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Nine of 15 receivers on the Ottawa Redblacks’ training-camp roster weren’t with the team when last season ended.

As for the other six, those who lived through the few highs and many lows of the 2014 campaign, while it’s true that they’ve always been headed for a fight to retain their roster spots, they should also realize that they and the counterparts who haven’t returned, are taking the brunt of criticism for the team’s poor offensive production during their inaugural season.

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“It’s part of the game. Somebody has to take the blame,” said Khalil Paden, who finished fifth among Redblacks with 305 receiving yards and the team’s only game-winning touchdown catch.

“Some of it may be unjustified, but criticism is part of the business and part of being a football player, so I don’t really have a problem with it.

“I wasn’t there for the entire season and I feel like, when I got in, I did my job. I didn’t have any drops, I did what I needed to do, and I caught a touchdown. I just take care of handling my business.”