The Canadian Press
Last week’s MMQB led with the importance of quarterback depth in today’s CFL. Well, now the Ottawa REDBLACKS are set to have their depth tested even further after their 29-11 win in Montreal on Sunday.
Already without starter Trevor Harris thanks to a shoulder injury, the REDBLACKS lost backup Drew Tate in the second quarter. The 2017 season has posed all kinds of challenges for Ottawa thus far, but they might now be faced with the toughest one yet.
Double-edged sword
On the one hand, I was really happy to see Tate have some success and play well on Sunday afternoon. I’ve always really appreciated Tate, both on and off the field, and I was happy to see him looking right at home in his first start with the REDBLACKS.
When healthy, I’ve always believed Tate is a top-flight quarterback in this league. He’s accurate, he’s decently mobile, and he makes really good decisions. We saw that during his time with the Stampeders, and we saw it again with Ottawa during Sunday’s first half. The problem is, of course, Tate hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
Tate was earmarked as Calgary’s starting pivot for both the 2012 and 2013 seasons, but a rash of ailments forced the team to employ its second options. But when he was in, man, he looked really good.
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Drew Tate completed 21 of 29 passes before exiting Sunday’s win over Montreal (The Canadian Press)
Tate was instrumental in the 2012 Western Semi-Final, as the Stamps beat the Riders on a late 68-yard touchdown pass, a game that saw him suffer a pair of injuries that knocked him out for the rest of the playoffs. To start the 2013 campaign, Tate was dynamite in a pair of starts before, again, having to bow out with a forearm injury. I can’t even imagine how frustrating those two years must have been for Tate.
On a similar note, I’m betting this latest setback has to be infuriating for Tate, knowing how patient he’s had to be for another shot. But, that’s the situation the REDBLACKS now face. We’re not sure how long Tate will be out for, but seeing him in a sling on the sidelines was not a positive sign. Harris, on the other hand, is out for at least the next few games, too.
Enter CFL newcomer Ryan Lindley, who went 7-for-14 with an interception to close out Ottawa’s win over the Alouettes. Lindley, who hasn’t started a game since 2014, will get the ball if Tate can’t go this weekend in Winnipeg, and I find him an intriguing project. So what do we know about Lindley?
Well, he was a fairly prolific passer at San Diego State and put together a dominant 2011 season with the Aztecs that saw him throw 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions. That parlayed into Arizona selecting Lindley in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft; he’d start six games over three seasons with the Cardinals.
Lindley is certainly familiar with these circumstances. His first professional start came as a third stringer in 2012 after both Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton went down in Arizona. Unfortunately, both the Cardinals and Lindley struggled during his two stints as starter and he’d eventually exit the team for a stint with the Colts.
Ryan Lindley could be poised to make his first career CFL start in Week 14 (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Now in Ottawa, Lindley will be given a similar opportunity as he was given in 2012. Working in his favour are the weapons he has at his disposal. I stand by my Berg vs. Ferg argument from last week that the REDBLACKS boast the league’s most dangerous group of receivers, which gives Lindley a nice arsenal of weapons to try and exploit.
Also significant was William Powell’s game on Sunday; the Ottawa running back ran for 144 yards on 25 carries and that running game will have to be leaned on a little more in the next few weeks.
The REDBLACKS have a slight lead for top spot in the East Division and have a two-game cushion for a playoff spot. With their MOP-calibre starting quarterback on the shelf for the next few weeks, and their backup likely sidelined for a bit, too, this battle atop the East promises to be very, very interesting.
Company at the top
Solomon Elimimian has led the CFL in defensive tackles two of the last three years and has earned his spot as the league’s incumbent tackle king. In fact, the BC Lions linebacker would likely have made it three straight years at the top had he not suffered a season-ending Achilles injury early in the 2015 season. However, Elimimian has some company at the top of the pile and currently finds himself looking up.
Sophomore standout Alex Singleton is having some kind of year with the Calgary Stampeders and he made a statement loud and clear on Saturday night. In a head-to-head matchup with Elimimian’s Lions, Singleton led Calgary to an impressive 27-13 win and moved into the league lead for defensive tackles along the way.
Singleton was dominant again for the Stampeders and finished the evening with 11 tackles and a sack; Elimimian was no slouch, either, racking up 10 defensive tackles and one more on special teams. If you didn’t know before, though, that Singleton was one of the league’s truly elite MIKE linebackers, he taught a pretty emphatic lesson against BC.
With 11 more tackles vs. the Lions, Alex Singleton took the CFL lead in that category (The Canadian Press)
What stands out most about Singleton is how well-rounded he is at the position. He is extremely hard to run on and chases down opposing backs as well as anyone. But Singleton is just as effective defending the pass. He flies to the ball alarmingly well, he wraps up and tackles at an elite level, and is an interception threat to boot.
What’s most impressive, though, is that Singleton is doing this at the age of 23. Elimimian’s best season came at the age of 27 while Edmonton’s J.C. Sherritt had his best year at 24. That’s a long way of saying Singleton likely has plenty left in him.
Singleton is currently on pace for 136 tackles this season, which would be the second best total in league history. It’s amazing to think now that Singleton was a relative unknown coming into the 2016 CFL Draft, having already gone through a full season on a pair of NFL practice rosters. In fact, Singleton didn’t show up until late in the second round in most 2016 mock drafts, if he showed up at all.
Look, Elimimian is still an elite player and was a big reason why the Lions were able to hang around in Sunday’s game at McMahon Stadium. I’m not trying to make the case he’s been surpassed as much as I’m trying to point out who he’ll be passing the torch to. Singleton turns 24 in December and looks to be one of the CFL’s elite defenders for years to come.
A step forward
The CFL and the CFLPA need to be commended for their work in the player safety arena early last week. While their relationship has been frosty in recent years, the two sides agreed to two very important rule changes aimed at improving player safety. Effective immediately, full contact padded practices have been eliminated while 2018 will see an extra bye week added, expanding the season to 21 weeks.
First off, this is significant from a player safety standpoint. Eliminating full contact practices can’t do anything but help reduce the amount of injuries we see in a given year. Football is an impact sport, so reducing the number of high velocity collisions can only have a positive knock-on affect.
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» Friday, 8:00 p.m. ET: Ottawa at Winnipeg
» Friday, 11:00 p.m. ET: Hamilton at BC
» Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET: Montreal at Toronto
» Sunday, 4:00 p.m. ET: Calgary at Saskatchewan
The addition of another bye week is significant, too. A CFL season is a long, physical, demanding grind and it sees many injuries sustained due to wear and tear alone. By adding an extra bye week, players are being provided valuable rest and recovery time, especially if things are spaced out rather evenly.
But this move is important beyond the immediate specifics. The fact the league and its players’ association came to an agreement like this so early in Commissioner Randy Ambrosie’s tenure speaks to what I hope is a new era of cooperation.
I don’t know for sure, because I wasn’t part of the discussions, but I can’t help but think Ambrosie’s history as a CFL player doesn’t help in discussions with the union. Many of those chats are also with current and former players, and it stands to reason that might help in finding common ground.
The current CFL Collective Bargaining Agreement runs out after the 2018 season and labour negotiations always get fans feeling a little uneasy. Knowing the steps forward the league took last week, though, I’m feeling a little less apprehensive about those talks. Let’s hope I’m reading this one correctly.
