This week’s trade gets its first test
Acquisition from Montreal is versatile and will add flexibility to team defence
Fast-tracking Chris Ackie into the Ottawa Redblacks’ lineup Saturday in Edmonton makes a lot of sense; after all, he’s already done plenty of the homework.
Ackie, who the Redblacks acquired in a trade with the Alouettes on Wednesday (with a second-round draft pick in 2019 going the other way), played under Ottawa’s defensive co-ordinator, Noel Thorpe, for three years in Montreal. So he’s already got a pretty good handle on the defensive schemes used here. And knowledge aside, he’s a very good football player. The 26-year-old, a fourth overall pick in the 2015 CFL draft, has 81 defensive tackles this season (fifth in the CFL).
“We’re going to use him right away,” said Redblacks coach Rick Campbell following Thursday’s practice. “I definitely see him on special teams and, as long as he knows what he’s doing on defence, you could see him on defence, too. He’s here to play. We want him contributing right away. He has a little bit of a head start. Also, he’s been playing all year at a high level so we’re hoping he can come in here and not miss a beat.
“We’ll get his feet wet right now with special teams and give him a crash course on defence,” said Thorpe. “He’s a guy, if need be, can go in there. He knows functionally what we’re trying to do system-wise. It shouldn’t be very hard for him. He’ll have to pick up on some verbiage, some new terminology.”
It’s all good with Ackie, who comes in fired up and ready to go.
“I’m really comfortable with the system, I feel like I can come in and play right away,” he said. “Hey, whatever they need. I’m a veteran in this league. It’s not like I’ve been sitting on a couch waiting for an opportunity. I’m not rusty, I feel I can come in and play — it doesn’t matter what position it is.”
A huge asset for the 6-2, 218-pound Ackie is his versatility. He played WILL linebacker this year for the Alouettes, but he can also play defensive back (maybe he sees some action at safety with Antoine Pruneau injured and out for the game against the Eskimos). In the meantime, Ackie should make an immediate impact on special teams — punt and kickoff coverage.
“We’re going to teach him both the linebacker and safety position, then we’ll go from there,” said Campbell. “He’s a smart enough guy to do that and with his skill set physically, he can do both.”
Thorpe was asked about Ackie before GM Marcel Desjardins pulled the trigger on the deal before Wednesday’s 3:59 p.m. trade deadline.
“We’re not going to force anything, but he gives us options. He can play WILL linebacker, he can play free safety and he could play corner if we needed him to,” said Desjardins. “It potentially allows us to do more on offence, whether that’s an extra receiver or if we had to go with an extra American on the offensive line.”
“I’m all aboard with it,” said Thorpe. “I know how versatile a player he is, I know how he approaches the game and prepares himself, I know how tough and physical he is out there — he’s got tremendous athletic ability. It’s a guy who can bring a lot to the table. From a character standpoint, he’s a guy who really will fit well into our locker-room and Redblacks football. It’s a great acquisition. I don’t know how all trade deadlines go, but I know what you’re trying to do is make your football team better heading down the stretch, and this is a piece that’s made us better on defence.
“Being multi-dimensional is something we like in our players. In college, he was a defensive back so he’s got those characteristics and ability. He’s tough enough to play around the box. One of the things he can do, and I think you’ve seen over the past few years, is blitz. He can come off that edge and he brings a load.”
Another fan of the deal is linebacker Kyries Hebert, a teammate of Ackie’s in Montreal for three years.
“He’s definitely going to make our team better — special teams and defence,” said Hebert. “I love him to death, he’s a really good guy.”
Asked about his reaction when he found out Ackie was coming to Ottawa, Hebert joked: “I started looking for a job, I went on Craigslist.”
Ackie was home in Cambridge preparing for a move. He had bought some IKEA furniture and was putting it together when he got the call from the Redblacks.
“I was caught off guard,” he said. “The night before I was reading an article, Five Potential Players to Get Traded. I was thinking, ‘I’m not getting traded.’ Then the next thing you know, I get the call the next day.”
The Redblacks had other opportunities for trades Wednesday, but decided against them.
“It’s not our normal way of operating, to give up draft picks for players, but in this case it was too good to pass up and we’ll worry about next year next year,” Desjardins said about surrendering a draft pick.
The GM also talked to the Toronto Argos, who, like the Alouettes, have been knocked out of playoff contention.
“For us, it only makes sense to make a trade if it makes us better and enhances the group that dresses for us,” said Desjardins. “The guys we wanted would not have been available and the guys they were open to moving were not guys who would have been able to help us.”
PRUNEAU OUT, CIOFFI SHIFTS: With Pruneau not playing Saturday, it sure looks like his replacement will be Anthony Cioffi, who will shift from SAM linebacker (Devin Butler will take his place at SAM). Asked about shifting positions, Cioffi said: “It doesn’t matter. I kind of like being back there, it plays into my strong suits — attacking the ball, reading the quarterback. I think it’s a good move for the situation we’re in. Anything they ask me to do, I don’t have an issue doing.”
THE END AROUND: The CFL Simulator is favouring the Hamilton Tiger-Cats over the Redblacks. While it projects Ottawa and Hamilton to finish at 10-8, it suggests the Ticats have a 58.41 per cent chance of winning the East, leaving the Redblacks at 41.59. Odds of winning the Grey Cup have Hamilton at 21.67, with Ottawa at 8.46. Edmonton is listed at just 0.19 (with a 41.13 per cent chance of even making the playoffs). Calgary is the favourite at 50.03. Calgary and Hamilton is the favoured Grey Cup matchup at 42.68, with Calgary versus Ottawa at 26.78. Winnipeg versus Ottawa is listed at 7.02 . ... It didn’t take former Redblacks RB Travon Van very long to find a job. After being released by B.C., he signed with Toronto.