IMO, Cates should have 20-25 touches a game.. the Riders don't need to overuse him, essentially burning him out. There are plenty of offensive weapons.. Dressler, Fantuz, Getzlaf and now Rodriguez, to go along with a good ground game.
yeah that sounds about right. he'll be good for that much.. and they do have other weapons they can use on the ground too! they did a good job last season and they should be able to continue it this year.
I had a suspicion that Wes Cates was past his ‘best before’ date, given that running backs have a comparatively shorter shelf life than players in other positions. . . but boy is he ever proving me wrong this season.
And that’s a good thing.
The guy’s a class act, and I concur LadyGreen, he’s a credit to your team and your province.
No disrespect to Cates, but you could drive a truck through the holes his O-line is opening up for him. I haven't seen him make anyone miss in the backfield, nor have I seen him drag the pile for extra yardage, both of which Cory Boyd has been doing on a weekly basis.
Cates numbers are a bit skewed, for every time his O-line opens up a huge hold, there's 5 times where he has nothing to run into. When he does get those big holes he's taking advantage of them though, he's had a couple of huge runs in the first 3 games, included that 80 yarder last game stands as the longest run of the season. He's healthy and when he has the holes he is taking advantage of them. He's never been a guy with crazy moves and ridiculous speed, but he's looking in top form thus far this year.
The one thing that Cates does as well as any running back in this league is catch the ball of the backfield and provide top notch blocking. I think this is the reason why he beat Charles out for the starting spot this year, Charles is faster and has the ability to make guys miss, but he doesn't pick up the blitzes or catch the ball as well.
All running backs have pretty short shelf lives. It’s the nature of the position, which is the most physically punishing position in football, and IMO in North American team sports. I’m not concerned about down the road. In the here and now, Boyd is the top back in the league when it comes to actually running the football.
However, I agree with the poster who notes Cates’s ability as a blocker and pass-catcher. I give him full credit for that part of his game.
Awesome game by Wes. Game after game this season he makes a big play to get us into scoring position. It's great to see him in top form this year and our offensive scheme being adjusted to take advantage of his skill set.