Lankford looking to prove his worth

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This article was published 16/08/2018 (2628 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He was a standout in May’s training camp, reeling in catches to the point where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers had no choice but to put him on the opening-day roster.

But that run lasted just a week for receiver Ryan Lankford, who has spent the last seven games on the sidelines, in street clothes, after losing his job following an unproductive outing in a 33-30 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos.

If Lankford, now in his second year with the blue and gold and third in the CFL, understands anything about his time in football, it’s that tomorrow is never promised.

“That’s professional football, especially in the CFL, with the whole ratio thing. You can’t put whomever you want on the field. With injuries and salaries, there’s just so much stuff that’s so much bigger than football,” Lankford said Wednesday following the Bombers’ closed practice at Investors Group Field.

“Using my own terminology, it’s bigger than what I can control. I can only go out there and practise, work hard, study, going to workouts, weight room — that’s all I can do. It really is a complex and dynamic game, but I also think that’s what makes it special, makes it a lot of fun.”

If you believe Lankford might be over-thinking things, perhaps that’s because he’s had the time to get in his own head.

Unable to get to into a game since Week 1, he’s been tested mentally. Physically, though, Lankford claims he hasn’t lost a step.

“(Head coach Mike) O’Shea came and talked to me and I said I understand this is a business. It wasn’t the first time it had happened to me, so I knew what I needed to do to be ready so that if the opportunity was to come, where I was going to be back in that position… there was going to be no, ‘Now you got to turn the switch on,’” Lankford said. “The switch has been on the whole time, you’ve just had it in your pocket. When it’s time to go, it’s ready to go.”

That time could very well be Friday when the Bombers (5-3) welcome the Ottawa Redblacks (5-3) to town. Lankford has been filling in on the first-team offence for Weston Dressler, who suffered a lower-body injury in last week’s win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and is expected to miss at least a week of action.

There are certainly other options for the Bombers, including running back Timothy Flanders, who went through a successful transition to receiver last season, and rookie Corey Washington. Washington was highly coveted by the Bombers over the off-season and the feeling is it’s only a matter of time before he gets his shot.

But there are other reasons, outside of his experience in the league, for why Lankford was deemed the next guy up to replace Dressler.

“He’s always working, He understands the crappy part of the business and manages to put in great effort all day, every day,” O’Shea said. “To me, that’s a good definition of what a pro is.

“We have lots of options. He had an amazing training camp and he’s a hell of a returner. He’s a very good pro, so we feel comfortable. If that’s the direction we have to go, we feel comfortable with playing him. We feel comfortable with other players we have, on our practice roster, too. Our depth is good at that position.”

The way Lankford has handled himself while waiting patiently for his shot to return to the active roster has not been lost on his teammates. In fact, he’s been a constant presence on game day, even if he’s not on the field making plays.

“His mindset has been second-to-none. I think he’s done everything for this team, over and then some, in every role he’s been in,” defensive back Chris Randle said.

“When he hasn’t been that guy up, he’s on the sideline with a towel, he’s on the sideline with water telling people what he saw on a play or showing us what we should do. This was consistently and for him to get his opportunity, it was really only a matter of time, a matter of him being persistent and being a true professional. Mad respect for him about how he goes about his business.”

This also isn’t new territory for the 26-year-old native of Jacksonville, Fla. Lankford has spent much of his professional football career in and out of job security.

Even dating back to college at Illinois, he wasn’t a starter in his freshman season.

After going undrafted to the NFL in 2014, he signed with the Miami Dolphins but was waived four days later. He later signed with the Indianapolis Colts, where he lasted just more than three months. It wasn’t until November 2015 that he made his way to the CFL, inking a deal with the Saskatchewan Roughriders near the end of the regular season.

Lankford suited up for one game with the Riders, only to spend much of the 2016 season on the practice roster. He did get into nine games, registering 19 catches for 165 yards. He issued his release that October, a month before the conclusion of the regular season.

That set forth an opportunity with Winnipeg. Lankford joined the Bombers for the 2017 season, playing in 15 games and earning the starting job to return kickoffs. He played in 15 games for the Blue and Gold last year, and was the only player to return a kickoff for a touchdown. He also had 20 catches for 260 yards and three touchdowns.

“I’ve always been a team guy, since Pop Warner,” Lankford said. “That’s just who I am and I’m just glad to be in this situation with this group of guys, under this coaching staff. It really is the best situation I’ve ever been a part of.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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