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By: Tyler Rabb – OttawaREDBLACKS.com Staff
Photo: CP Images
It’s not often you find an offensive coordinator that’s younger than his starting quarterback.
When former Toronto Argonauts quarterbacks coach Jason Maas signed on with the REDBLACKS this offseason that’s exactly what happened, though he is only five months younger than QB Henry Burris.
Two seasoned veterans of the CFL, Burris and Maas had been battling one another for almost a decade. While Henry Burris was leading the Calgary Stampeders offence, Maas was just north, up in Edmonton with the Eskimos. Though he wasn’t always the starter, now Argos QB Ricky Ray held that title, Maas had a few outstanding seasons during his Eskimos career.
In his first full season as a starter, Maas was impressive. He completed 232 passes, 21 touchdowns and threw for 3,646 yards. He was also Edmonton’s nominee for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award. He began the 2003 season as the Eskimos starting QB, but unfortunately in the fourth week of the season Maas suffered a separated shoulder and Ricky Ray, his backup at the time, seized the opportunity.
Ray played so well in Maas’s place that the NFL came knocking. Ricky Ray worked out for, and was able to stick with, the New York Jets for the 2004 season. Eskimo fans were overwhelmingly displeased with the loss of the quarterback, as Ray had had an excellent season in 2003.
Once again Maas was thrust into the starting QB position and did not disappoint. He starred in the role. Maas passed for 5,274 yards and threw for 31 touchdowns. He earned a QB rating of 105.1; one of the greatest seasons by a quarterback ever.
Throughout Maas’s success in Edmonton, REDBLACKS head coach Rick Campbell was on the sidelines to witness it all. Campbell was the Eskimos defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator during Maas’s time. Seeing how professionally Maas handled himself throughout the adversity of bouncing between the starter and back-up QB roles gave Campbell great insight into how Maas would fit as a coach with the REDBLACKS.
“Jason has many qualities that make him a great coach with a bright future. His positive approach to teaching brings out the best in the players. His outstanding work ethic and ‘can-do’ attitude are infectious and help to create a winning team atmosphere,” said REDBLACKS head coach Rick Campbell.
Though this is Maas’s first opportunity as an offensive coordinator, his fresh approach can only have a positive effect on the REDBLACKS. Ottawa’s offense was last in the CFL, only averaging 15.4 points per game and just scoring 24 touchdowns throughout the entire season.
Looking ahead to what changes he might bring to the REDBLACKS offense Maas said, “It’s not hard to figure what kind of offence I’ll run, I’ve been around some great offensive minds in the CFL, starting with Danny Maciocia and Scott Milanovich, and the offence we’ll run is very similar to what Scott’s been running in Toronto and what Marc Trestman brought up here.” Maas seems ready for the pressure of being the architect of the REDBLACKS offense.
His experience as a quarterbacks coach with the Argos has helped him immensely. He has even had a little experience as a “make-shift” offensive coordinator during his short time with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. At the time REDBLACKS GM Marcel Desjardins had just taken over in Hamilton.
“I came to Hamilton and they had just fired the offensive coordinator,” Desjardins recalled. “That’s how far he goes back to kind of being a coordinator because he kind of had to do it on the spot because they had just let Joe Paopao go. He’s been doing it. He’s learned a lot.”
The REDBLACKS are looking forward to seeing him on the sidelines doing it this season.
