Cobb appears to have been cut in Montreal

I don't believe this is a roster shuffle but an outright release

And no, I don't think we need him back here again

When the CFL transactions site has the following entry

[b]ROSTER 12-Jul-11[/b] MTL DEL IMP Deandra COBB (RB) Michigan State
they aren't playing games. It's a full release.

And agreed. While Cobourne is struggling a bit, he is willing to try squeezing / driving through the microscopic holes that our O-line opens up, is willing to drop his shoulder at the end of a run to get the extra yard or two, and tends to run straight ahead instead of side-to-side, none of which Cobb demonstrated most of the time.

"ROSTER 12-Jul-11
MTL DEL IMP Deandra COBB (RB) Michigan State"

http://www.cfl.ca/page/transactions-july-2011

I'm thinking we won that 'trade'.

8) What Trade ?????

It was a joke. He was talking about the mythical trade of Cobb for Cobourne.

That's a shame. I wish him all the best.

Cobb must at least be cleared to play again if they released him. Can't cut an injured vet.

Bad luck and bad timing for Cobb. He got injured in training camp, so the coaches never really got to see what he could do. While he was injured, Marc surpassed him as the backup and Whitaker cemented his spot as the starter.

Are you saying that it’s too bad that they never got the chance to see him run side to side and then freeze in his tracks as soon as he hits the line?

He had back-to-back 1000-yard seasons in Hamilton. That sideline stuff wasn’t the only thing he did. And judging by the performance of the Cats this season, I’d say it’s becoming clearer that poor blocking, execution, and questionable formations & playcalling may be more significant impediments to the running game than Cobb was last year.

Hey c’mon now. Cobb only rushed for 1100 yards last year. Cobourne is on track for 450. :lol:

Over the winter I re-watched alot of the 2010 games on my PVR and noticed that Cobb had many fantastic 20+ yard runs and stellar games. Particularly in the second half of the season. His play improved dramatically once Jiminez returned in mid-season from injury. On many of his side to side dancing runs there clearly was no hole opened by the O-Line. He was also a decent pass blocker and picked up many blitzes.

You make a good point and yet we have to appreciate the Cats organization trying to do what they felt was the right thing to improve the team. With so many players on the field, changing field conditions etc., it must be very challenging and frustraing trying to evalute talent. And then trying to find coaches to design playbooks around the talent, or do you change the talent to fit the coaches… :?

Cobb was horrible and wasn't making the team anyways.

Just like Avon Colbourne

Which makes Avon… and his pro-rated 435 yards great? :lol:

He is not nearly the first star running back to lose his job in the blink of an eye.

Most of your yards rushing come from blocking, not the actual carrying of the ball. Charles Roberts was GOD in Winnipeg. Fred Reid came along and seamlessly stepped in to lead the league in rushing. I'm not saying that the back doesn't matter, but if you block well, give the guy enough touches and he stays healthy it's pretty hard NOT to get 1000-1200 yards no matter how good you are or what style you play.

There are so many talented ball carriers out there, there's not much to choose from. Smart coaches and GMs know this. Don't pay Joe Smith 150k when Martell Mallett will do the same job and put up the same stats for 90k.

Sure, once every 10-15 years Mike Pringle comes along, or WIllard Reaves or George Reed, but everyone else - and I mean EVERYONE is replaceable.

When I look at a RB, I want to see:

  1. can you run?
  2. DON'T FUMBLE!
  3. can you run routes and catch passes? Can I mismatch you on a slow linebacker?
  4. block for pass protection and screens

The first one, almost everybody passes this test - not that it's easy, but there's just such a huge talent pool at the RB position. The other three are a lot tougher to come by and that's what makes a guy like Cobourne better than a guy like Cobb or Kenton Keith or Charles Roberts.

If you don't have all 4 of that criteria, you won't be playing running back in my offense.

I think Cobb's problem was he put too much weight on, when tried to make the NFL. The first season in a Cat uniform, he was 15lbs lighter. Big difference.....

woah woah woah. did i just read that cobourne is a better back than Kenton Keith and Charles Roberts

Keith didnt give us a huge sample between injuries, charges, and the NFL

but charles roberts is replaceable and less valuable than cobourne?? the cfls 5th all time rusher?? who 4 times ran for more than 1500 yards per season??

you can argue that cobourne is a better blocker sure… but a more valuable player? yikes… id bet that 7 of the 8 teams in this league right now would drop their starting running back for sir charles in his prime.

A better blocker MAKES him more valuable…