2004 CFL Eastern Preview - Ottawa Renegades
From The Sports Network
Dan Ralph, CFL Editor
FACTS & FIGURES: Division - East. 2003 record - 7-9-0-0. Playoff result: Missed playoffs. Stadium - Frank Clair Stadium. Capacity - 29,862. Club Colors - Black, red, white and pewter.
The time is now for the Ottawa Renegades.
When the CFL granted Ottawa an expansion franchise to a group headed by Toronto sports entrepreneur Brad Watters, part of the deal involved staging the 2004 Grey Cup game in the Canadian capital. The new ownership group's plan was for the Renegades to be in a position to contend for a berth in the championship game by then.
The Renegades have made steady improvement their first two years under head coach Joe Paopao and general manager Eric Tillman. After posting a 4-14-0-0 record in its inaugural season, Ottawa finished with a 7-9-0-0 mark that left it third in the East but out of the playoffs because that record wasn't as good as the fourth-place finisher in the West -- the B.C. Lions got the final East post-season berth, courtesy of finishing 11-7-0-0.
But there is optimism this year in Ottawa that the Renegades might finally be a playoff team.
Quarterback Kerry Joseph will have the benefit of a full season with Ottawa. The former NFL player joined the Renegades during the 2003 campaign and showed flashes of brilliance, completing 269-of-475 passes for 3,694 yards with 19 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. More importantly, though, Joseph has solidified himself as the club's No. 1 quarterbacmc
The Renegades do have some pretty good talent waiting in the wings in backup Darnell Kennedy and rookie Brad Banks, but did lose quarterback coach Kent Austin, who left to become the Toronto Argonauts' offensive coordinator.
Ottawa is also solid on its offensive line, with such veterans as Mike Abou- Mechrek, Mike Sutherland, George Hudson and Val St. Germaine. Also, youngster Alexandre Gauthier, the first player the Renegades ever drafted, appears ready to battle for a starting position.
The club's offensive line depth allowed Tillman to deal veteran Seth Dittman to Calgary in the off-season as part of a trade with the Stampeders that involved eight players and a draft picmc
Ottawa gave up imports Dittman, linebacker John Grace, defensive lineman Fred Perry and quarterback Romaro Miller to get defensive back Anthony Malbrough and middle linebacker-defensive end Kai Ellis (both imports), the negotiation rights to both Canadian kicker Sandro Sciortino (who completed his senior season at Boston College last year) and import defensive tackle Jerry Johnson as well as the second overall pick in the 2004 CFL Canadian college draft.
The Renegades then used that pick to take Simon Fraser offensive lineman Ibrahim Khan, an Ottawa native who further solidifies the club's front wall.
Dependable Josh Ranek anchors Ottawa's rushing attacmc He finished fourth in CFL rushing last season with 1,162 yards and averaged a sparkling 6.4 yards per carry. He also scored seven touchdowns.
Ottawa lost its leading receiver to free agency in the off-season, but gained a speedy Canadian. D.J. Flick (60 catches, 917 yards, seven touchdowns) signed with Hamilton, but the Renegades dipped into the free-agent waters to land slot back Pat Woodcock from Montreal.
Woodcock, 26, is an Ottawa native and signed a two-year deal with a club option for a third season that was reportedly worth $100,000 annually. Woodcock's decision to sign with the Renegades was based on a desire to come home. Woodcock's parents are season-ticket holders while his wife, Melanie, is also from Ottawa and is currently a member of the club's dance team.
Woodcock was a late cut of the NFL's Washington Redskins last year. After returning to Montreal, he had 22 receptions for 222 yards and one touchdown in six games. He also had a touchdown grab in the Alouettes' Grey Cup loss to Edmonton. The year before, he was chosen outstanding Canadian at the Grey Cup after his 99-yard touchdown reception helped the Alouettes defeat the Eskimos 25-16 for their first CFL title in 25 years.
Ottawa's biggest acquisition defensively was not a player, rather a coach. The team signed Gary Etcheverry, the former Toronto Argonauts head coach, to be its defensive coordinator this season. Etcheverry was head coach of Toronto in 2002 before getting fired after starting 4-8-0. He was also a defensive line coach for the Argos in 1997 and '98 and defensive coordinator in 1999. He was defensive coordinator for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2000 and the B.C. Lions in 2001.
If there is a question mark in Ottawa, it is the kicking game. American Lawrence Tynes made 51-of-62 field goals last year (82.3 percent) and finished tied with Winnipeg's Troy Westwood for the CFL scoring lead (198 points). But Tynes signed with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs in the off-season.
That gives Sciortino, of Markham, Ontario, a shot at the starting job, especially considering he also handled kickoff duties at Boston College, where he set a school record with 20 field goals in 2003.
The skinny: If history is any indicator, the Renegades will continue with their improvement this season. But the goal of being a playoff squad this year will be a difficult one to attain, given the presence of Toronto and Montreal in the East and four solid squads -- Edmonton, Saskatchewan, B.C. and Winnipeg -- in the West.
Offensively, Joseph should benefit from having a full training camp under his belt, which is bad news for rival defenses. Ranek will give Ottawa a solid running game while Woodcock's speed and ability to take a short pass a long way should keep cornerbacks awake at night. The key for the Renegades, though, will be how quickly they adjust to Etcheverry's defensive scheme, which places more emphasis on team play rather than individual statistics and accomplishments. It's a philosophy that worked in Toronto when Etcheverry was the coordinator but struggled mightily when he was promoted to Argos head coach.
Sports Network predicted finish: Third
From The Sports Network
Dan Ralph, CFL Editor
FACTS & FIGURES: Division - East. 2003 record - 7-9-0-0. Playoff result: Missed playoffs. Stadium - Frank Clair Stadium. Capacity - 29,862. Club Colors - Black, red, white and pewter.
The time is now for the Ottawa Renegades.
When the CFL granted Ottawa an expansion franchise to a group headed by Toronto sports entrepreneur Brad Watters, part of the deal involved staging the 2004 Grey Cup game in the Canadian capital. The new ownership group's plan was for the Renegades to be in a position to contend for a berth in the championship game by then.
The Renegades have made steady improvement their first two years under head coach Joe Paopao and general manager Eric Tillman. After posting a 4-14-0-0 record in its inaugural season, Ottawa finished with a 7-9-0-0 mark that left it third in the East but out of the playoffs because that record wasn't as good as the fourth-place finisher in the West -- the B.C. Lions got the final East post-season berth, courtesy of finishing 11-7-0-0.
But there is optimism this year in Ottawa that the Renegades might finally be a playoff team.
Quarterback Kerry Joseph will have the benefit of a full season with Ottawa. The former NFL player joined the Renegades during the 2003 campaign and showed flashes of brilliance, completing 269-of-475 passes for 3,694 yards with 19 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. More importantly, though, Joseph has solidified himself as the club's No. 1 quarterbacmc
The Renegades do have some pretty good talent waiting in the wings in backup Darnell Kennedy and rookie Brad Banks, but did lose quarterback coach Kent Austin, who left to become the Toronto Argonauts' offensive coordinator.
Ottawa is also solid on its offensive line, with such veterans as Mike Abou- Mechrek, Mike Sutherland, George Hudson and Val St. Germaine. Also, youngster Alexandre Gauthier, the first player the Renegades ever drafted, appears ready to battle for a starting position.
The club's offensive line depth allowed Tillman to deal veteran Seth Dittman to Calgary in the off-season as part of a trade with the Stampeders that involved eight players and a draft picmc
Ottawa gave up imports Dittman, linebacker John Grace, defensive lineman Fred Perry and quarterback Romaro Miller to get defensive back Anthony Malbrough and middle linebacker-defensive end Kai Ellis (both imports), the negotiation rights to both Canadian kicker Sandro Sciortino (who completed his senior season at Boston College last year) and import defensive tackle Jerry Johnson as well as the second overall pick in the 2004 CFL Canadian college draft.
The Renegades then used that pick to take Simon Fraser offensive lineman Ibrahim Khan, an Ottawa native who further solidifies the club's front wall.
Dependable Josh Ranek anchors Ottawa's rushing attacmc He finished fourth in CFL rushing last season with 1,162 yards and averaged a sparkling 6.4 yards per carry. He also scored seven touchdowns.
Ottawa lost its leading receiver to free agency in the off-season, but gained a speedy Canadian. D.J. Flick (60 catches, 917 yards, seven touchdowns) signed with Hamilton, but the Renegades dipped into the free-agent waters to land slot back Pat Woodcock from Montreal.
Woodcock, 26, is an Ottawa native and signed a two-year deal with a club option for a third season that was reportedly worth $100,000 annually. Woodcock's decision to sign with the Renegades was based on a desire to come home. Woodcock's parents are season-ticket holders while his wife, Melanie, is also from Ottawa and is currently a member of the club's dance team.
Woodcock was a late cut of the NFL's Washington Redskins last year. After returning to Montreal, he had 22 receptions for 222 yards and one touchdown in six games. He also had a touchdown grab in the Alouettes' Grey Cup loss to Edmonton. The year before, he was chosen outstanding Canadian at the Grey Cup after his 99-yard touchdown reception helped the Alouettes defeat the Eskimos 25-16 for their first CFL title in 25 years.
Ottawa's biggest acquisition defensively was not a player, rather a coach. The team signed Gary Etcheverry, the former Toronto Argonauts head coach, to be its defensive coordinator this season. Etcheverry was head coach of Toronto in 2002 before getting fired after starting 4-8-0. He was also a defensive line coach for the Argos in 1997 and '98 and defensive coordinator in 1999. He was defensive coordinator for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2000 and the B.C. Lions in 2001.
If there is a question mark in Ottawa, it is the kicking game. American Lawrence Tynes made 51-of-62 field goals last year (82.3 percent) and finished tied with Winnipeg's Troy Westwood for the CFL scoring lead (198 points). But Tynes signed with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs in the off-season.
That gives Sciortino, of Markham, Ontario, a shot at the starting job, especially considering he also handled kickoff duties at Boston College, where he set a school record with 20 field goals in 2003.
The skinny: If history is any indicator, the Renegades will continue with their improvement this season. But the goal of being a playoff squad this year will be a difficult one to attain, given the presence of Toronto and Montreal in the East and four solid squads -- Edmonton, Saskatchewan, B.C. and Winnipeg -- in the West.
Offensively, Joseph should benefit from having a full training camp under his belt, which is bad news for rival defenses. Ranek will give Ottawa a solid running game while Woodcock's speed and ability to take a short pass a long way should keep cornerbacks awake at night. The key for the Renegades, though, will be how quickly they adjust to Etcheverry's defensive scheme, which places more emphasis on team play rather than individual statistics and accomplishments. It's a philosophy that worked in Toronto when Etcheverry was the coordinator but struggled mightily when he was promoted to Argos head coach.
Sports Network predicted finish: Third
