Unique off-season a test of patience for Desjardins, REDBLACKS

OTTAWA — For Marcel Desjardins, waiting is the hardest part.

The last couple of months have been a test in patience for the Ottawa REDBACKS’ general manager — along with the other eight CFL general managers — as the current off-season brings one of the biggest periods of uncertainty for teams across the league.

An expiring collective bargaining agreement and a record-breaking class of free agents leave a lot of things out of Desjardins’ hands.

“Not being able to control everything,” he answered after being asked the hardest part of being a general manager. “You’ve got to be able to wait and be patient, and sometimes I’m not very good at that.

“The problem is all of these elements are really out of my control. Can I sit here and dwell on ‘what if, what if, what if’? I don’t play that game a lot. What I try to do is just focus on what we can accomplish within reasonable timelines with things that we control.”

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At six seasons, Rick Campbell is tied as the CFL’s longest-tenured coach entering 2019 (Chris Hofley/CFL.ca)

Desjardins has gotten ahead of some signings for the REDBLACKS, starting with multi-year extensions for Antoine Pruneau and JC Beaulieu — both a key part of the team’s national blueprint — just days after the Grey Cup.

He’s also struck extensions with defensive internationals and potential starters Sherrod Baltimore, Danny Mason, Jonathan Newsome and Corey Tindal, in addition to original REDBLACK and Canadian offensive lineman Nolan MacMillan.

“We’ve been able to sign some players,” said Desjardins. “Some guys are still waiting to see what else might be out there in terms of other leagues, some guys we’re discussing with. There are two or three levels of what’s happening with our players in terms of whether we can get them back or not. Our priority would be to try to have as many of our own guys back as possible before Feb. 12 and free agency hits.”

On the other hand, some questions have lingered on longer than Desjardins might have hoped, starting with franchise quarterback Trevor Harris. The REDBLACKS have seen Harris evolve in his time in the nation’s capital, going from contingency plan for Henry Burris to leading the team to a Grey Cup appearance in 2018.

At 32, these are the best days of Harris’ football career.

“In terms of preparation, nothing changed on that level,” Desjardins said of Harris. “His confidence probably just continued to grow, and as an offence and as a team you get in a flow and he proved he can be the guy to lead that group towards those end of season games that had a lot of importance relative to the standings, had a great Eastern Final and obviously not as good in the Grey Cup.

“At the end of the day his sole focus is on him having success and being as ready as he can be to help everybody else around him.”

In the wake of a legend in Burris, who went out on top by winning a Grey Cup in 2016, Harris has become the leader of the team, earning the respect of his peers.

“They’re different guys, different personalities, different kinds of leaders,” Desjardins said of Harris. “You don’t need to be the rah rah guy to be the leader. Trevor can do that and does do it at times, but he needs to lead more by example and he’s proven he can do that.

“The fact that he’s had success as our quarterback has proven that guys will follow him.”

Signing Trevor Harris remains a top priority for the REDBLACKS this off-season (Trevor Hagan/CFL.ca)

With Head Coach Rick Campbell returning for a sixth season and offensive coordinator Jaime Elizondo back to run the offence, there are plenty of reasons for Harris to commit to Ottawa for the long haul. The REDBLACKS were, after all, the team that gave Harris his biggest professional opportunity following a breakout season in Toronto, while the team has appeared in the Grey Cup in three of the last four seasons.

However, in an off-season with so much uncertainty — especially at the quarterback position, where seven of nine teams don’t have a clear established starter in 2019 — testing the open market makes sense for the eighth-year veteran. Should Bo Levi Mitchell sign in the NFL, or return to Calgary, Harris would be considered the second-ranked free agent in a quarterback-hungry market.

After signing 2018 backup Dominique Davis to an extension, a possible contingency plan for the REDBLACKS should Harris leave, it seems that all Desjardins can do is wait.

“You have to be proactive in your approach in terms of identifying who’s the next guy that’s probably going out the door as a player and who you have in-house and who you have targeted to replace that guy,” Desjardins said of being a general manager.

While the quarterback position is the biggest question mark this off-season, the receiver position could also take a hit. Brad Sinopoli will be back in 2019 after his best professional season, but Diontae Spencer is NFL-bound while Greg Ellingson is pending free agency. Ellingson could still sign before Feb. 12, but replacing Spencer and his unique skill-set will be a challenge.

“We certainly feel we can find a player to fill the void, and it may be somebody we had on our roster this year in terms of the receiver aspect of it,” he said. “Different type of receiver potentially but certainly a guy that can play. The returner aspect is what’s going to be a little more difficult to find.

“Diontae’s a guy who was not only quality on the field but off the field as well,” he added. “Fit in great in the locker-room, just a very upbeat personality and a good guy to be around. Those are the types of elements where we might find a guy to play, but how do those elements play into the dynamic of the team, that’s the part that’s tough to manage.”

So far, that’s been the key to the REDBLACKS’ success, a strength Desjardins describes from the top of the organization to the bottom. Many of the team’s biggest pillars have been involved since expansion, and in 2019 the REDBLACKS will be the only team in the CFL to return their entire coaching staff and football operations staff.

Such continuity has allowed the REDBLACKS to win three division titles in four years, setting the bar for expansion teams in professional sports.

“I think it allows you to evolve as an organization and add layers to what you can do to have success, whereas if you’re changing too many parts too often you’re taking a step back and starting over,” said Desjardins. “We hope that’s something we have an advantage over some other teams and we do have some degree of consistency.

“It starts with our ownership, who have proven that having some degree of consistency in key positions is something that’s very important to them, and we feel that helps us have that foundation that can have success.”