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. Dennis Byrd Jersey . - Alex Dostie scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the Gatineau Olympiques to a 5-3 victory over the Drummondville Voltigeurs in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action on Sunday. Wayne Chrebet Jersey . The star receiver certainly isnt celebrating it with the Texans mired in a franchise-record 13-game skid. http://www.cheapnewyorkjetsjerseysauthentic.com/ .Y. -- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire will have less time to remain eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot under changes made Saturday. LaDainian Tomlinson Jersey . - Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis said Wednesday hes "nodded off" during meetings, but he said its something every player does. Curtis Martin Jersey . Messis 75th-minute goal answered some of the criticism the clubs all-time leading scorer had received for his lacklustre performances in the teams recent losses in the league, Champions League and Copa del Rey final.(SportsNetwork.com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. The Oilers, who are last in the Western Conference and 20 points out of a playoff spot, have been playing well lately, winning two straight and seven of their last 11 games. Taylor Hall notched the game-winner at 2:31 of overtime in Edmontons most recent victory, as the Oilers downed the visiting New York Islanders 3-2 on Thursday. Edmonton scored three unanswered goals to top the Isles in OT. Sam Gagner took the puck off Islanders defenseman Brian Strait in transition through the neutral zone and deked past a sliding defender to fire a shot that deflected off Halls stick and past Evgeni Nabokov into the net. Philip Larsen and Ryan Smyth both lit the lamp in the third period and Ben Scrivens turned aside 32 shots for the win. "Id rather we didnt wait until the last four minutes of the second period to get going," Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins said. "We have been preaching the way to play and it wasnt until near the end of the second that we understood what we needed to do and we carried it on to the third." Smyth moved past Wayne Gretzky to tie Glenn Anderson for first place on the Oilers all-time power-play goal list with 126 tallies. Edmonton is 2-1-1 on a five-game homestand that ends tonight. The Oilers are 12-15-3 as the host this season. The Kings have won six in a row, matching a run from Dec. 2-14 for their longest winning streak of the seasonn.dddddddddddd The last five wins of the surge have come since the NHL returned from its Olympic break late last month. Another win on Sunday would give the Kings their longest winning streak since taking nine in a row from Jan. 21-Feb. 6, 2010. Thanks in part to its recent hot streak, Los Angeles is still six points ahead of Dallas for third place in the Pacific Division. The top-three teams from all four divisions make the playoffs, while the remaining two spots in each conference are wild cards. The Kings picked up their most recent win Thursday night in Winnipeg, as L.A. kicked off a three-game road trip with a 3-1 decision over the Jets at MTS Centre. Mike Richards and Dustin Brown each netted second-period goals, giving Jonathan Quick and the Kings all the support they would need for the victory in Winnipeg. Alec Martinez added a power-play goal later on to sew up the win. Quick was lightly tested, but