Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
OTTAWA — You almost want to say the impact of Ottawa’s ‘big four’ is immeasurable — except it isn’t.
The moniker is given to the four REDBLACKS receivers that have played a significant role in the team’s rise to power: Since Chris Williams, Brad Sinopoli, Ernest Jackson and Greg Ellingson arrived during the 2015 off-season, the REDBLACKS went from a two-win expansion team to claiming back to back East Division Championships and, in 2016, a Grey Cup.
The truth is, with no disrespect to a CFL legend in Henry Burris and a top-notch defence led by Rick Campbell and Mark Nelson, those four have done more than just produce; they’ve become the face of the franchise.
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Brad Sinopoli and Greg Ellingson take a photo after winning the Grey Cup (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Sure, the stats are cool, like the fact that the foursome became the first in CFL history to each eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons. But those four didn’t just put up numbers; they elevated everyone else’s game.
While the REDBLACKS were sacked 56 times in 2015, the third-most in the league, that number was reduced to 43 the following season — the fourth-best in the CFL. The O-line improved, no doubt, but Burris also had receivers running open.
An elite set of receivers makes the offensive line look better and the quarterback, too. Some thought Burris’ career was ending after he threw 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions over 18 games that year in 2014 — by far the worst statistical season of his career. With 11 touchdowns on 517 passing attempts, Burris had thrown a touchdown roughly once every 50 attempts.
The following season, even with an entirely new cast of receivers to get accustomed to, Burris threw touchdowns on 26 of 678 passing attempts — nearly double the rate.
In reality, you can talk about Henry Burris and his legendary Grey Cup performance or his Most Outstanding Player honour that he won at age 40; or the influence of first-time head coach Rick Campbell; and even the offence that former offensive coordinator Jason Maas brought to the nation’s capital. All of those things paint the picture of the REDBLACKS’ rise to the top.
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In the end, however, none of it happens without the play of those four receivers.
As free agency approaches, three out of the four are due to become free agents. Williams, Ellingson and Jackson are without a contract past Noon ET on Feb. 14 and that’s got to be a scary thought for REDBLACKS fans.
The team has endured change before — five defensive starters departed last off-season while Williams suffered a season-ending injury before the playoffs. And now, Burris has retired and the team belongs to Trevor Harris.
In the end, though, can the team survive breaking apart the big four? Just like Marcel Desjardins replaced talent on the defensive side of the ball; just like Desjardins found his new-look receiving corps in the first place — can the REDBLACKS’ offence succeed without the likes of Williams, Ellingson and Jackson?
It’s one of the off-season’s biggest questions, and the topic of our latest great debate.
