What we learned about the Ottawa Redblacks in their 2025 CFL season opener
The Ottawa Redblacks wasted absolutely no time in carrying over one of their worst habits from last year into their 2025 CFL season opener.
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When quarterback Dru Brown was inexcusably called for a time-count violation before the first snap from scrimmage, it was not only a harbinger of things to come on Thursday night at Regina's Mosaic Stadium, but also a reminder of a problem that plagued them through the majority of the 2024 campaign.
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In the 31-26 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Ottawa gifted the home team more than the length of a football field's worth of free turf by taking a total of 12 penalties for 126 yards.
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'We've got to be more disciplined,' linebacker Adarius Pickett told TSN1200's AJ Jakubec in a media scrum after the game. 'Even special teams-wise, (the offence) was starting with bad field position.
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'We've got to address that,' Pickett added about the downpour of flags. 'We've definitely got to watch the film and see exactly what was transpiring to get those penalties. I know it kind of seemed like it was one-sided, but it is what it is at times when playing on the road, and we've got to expect that. We've got to be more disciplined in practice, making sure that we practice the right way so we can play the right way in the game.'
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Sound familiar? It should.
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Last season, the Redblacks led the CFL in penalty yards with 1,357 (75.38 yards per game) while finishing second in penalties with 138, just three behind the Edmonton Elks.
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The good news is they finally cleaned up their act following a Week 19, 19-12 loss to the Montreal Alouettes in which they were penalized 12 times for 122 yards.
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In the final three games, they were flagged a total of eight times — and that's including the five penalties for 55 yards they took while being pounded 58-38 by the Toronto Argos in the East Division semifinal.
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While falling to 0-1 isn't an ideal start to the season — and yes, they were abysmal during a second quarter that saw them outscored 19-0 — it should be remembered that in the four-point loss to a team that is considered a legitimate Grey Cup contender, the Redblacks still had a chance to change the outcome with a successful last-minute drive.
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