Bob Dyce inspiring hope for REDBLACKS

Change has been the theme for the Ottawa REDBLACKS over the past week. Bob Dyce has been named the Interim Head Coach, and Will Arndt will call the plays for the offence, changes that have created hope and optimism for the future, both in the team’s inner circles and with the fans.

Evidently, the season hasn’t gone how anyone had hoped. After signing a handful of big names, and revamping the entire offence in the offseason, the REDBLACKS’ current 3-11 record is not what they were expecting.

That hasn’t been easy for General Manager Shawn Burke, who decided to make a coaching change and named Dyce the Interim Head Coach.

“Through my time here, he has demonstrated outstanding leadership ability, in terms of communication, and getting his group motivated,” said Burke. “I was interested to see what he could do with the full team.”

In the locker room, Dyce commands the respect of his players, who are more than willing to work for him. Since arriving in Ottawa in 2016, after a nine-game stint as the Interim Head Coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2015, Dyce has become a popular member of the coaching staff, not only with special teams players, but the whole team.

Although some of that popularity comes from off-field friendships, it’s his commitment to excellence on the field that has made Antoine Pruneau such a fan of Dyce.

“I love his transparency, and I love how he interacts with the players,” Pruneau said. “He’s got a lot of energy, and he has a tremendously high standard. We know it’s going to be tough to work for him, but it’s going to be good for our team.”

Pruneau, in particular, has always made his desire to play on special teams, even while he starts on defence, very clear. He says there are many reasons for that, but Dyce being the Special Teams Coordinator was one of them.

“When I work for him, I know I’m going to get better every day,” Pruneau said. “I can’t come here and not be at 100 percent, I have to give it my best.”

Burke says that the coaching change is a chance for the team to hit the reset button, and build the foundation of what they are going to be moving forward. It’s an opportunity to reshape the identity of the franchise, and although rescuing the 2022 season looks unlikely, the remaining four games are still important.

“We just have to raise our standard,” Jaelon Acklin said. “That’s on and off the field, being early to meetings, having a clean locker room, things like that.”

When the season ends, times will once again be busy for Burke. He’ll have plenty of interviews to fill coaching roles, he will have to navigate free agency to build up the roster once again, not to mention the team’s current expiring contracts and the CFL Draft.

The months between the end of the 2022 season and the start of the 2023 campaign are going to be hectic, but Burke’s focus isn’t there yet.

“We play Montreal on Monday,” Burke said. “If you start thinking too far ahead, then your not doing your do-diligence for who you are playing.”