Harris ‘close’ but not quite ready, so Lindley gets nod versus Riders
With the “Who’s Going to Start at Quarterback” question lingering into Wednesday’s practice, Ottawa Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell was not “evasive” in his answer.
For the second straight week, it’ll be Ryan Lindley — this time facing the Saskatchewan Roughriders Friday night at TD Place. Judging by what happened at practice, Drew Tate (shoulder, ribs and a cut on his elbow) will be the backup quarterback, with Danny Collins the third-stringer. Trevor Harris will not play.
“Ryan will start the game,” Campbell said. “We think Ryan’s a good player, but the other guys aren’t available right now healthwise. The good news is Drew gets better every day, so he’ll be dressed and available. (Tate’s) just a bit sore. But talking to him, he’s getting better by leaps and bounds every day and we still have two more days until the game.”
After throwing a lot during Tuesday’s practice, Harris (separated shoulder) dialed it back a bit on Wednesday. He was on the sidelines while the team got in its offensive reps. The good news is, barring any setbacks, he could return for next Saturday’s game in Vancouver.
“He’s close,” Campbell said. “I would be very, very surprised if he’s not ready to go next week. We’re going to choose to see the big picture. It’s a tough decision to make, it’s tough for him, too. But we really should take another week.”
Lindley, who completed 16 of 36 passes for 151 yards last week in Winnipeg, was off-target too many times on the shorter routes — throws he will need to be better at making against the Roughriders. Three days of first-team reps should put him in better sync with his receiving corps.
Lindley “helped us win a big game” in Montreal, when he came on in relief of Tate late in the second quarter two weeks ago. “We didn’t help him enough (in Winnipeg, a 29-9 loss). Our football team wasn’t good enough. Ryan would say he wasn’t good enough. But it really was our whole team, it wasn’t on him. If we rise our game up some, we’ll get the performance we need.”
It would also be a big help if the receivers hung onto the passes they get their hands on. There were a couple of drops against the Bombers.
“We have to come in, execute our assignments — play fast, be physical and catch everything,” receiver Diontae Spencer said. “You have to know releases, the velocity of the ball — timing is everything between the quarterback and the receiver. Everybody runs routes differently. It’s a timing thing, you get more reps and it becomes more natural. We have to do everything we can to make him feel more comfortable in the pocket. Help him get his confidence up and we’ll be fine.
“It was a bad game (in Winnipeg); we have to clean some things up. You have to look at yourself in the mirror first and see what you could have done better. Fix what you did wrong and that carries over to the team.”
GAVINS OR ROSE?: Winston Rose was taking first-team reps at defensive back both days of practice this week. Once again on Wednesday, Jerrell Gavins (concussion protocol) was on the sidelines. Regarding Rose, Campbell said: “I like him a lot, I think he has a lot of potential.” As for Gavins, the coach said: “He’s on hold still. I’m going to give it one more day. He obviously has to be cleared medically — he’s very close to doing that.
THE HEAT IS ON: The Redblacks know Friday’s game vs. The Roughriders is big — so are their remaining games against B.C., Saskatchewan again and Hamilton, which all of a sudden has three wins in its last four games and has a game in hand over Ottawa. But they’re not sweating out what goes on around them.
“We don’t worry about anybody else,” Spencer said. “We’re looking at winning our games. Just play the game and get a win. We control our own destiny.”
THE END AROUND: The Redblacks have never beaten a team with Chris Jones as a coach — they’re 0-7. So why the success by Jones against Ottawa? Said Campbell: “I don’t know. He does a good job. He’s been in the league a long time, he knows it well. He always has his teams ready to play.” ... OL Tommie Draheim was jogging on the sidelines Wednesday with a cast still on his left hand/wrist. DL Connor Williams (concussion) was also on the sidelines ... The Redblacks announced the signing of DB Marcus Alford (Northern Arizona), who had 27 defensive tackles with the Toronto Argonauts in 2016.
Ryan would say he wasn’t good enough. But it really was our whole team, it wasn’t on him.