Article content continued

“It’s a blessing to be able to have a job so quickly. I thought I was going to be heading home, I was kind of down about it. I’m not one to hold a grudge. I know what type of business this is. I’m not going to be down in the dumps, I’m not going to be vindictive, I’m going to concentrate on being the best I can be in Ottawa. It’s great Ottawa reached out to me and said they wanted me here.”

How about that nickname? Why Tank?

“It’s a church thing,” Reed said. “I was a knucklehead growing up, they gave me the name Tank. I guess they knew I was going to play football.”

The native of Beaumont, TX., could step into the lineup quickly.

“It was an unexpected thing,” Redblacks coach Rick Campbell said. “Sticking with our mantra, if there are good football players available out there, we’re going to sign them. We like what he does so we’re going to throw him in the mix here and see how he fits in.

“He’s a tough, true middle linebacker type of body, he’s a guy with experience who’s played a lot of football. It’s good to get another guy who’s been there, done that. He played for Calgary last week so it’s not a matter of being in football shape, it’s a matter of understanding what we’re doing. We’re going to let that play out over a few days and see how quickly he can pick things up. If it all looks good, we’ll play him … if not, we don’t want to throw him in there if he’s not ready mentally.”

Hmmm, so the Redblacks are playing Calgary … and they grab a player fresh off that roster, nice timing, eh? Is it possible, he’ll spill the beans on what the Stampeders are up to?