Trevor Harris coming to Ottawa! Great News!

A bit of a surprise from the REDBLACKS after last years mega free agent signings.
I hope (and expect) that Henry Burris was fully consulted by team management and is ''on-side'' with the Trevor Harris signing.

Should make for a very interesting upcoming season for the REDBLACKS.

Welcome aboard Trevor!

I don’t believe in the inmates running the asylum. Burris should have a voice, but if he doesn’t like a signing, too bad.

Anyway, Desjardins has already said that Harris is the back-up this year so roles are clearly defined.

For that matter, Harris acknowledges that he's the back up. Good interview right here:

[url=http://www.tsn.ca/radio/ottawa-1200/harris-looking-forward-to-learning-from-burris-1.435696]http://www.tsn.ca/radio/ottawa-1200/har ... s-1.435696[/url]

You just signed a good QB, we are the losers big time.
Now we have let 2 blue chip QB's walk and have nothing in return.
Our aging Ray is done.

Might not be all so bleak. Nobody really knew much about Harris either, 18 months ago, and the Argos have a history of developing QBs of late.

whether Burris is “on side” or not with the Harris signing should have no bearing whatsoever concerning management decisions on player personnel.
The REDBLACKS can and should do whatever they feel necessary to improve the club for present and/or future success.

moreover, Burris will be 41 before the start of this season for cripes sake and the REDBLACKS need a successor to take the reins otherwise they will end up struggling with a QB carousel like the Als the past few years. (and quite possibly the Argos in the next few years)

and that being said, I can’t wait to see the first Ray vs Harris game. :thup:

According to Desjardins on radio this morning (but I'm getting this second-hand), Burris has already been told this is his last year.

It will have to be.
No team can sustain two starting QB salaries.

If Burris intends on playing past this season he will have to accept a reduction in pay more in line with backup pay regardless of whether it is with the REDBLACKS or another team.

So next yr when burris is told to sit or leave , he will have another temper tantrum? Big signing but lost some others.

Being that he’s already been told what his status is, I don’t know what more the team can do. But I know, I know…Burris does nothing but whine, he’s a me-player, lather, rinse, repeat. :roll:

The bigger issue is if they feel the need to sit him down during the season because if he knows this is his last shot, he’ll be protective of it. But I’m not going to worry about that a great deal in February.

Burris said he could even envision himself sticking around with the Redblacks in 2017 as a backup for Harris, the CFL’s No. 3 passer (4,354 yards) with the Toronto Argonauts last season, and has talked with the team about extending a contract that is scheduled to expire next February.

“At the end of the day, I want to help this continue to win. That’s why I was brought here,? Burris said.


Friggin’ whiny diva…no, wait.

[url=http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/football/cfl/henry-burris-ok-with-redblacks-succession-plan-at-quarterback]http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/footbal ... uarterback[/url]

Looking at it from a long way away (Saskatchewan RoughRiders) Give the RedBlack Big Brass/Management credit for looking to the future and signing the best FA QB available and solidifying continuity in the QB depth and development not to mention the Franchise stability.
IMHO When it comes time for Harris to shine, he's gonna be someone.
Brilliant signing :cowboy:

I agree 100% that this is the best signing of FA.

What a difference from the later stage Rider days or Renegade days when they never seemed to care about getting the best people possible . The enthusiasm and aggressive approach to winning is such a reward to any long suffering Ottawa CFL fan . The signings of 2015 and this year go a long way in developing a loyal fan base .

The aggressive nature last year to finding a kicker mid way thru the season and getting a strong set of QB's is a large breath of fresh air .

Two years in, it still blows my mind sometimes.

I haven’t agreed with every move, but at least now I feel confident enough in the FO that I can give them the benefit of the doubt. I didn’t quite have that sense when, say, the Renegades were chatting about Ryan Leaf. :?

I didn’t really want to lose Jovon Johnson quite yet, for example, but the team has been so good at recruiting DBs to step right in that I’m not really worried about it. It’s a nice change. :thup:

You see Jovon running on the field holding the RNation flag and figure he's a leader and now he's gone to a rival . Not sure what to make of it . I hope they have that area covered as I liked our secondary last year . Recruitment doesn't seem to be an issue at that position hopefully the well is full .

Brandon Sermons started the Grey Cup because Jerrell Gavins was out and Abdul Kanneh played inside instead. I suspect he has the inside track on the starting corner gig opposite Kanneh going into 2016.

Mind you, I think he took the interference penalty towards the end of the game…

Might as well drop this here. This is what our QB controversy looks like:

[url=http://www.ottawasun.com/2016/07/05/redblacks-quarterback-henry-burris-knows-there-are-no-guarantees-hell-get-his-job-back?token=b17214e82f6e38375800ccb803d49f90]http://www.ottawasun.com/2016/07/05/red ... b803d49f90[/url]
“We compete, but we compete to make ourselves better,? said Burris on Tuesday, three days ahead of Ottawa’s next test, a sold-out Friday home date with Calgary. “Right now, this is Trevor’s team. For me, it’s about getting myself healthy, to get back to being Hank. We understand this is Trevor’s team to lead. You can either buy in or buy yourself out of here. All these guys are buying in.

“In my mind, I’m not even thinking about it until I’m ready to go. Trevor’s in a zone. You don’t want to take a quarterback out when he’s in the zone. I would have to get caught up on everything, start feeling the ball, get comfortable with it — how long’s the process going to take? I’m all about, ‘Hey, if you have John Smoltz on the mound and he’s burning it, you can’t put Tom Glavine in for him.’ You have to keep Smoltz out there. That’s how (Harris) has been playing. He’s the hot hand right now.?

The team wastes no time getting Harris back in there.

I like the move and I like that they didn’t mess around. Pull the Band-Aid off fast instead of slow.

Burris says all the right things. I know there are still some that will swear up and down that there’s a quarterback controversy just about to explode but I think the coaching staff has handled it as well as they could, and circumstances (injuries, poor play) worked out as favourably as bad things can, if that makes sense.

“In the back of my mind, I kind of knew something was going to happen,? said the 41-year-old Burris, who missed four games with a broken pinky finger and returned for a 23-20 loss to the Toronto Argos July 31. “You always feel like you can get out there and get it done. Each week, I felt I was getting better at throwing the ball crisper. There were some areas I could have improved, I missed some throws that I wish I could have back. Things you go your way sometimes and sometimes they don’t.

“You get more praise and you get the blame sometimes, but that goes with the position. It’s a disappointment that I won’t get back out there with the guys, but I know Trevor’s going to do one heckuva job and I’m going to make sure I’m his biggest cheerleader on the sideline. We have the best quarterback room in football. We support each other. We all want to see each other succeed.?

Explained Campbell: “Any decision we make, we’re trying to give the Ottawa Redblacks a chance to win games. We went back and looked at everything, Trevor was playing at such a high level when he was in there — that was the decision that was made.?

When asked how Burris took the news, Campbell said: “Just like I thought he would … very professional. I know he cares deeply for this team, he’s the type of guy you want around here. He just wants what best for this football team.?

The 30-year-old Harris is excited for the opportunity, but piled praise on Burris.

“We’re just focused on trying to get wins. In terms of who’s playing, who’s getting all the spotlight, we don’t worry about that,? he said. “The thing about Hank is you can put just anybody you want in a room and say, ‘Who in here’s thrown for 65,000 yards, won two MOPs, two Grey Cups, turned around teams, got shuffled around but kept a great attitude and became a better person through it all? There would be one guy raising his hand and it would be Henry Burris. I couldn’t have more respect for a human than I do for Hank. He’s done nothing but encourage and help me. He’s forever going to be one of my favourite teammates.

“When I first talked (to the Redblacks) in free agency, I asked, ‘How does Henry feel about this?’ They said, ‘Henry’s great about it, he wants to help tutor you, show you some things.’ I was like, ‘Man, that’s a no-brainer for me.’ Learn from one of the legends in the league. He’s going to add to the team no matter what role he’s in. He’s a Hall of Fame player, he’s a Hall of Fame person as well.?

Burris said his finger is about 85-90% healed and he’ll do whatever he’s asked.

“This gives me time to get healthier,? he said. “Of course, I want to be out there with my team helping us put up W’s. It’s a call I don’t make, I just have to make sure if I’m needed down the road, I’m ready to go.?


A little off topic to this thread, but with guys starting to return from injury, I’m glad the team and fans didn’t use those as an excuse.