WILLIAMS TOASTS HAPPY 24TH YEAR
Redblacks linebacker, cut from the NFL at this time last year, finds home in Ottawa
When Avery Williams went out for dinner with Ottawa Redblacks teammates Eric Lofton, Avery Ellis and Kevin Brown Sunday, it was a much better and happier birthday than a year ago.
At 12:01 p.m. on Sept. 2, 2017, Williams, then 23, got a call from the Houston Texans on his birthday, telling him he was being released on the final day of NFL cutdowns. His football dream was at a standstill. He later took a job as a supervisor for 24 Hour Dependable Medical Supplies.
But then came a call from the Redblacks, creating an oppor- tunity he’s making good on. He has looked good when filling in for linebacker Kyries Hebert, who will miss the next two games with a suspension. Up next is a chance to show what he can do Friday night in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions.
“Last year, (when I was cut) I told myself that would never happen to me again,” Williams said. “Look at me now — these past few games, I’ve been playing a lot and I’m making plays. That’s pretty cool.”
Williams has 14 tackles, many of them in the last month. Three weeks ago, he scooped up a fumble and ran 43 yards for a touchdown in a 44-21 win in Winnipeg.
“He’s done a lot of great things — he can run, he can hit,” said Redblacks coach Rick Campbell. “He’s still understanding the CFL game — that’s where you maybe lose a bit (from Hebert to Williams), is in the experience. We’ve won with (Williams), there’s no reason why we can’t continue to win with him.”
Asked about adapting to the Canadian game and to Ottawa, Williams said: “I’m getting to know everybody better, I know they’re going to be there for me.”
As for his birthday dinner mates, Lofton and Ellis are former Temple teammates, plus there was Brown.
“Kevin went to Cincinnati, we beat up on them all the time,” Williams said with a laugh. “But if he’d ever have beaten us, I would never have gone out with him, we wouldn’t have brought him. That’s my mentality.”
The Redblacks gave a lot of players looks on the first-team units Tuesday. Julian Feoli- Gudino was lined up as a starter at receiver (an assignment he could get Friday). Among the other players who got first-team reps: Quentin Gause and Mikael Cote at linebacker and Randall Evans and Zed Brown at defensive back. Said Campbell: “The big reason for that is guys being nicked up. (Wednesday) will be a good indication of what it’s going to look like (versus B.C.) We had to shuffle some guys through. The good news is, I think (the injuries) are minor things. We have some stuff to figure out.” Defensive lineman A.C. Leonard and linebacker Kevin Brown were not practising Tuesday, while offensive lineman Alex Mateas also had a light practice. Said Campbell as media ran down the list of players: “I fully anticipate (Leonard) fully ready to go ... I think (Brown) is going to be able to play ... I think (Mateas) will play.”
OH, BABY!
Redblacks offensive co-ordinator Jaime Elizondo and his wife Aurelia are proud parents of seven-week-old Emilia Olivia Abigail.
“It’s awesome, it’s the best thing that could have happened,” Elizondo said. “We’re blessed. She’s been great. There were a couple of rough nights a couple of weeks ago, but she’s doing great. It changes your life. I go home and I should get some sleep, but I want to hold her and spend time with her. You never really know how much love you can feel until you have a little one. It’s pretty cool.”
Asked if he was changing diapers, he said: “Oh yeah. I’m a full-time dad. I’m a big believer in you split that time — it’s hard for one person to do it. I go home, as tired as I am, I try to take that, do the bottles, feed her, bathe her — all those things.”
SIZING UP THE LIONS
The B.C. Lions have three wins this season (over Montreal, Winnipeg and Edmonton) — all of them coming at home, where they have a 3-1 record. The Redblacks hung in to beat the Lions 29-25 last month in Ottawa, so the Redblacks know they’ll have a tough task trying to win Friday at B.C. Place.
Said Redblacks QB Trevor Harris: “They have a lot of different looks. Their D co-ordinator (Mark Washington) does a great job of mixing things up. Their personnel is very good. They’ve got Odell (Willis), who still has a lot left in the tank, they’ve got Shawn (Lemon), they’ve got interior guys who are really disruptive; I really like their Mike linebacker (Jordan) Herdman. Their linebackers are rangy and fast. And their DBs are very good. They’re going to pose a great challenge for us.”
THE END AROUND
At one point in practice Tuesday, receiver Brad Sinopoli was on punt return. “He’s done that before,” Campbell said. “But don’t read too much into anything.” ... Asked about bouncing back from Friday’s disappointing 21-11 home-field loss to the Montreal Alouettes, Campbell said: “We watched the game with the team the day after. That’s part of the process — making sure we learn and correct things, whether we win or lose. We take every win or loss, especially the losses, to heart. One of the biggest things you can have in pro sports is the ability to move on — it’s going to take all our effort and energy in order to beat this team this week. Anything we’re expending living in the past doesn’t help us for this coming week. We learn from it, we move on, then away we go to Vancouver.” ... Anybody who took Redblacks in the CFL Fantasy Pool last week had to be disappointed. I had William Powell (13.1 points), Diontae Spencer (8.4 points), Trevor Harris (9.1 points), R.J. Harris (4.5 points) and the defence (nine points). Greg Ellingson again offered great value with 19.4 points.