WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed Mitchell Gale to their practice roster Monday, adding some depth to their injury-bitten quarterbacking corps.
The signing comes after backup Alex Ross suffered a lower-body injury in last Thursday's 33-30 marathon loss to Edmonton. The injury, which happened during a botched hold for a Justin Medlock field-goal attempt, will keep Ross out of action for four to six weeks.
Gale has been with four CFL teams over five seasons: Toronto, Hamilton, Saskatchewan and B.C.
The 28-year-old Oklahoma native, who's living in Alberta on a work permit, was watching a pro rodeo when he got a text message from the Bombers.
"I don't know that I had any expectations, honestly," Gale said of playing football again. "If it happened, it was going to happen and I was going to be ready for it. If it didn't happen, I was going to move on with my life."
Gale dressed for seven games with the Lions last season, but didn't see any action. His first CFL start was in 2016 with Saskatchewan after Darian Durant was injured.
In 13 career games, Gale has completed 88-of-158 pass attempts for 1,050 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
"I was in Toronto with him in 2013 so I know him personally," Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea said of Gale. "I know what kind of guy he is and how much he's grown as a football player."
Rookie quarterback Chris Streveler, who made his pro debut as the starter against the Eskimos, was on the field for Monday's practice, along with Bryan Bennett, Gale and Ross.
Ross threw the ball a bit during practice, but didn't have a helmet on. He joins injured Bombers starter Matt Nichols, who hurt his right knee during a June 6 practice and will miss four to six weeks.
Streveler will be at the controls again when the Bombers take on the Alouettes in Montreal Friday.
His pro debut was a memorable one. He threw three touchdown passes in a game that turned into the longest continuous game in CFL history because of a storm.
The game took five hours 40 minutes after lightning caused two delays in the second quarter, one for 84 minutes and a second for 94 minutes.
Streveler had his mom, sister, dad and his dad's girlfriend up from Illinois to watch the game, which was also the second-longest one in CFL history after the 1962 Grey Cup. That championship was suspended because of thick fog and finished the next day.
"They stayed for the whole game," Streveler said with a smile. "I don't know how many opportunities they're going to get to come up and watch me."
Players had mixed views on whether the game should have been stopped, veteran receiver Adarius Bowman said.
"You kind of get started, I'd rather finish," he said. "But once it went that length, you start thinking other things, but I think finishing is the best thing to do."
O'Shea talked to the team's trainer during the delays and was confident they could warm up properly.
The game was almost suspended, said Ryan Janzen, the CFL's senior director of football operations.
"Following two lengthy weather delays, with player and fan safety top priority, there were thoughts to suspend the game," he said in an email to The Canadian Press Monday.
"During the second delay after meeting with the commissioner, team presidents, officials and the league's weather-service provider, it was determined that weather band would pass and (we) had a very good opportunity to complete the game.
"If another weather system were to come following the second delay, there was a chance that the game would be suspended."
Weather software is used that gives an alert if there's a lightning strike 17 kilometres from a stadium, he said. If an alert comes in, the league's meteorologist is called for analysis of the storm and whether it's tracking toward the stadium. It's the meteorologist who advises whether play should stop.
"In regards to wet conditions and playing so late, it's a concern, but we work with each team's president, who often gets updates from their head coach and general manager," Janzen said.
"When it comes to suspending the game, it ultimately comes down to the commissioner's discretion, along with the team presidents."
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press
