ahead. "Yeah, you have to move forward. You have to kind

Twelve years ago, it was Dan Crowley throwing passes to receivers Jimmy Oliver, Denis Montana, and Eddie Brown, and handing the ball off to Darren Davis. Thats a quarterback with just 253 passing attempts experience, and who would be out of the league in two years; three receivers with just one career 1,000-yard season combined; and a running back who after consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, failed to gain even 300 yards on the ground in either of his two years in Ottawa before leaving the league. Sorry for the painful trip down memory lane Ottawa football fans. Flash forward 12 years and it will be an awfully different scene, one with a lot more promise. Instead of a QB with just 1,696 passing yards at the time leading Ottawas new expansion team, theyll have a 14-year veteran in Henry Burris, a former Most Outstanding Player and Grey Cup champion, who has 51,526 career passing yards. 1,696 yards is a good weekend for the former Calgary Stampeder, Saskatchewan Roughrider, and Hamilton Tiger-Cat. The team has some promise in the receiving corps as well and an electrifying running back in Chevon Walker backed up by some solid CFL experience at fullback. The point is the Redblacks this season will look different than almost any expansion team before them, not just in the CFL or even football, but in all professional sports. Theyll look like a team that can compete. Its a nice change from the Renegades debut, whose problems ran far deeper than their game day roster week in and week out; having a team that can contend, or at least keep things close when the West Division heavy hitters come to town, is a boon to both the new ownership and CFL fans in Ottawa, who perhaps more than anyone deserve some good fortune on the gridiron. Using one part updated expansion draft rules that made more players available and one part a little good fortune in free agency, the Redblacks have built a deeper and more talented roster than your typical expansion team mish-mash. As mentioned earlier, Ottawa will be led by Burris, but theyll have some other veterans sprinkled into the roster to help the roster through their maiden voyage in the CFL. Guys like Walker at running back, receiver Paris Jackson, and offensive linemen John Gott, Joe Eppele, and JMichael Deane will help Burris run an effective offence that could easily be closer to the middle of the pack than the basement come seasons end. And on defence, former Most Outstanding Defensive Player Jovon Johnson should have enough gas left in the tank to lead the unit alongside veterans Keith Shologan, Anton McKenzie, TJ Hill, and Malik Jackson. This isnt to say the Redblacks are instant Grey Cup contenders, which in a nine-team league isnt entirely crazy. With the Winnipeg Blue Bombers heading West and the Argos, Ticats, and Alouettes all coming off at least decent regular seasons in 2013, the Redblacks will enter the year as favourites to finish in the East Division basement, but a 5-7 win season should keep the fans intrigued, and more importantly, excited about the future. Notes Expansion Draft - The Redblacks took their biggest step towards looking like a real team with the Expansion Draft in December. Highlights included picking two quarterbacks in Kevin Glenn and Thomas DeMarco, and other notable names such as Keith Shologan, Chevon Walker, Joe Eppele, and Eric Fraser. Glenn Saga - Kevin Glenn looked to be the Redblacks quarterback of the present until Henry Burris became available on the free market and Ottawa pounced. Not happy with the demotion, Glenn was eventually traded to the Lions where hell instead back up Travis Lulay on his fifth CFL team. Free Agency - Burris was the big coup in free agency but the team landed several other notable players including LB Malik Jackson from the Stampeders, defensive back Jovon Johnson from the Blue Bombers, and WR Kierrie Johnson from the Roughriders. CFL Draft - The Redblacks traded the first overall draft pick to the Stampeders for veteran offensive lineman John Gott, but got back into the first by trading Glenn to the Lions, and ended up with defensive back Antoine Pruneau. Other picks included WR Scott MacDonell in the second round, DL Nijel Romick in the third round, offensive linemen Aaron Wheaton in the fourth and Hugo Desmarais in the fifth, DL Stephon Miller in the sixth, and DL Vincent Desloges, LB Alexandre Bernard, and LS Kevin Malcolm in the seventh. Lansdowne Park - TD Place Stadium has been constructed where Frank Clair Stadium once stood and is expected to be fully ready for the teams Week 4 game against the Argonauts, the Redblacks home opener. Cole Sulser Jersey . During the furious first few hours of free agency Tuesday, the team agreed to terms with strong safety Donte Whitner, a Cleveland native who cant wait to play in his hometown. Travis dArnaud Rays Jersey .com) - Oregon wasnt going to let Arizona ruin its national title dreams for a second straight season. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/1096i-blake-snell-jersey-rays.html . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. Daniel Robertson Jersey . Pressley missed all of last season with Cincinnati because of a knee injury, but the 5-foot-10, 249-pounder had been expected to fill a need on Clevelands roster. Oliver Drake Jersey . "I met her, I think, a week ago. We went to a Norwood hockey store and picked her out some gear.DENVER -- Broncos fans may want to move on from Denvers Super Bowl debacle. Not Peyton Manning. Hes holding on to the heartache to stoke his competitive fire. In his first public comments since the highest-scoring team in NFL history was destroyed by Seattle from the opening snap two months ago, Manning said the Broncos 43-8 loss will serve as motivation in 2014. "I dont really have a word for it. Obviously it was disappointing and well use that to fuel us this off-season and hopefully itll make us better," Manning said Wednesday prior to giving the keynote address at the Boy Scouts of America Sports Breakfast in Denver. "I know the front office has addressed some off-season needs in free agency and of course the drafts coming up and now its up to the players to put in the hard work in the weight room, the film room and on the practice field to try to be a better team this year and that all starts Monday." The Broncos gather next week for the official start of off-season workouts with a roster that looks a lot different from the one that lost by five TDs to the Seahawks. Gone are Champ Bailey, Eric Decker, Wesley Woodyard, Zane Beadles, Knowshon Moreno and Chris Kuper, whose departures cleared cap space for the additions of DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib and Emmanuel Sanders. "Eli told me he was excited about DeMarcus leaving his division; he can no longer hit him. And Im glad hes on my team," Manning said of the former Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher who headlined John Elways off-season makeover. Manning gave his blessing to the promotion of second-year running back Montee Ball to primary ball carrier. "Theres no question with the loss of Knowshon, who was just nothing short of awesome thiis past year, and was a great teammate .dddddddddddd.. Montees going to have more responsibilities and I think hes going to answer that challenge," Manning said. Although Sanders joined Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Bubba Caldwell and Wes Welker at Mannings annual passing camp at Duke last week, which the five-time MVP QB called a "good kick-start to the off-season," the official start of off-season workouts is Monday. Although Manning and the Broncos will view their loss to Seattle as a scar, much like they did their defeat to Baltimore in the playoffs a year earlier, Manning agreed the gathering will allow the Broncos to begin looking ahead. "Yeah, you have to move forward. You have to kind of re-establish your identity of the 2014 team," Manning said. "The 2013 team was a good season in a lot of ways. Theres no question it did not end the way we wanted it to. But we have to try to find a way to build off that, and try to take it a step further, try to finish." The Broncos are heavily favoured by oddsmakers to become the first team since the Buffalo Bills in 1993 to return to the Super Bowl the year after losing the big game, but the 38-year-old QB who set NFL records by throwing for 55 TDs and 5,447 yards last year knows the challenge facing Denver. Only two teams have lost a Super Bowl and bounced back to win the next one: the 1971 Dallas Cowboys and the 1972 Miami Dolphins. "Absolutely I am," Manning said when asked if hes hungrier than ever. "Thats what I want to do (win the title). Thats what the Denver Broncos want to do. I am glad to be part of a team that wants that. I need to do my part. Thats what I think about every day I go to work, doing my job to help the Denver Broncos get better." ' ' '