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Now it’s on to the Double Blue, where he fully expected to be competing with Woods for Game 1 reps at middle linebacker.

That competition will have to wait, but Reed knows there’s always another battle to be won and he’s always game.

“Obviously, there is going to be competition wherever you go.” he said following practice. “Whether that’s Bear Woods or TP (Terrence Plummer), you’ve got (Jeff) Luc, you’ve got Akeem (Jordan), you’ve got MB (Marcus Ball), you’ve got (Khalil) Bass. We are deep here. There are a lot of linebackers that have played in this league and have a good amount of experience here.”

Reed says linebacker meetings in Toronto are a smorgasbord of veteran ideas.

“We get into our linebacker meetings and it’s crazy how much experience each guy has and to have so many perspectives,” he said. “It’s great to hear different mindsets from so many different vets. And then we have a great coach (Greg Quick) with a lot of experience. Whatever happens with this roster of linebackers, it’s going to be something special.”

It’s a nice situation to be in if you are Mike Archer, the former linebackers coach who moved up to defensive coordinator after Cory Chamblin opted not to return. In Archer’s place, Trestman has once again dipped into his old stomping grounds in Montreal and brought in Quick to take over as linebackers coach.

As Reed points out, they are going to have plenty of options from which to choose.

Behind the linebackers, the options at defensive back have expanded as well with the return of T.J. Heath from Winnipeg and the addition of Ronnie Yell from B.C.