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It may be too soon to start making playoff plans, but the Ottawa Redblacks’ second training camp will kick off Sunday in an atmosphere marked by not only heightened expectations following a flurry of offseason changes, but also belief that the second-year franchise has entered a new era and that the struggles of Year 1 — 2-16 record and more than a few frustratingly close calls — are firmly in the past.

“Last year, we didn’t expect to win just two games,” Henry Burris said. “The expectations were a lot higher for ourselves in that locker room even though a lot of guys didn’t know what it took to get there and where we had to go to get there.

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“This year, the young guys aren’t rookies anymore. A lot of those guys are on the defensive side, and they did a formidable job last year, and we had to make a lot of changes on our (offensive) side.

“The guys that we injected are guys that are used to winning. They’re from traditionally successful programs all across this league, and, wherever they have played, they have been successful as individuals in helping their teams be better. That’s what we needed, the team’s starting quarterback said on Friday.