The Ottawa Redblacks have named former CFL quarterback Jason Maas as their new offensive co-ordinator.Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press
Jason Maas says he was looking for a new challenge.
He'll get one with the Ottawa RedBlacks.
The RedBlacks named Maas, a former star quarterback with the Edmonton Eskimos, as their new offensive co-ordinator on Monday.
"Basically it was feeling like I was ready to lead an offence," said Maas. "I felt like I was ready as far as being able to implement a plan, implement an offence, teach an offence and get guys together for a common goal."
The 39-year-old will be tasked with fixing a struggling offence that finished last overall in scoring (15.4 points per game) and rushing (82.4 yards) and seventh in total yards (300 per game) last season. The RedBlacks finished their first season in the CFL with a 2-16 record.
Maas, who replaces the fired Mike Gibson, chose not to criticize last year's performance, despite what the numbers show.
"All I know is there was great effort, a young team and those are the two things that I was excited about working with when I got here," Maas said. "I'm not too concerned about what they did in the past here."
Maas, 39, is best known for his playing days as a quarterback with the Edmonton Eskimos where he won Grey Cups in 2003 and 2005. He spent 11 seasons in the CFL.
Most recently Maas worked with the Toronto Argonauts as a quarterbacks coach and a receivers coach.
One of the question marks for the RedBlacks next season is what role Henry Burris will play.
Maas is just a few months older than Burris and knows his body of work well, seeing as their careers overlapped for a decade.
"I'm excited to work with Henry," Maas said. "I know he can play and can play at extremely high levels still."
The one thing Maas wants to see from the team next season is discipline, hard work, communication and a commitment to being prepared every single day.
"I'm an ultra positive person, but I believe in being demanding and being a hard worker," said Maas. "Those are the things that I'll be expecting from the players we coach."
Maas says he wants to see the RedBlacks play prepared and be an offence that can play fast.
Campbell and Maas are very familiar with one another from their time in Edmonton. Campbell worked as a defensive and special teams assistant coach during part of Maas' tenure with the Eskimos.
"We didn't really have a timeline for filling this position, but we felt this was the right fit," said Campbell. " Jason is a great communicator and he's ready to hit the ground running. His own experience will be invaluable."