the Bombers nor the weather – was going to stop Ottawa from going 1-0, and they took a 23-19 win to the bank, thanks to a big defensive stand in the final three minutes, which Winnipeg had 45 minutes to plan during a weather delay.
The win was far from perfect, and a trip to Montreal exposed some of the REDBLACKS’ flaws. The Alouettes dominated the matchup, taking a 17-point lead less than 12 minutes into the contest, which inflated to a 30-1 scoreline by halftime. Still, there was no quit, and no panic as a result of the 1-1 record they now faced.
Just a few days later, the vibes were great once again on the practice field. All that mattered was the next game, a meeting with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. As expected, it was close, but Lewis Ward was the hero, nailing a walk-off field goal from 46 yards out, securing Ottawa’s first win against an Eastern opponent since 2018.
After another setback on the road against the Blue Bombers dropped the REDBLACKS to 2-2, they prepared themselves for a home-and-home series with the Edmonton Elks. In Edmonton, RNation saw an offensive display for the ages, with Brown throwing for 480 yards – the fourth most in Ottawa football history – and a breakout from rookie receiver Kalil Pimpleton.
A thrilling 37-34 victory set the stage for the return leg of the matchup, and Ottawa found a way to win that game, as well, just in a different way. One week it was the offence, the next, it was the defence, as they stood tall, allowing just 14 points, and no touchdowns.
Most recently, the REDBLACKS took on the Calgary Stampeders. Despite their 4-2 record, many believed Ottawa coasted on the coattail of an easy schedule – which does not exist in pro football – and were waiting for the REDBLACKS to be humbled.
What happened instead was a statement victory from the REDBLACKS, who blew out the Stamps 33-6, flashing their offensive potential, and keeping Calgary out of the endzone.
The REDBLACKS – who call themselves the Bank Street Bullies – are off to the best start in franchise history, and the best in Ottawa football history since the 1978 Rough Riders. They are 4-0 at home, currently stand in second place in the CFL’s East Division, and are tied for the second-best record in the league with the B.C. Lions, and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Brown is third in the league in passing yards, Ryquell Armstead is fourth in rushing yards, Justin Hardy is fourth in receiving yards and 30+ yard plays, Lorenzo Mauldin and Bryce Carter are tied for second in sacks with four each, and the REDBLACKS special teams have the most big plays for, and the least against.
What that combines for is not only a very competitive football club for the first time in a handful of years, but also an exciting brand. Still, there’s plenty of room to grow, and areas where they could be better, but that’s the thing that makes the REDBLACKS scary a third of the way through the season; they are winning games, and they aren’t firing on all cylinders yet.
Out of the bye week, they’ll have a big test with the Roughriders in town, but you can bet that the REDBLACKS will be up for it. The question is, are you? RNation, you can help the REDBLACKS defend the TD Place turf next Thursday by getting your tickets here.
