After busy off-season, new-look Redblacks ready to move on from dismal 3-11 campaign

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Redblacks believe significant moves made by first-year general manager Shawn Burke, and the integration of new players into the team atmosphere, will help the team improve on its ugly 3-11 record from last year.

Redblacks head coach Paul LaPolice said team-building was a key factor throughout training camp with a number of new faces joining the team.

"We did a lot of team-building stuff over the course of training camp to make sure these guys .. jelled with the new crew," LaPolice said. "I'm proud of that and proud of what they did in (the pre-season) games."

Burke was hired last December after the Redblacks parted ways with Marcel Desjardins, who had been with the organization since its inception in 2014.

Ottawa made three Grey Cup finals under Desjardins, winning it in 2016, but had missed the playoffs in 2019 and 2021. The 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

One of Burke’s first moves was to sign veteran quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to a two-year deal to provide the Redblacks with some much-needed stability at centre.

Before becoming Ottawa’s general manager Burke spent 15 years with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats organization, where he saw firsthand what Masoli could provide.

The 33-year-old Masoli has been part of three Grey Cup finalists in Hamilton (2014, 2019 and 2021) but has yet to win a championship. He was named the East Division’s outstanding player in 2018 and his rushing ability makes him a dual threat to opposing defences.

"We're operating good, so there’s some small details to iron out, but besides that we're executing pretty well against our defence right now," Masoli said on learning a new system. "But you know we'll see when the bullets start flying, that’s when it gets fun."

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