Lindley gets his first CFL start after all
Maybe it was a bit of a smokescreen Wednesday when there was still some uncertainty who the Ottawa’s Redblacks starting quarterback would be two days later.
Clarity came Thursday when it was announced Ryan Lindley will get his first career CFL start Friday night against the Blue Bombers with last week’s starter Drew Tate listed on the depth chart as the No. 3 behind Danny Collins.
That Tate has progressed to the point of putting on a uniform is remarkable enough on its own.
“The Drew Tate news has been much better than expected,” Redblacks coach Rick Campbell said. “If you’d talked to me four days ago, I would have said there was no way he was dressing for this game. He just keeps getting better, the doctors have cleared him to dress — it’s medically safe. The plan is to go with Ryan and let him do it, I know he’ll do well.”
Lindley played a bit more than half of Sunday’s 29-11 win over Montreal after Tate was knocked down, resulting in shoulder and rib injuries.
A sixth-round pick of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals in 2012, Lindley is anxious for the opportunity.
“It’s football. I don’t care if it’s your 150th game or your first, it’s something you get excited about each time, and if you don’t, it’s probably time for you to stop playing,” Lindley said. “Getting the second half last week is going to make this week a lot easier. Moving around at regular-season CFL speed is different. It’s helped me to get ready to go.”
The knock on Lindley, who started four games in his rookie NFL season, was big arm, but poor decision-making and inconsistency at times.
“Everybody wants to throw really hard, as fast as they can to a spot,” Lindley said. “You’re most accurate when you’re about 85-90 per cent. That’s been my biggest thing is to understand I don’t need to get it there the fastest or throw it the furthest — I just get it where it needs to go on time.”