Is it just me or does it not seem that almost every team's running game this year is not up to snuff?
Edwards, Roberts, Ranek, Keith, Davis.........seems only Reynolds in Calgary is playing up to last year's standards.
The less said about Ricky Williams the better.
Where has the running game gone?
The running game is fine in the peg. Roberts has had two 100 yard games and a 95 yard game, Just a little trouble against the Als 72 yard game, and 38 yard game behind some d-lineman.
Ranek has sucked big time I think the fact that he doesnt have Joseph handing him the ball plays a factor cause Joseph got keyed alot and that would leave Ranek open on option plays and what not.
Troy Davis hasnt gotten the ball enough plus they have a bad O-line. Also looks like he has lost a step.
Edwards well I think hes been pretty good so far this season just not against the Bombers and hes had some bigger runs called back.
Keith is just a piece of crap, and the same goes for Antonio Warren.
I think a lot of it has to do with the schedule. Too many teams have already played the same team twice or more. The riders for example have played BC 3 time out of 4 games.
The rider who were known for their running game have never had great success running against BC. By playing 3/4 of their games against them they havent had a chance to run the ball like they want.
i say it almost evey post but football is about match ups and sometime you cant play the game you want, instead you have to play the game that will beat the other team.
I've noticed the running game hasn't been that strong this year in the CFL in most places except Winnipeg and Calgary (Charles Roberts and Joffrey Reynolds, respectively). This is probably due to the poor offensive line play, because it's tough for a great back to gain alot of yardage without any good blocking. When Troy Davis of Edmonton gets the ball, he's still a great back but he's not getting much yardage at all with two guys hanging onto him in the backfield. Another thing is with only three downs, when a team runs on first down, the back must get 5-6 yards minimum, or else second down will definitely be a pass and never a run. This limits the running backs opportunities too. Finally when teams are behind in the second half, most of them abandon the running game as they try to catch up, and they should run occasionally to keep the defense honest.
Roberts is having a banner year in Winnipeg. Edwards has been solid for us in Montreal. Other than those two guys, yeah, the running game isn't exactly firing on all cylinders across the league. Kerry Joseph is racking up better yardage than most RBs recently.
Keith is injury-prone and overrated. Warren is a fullback masquerading as a running back -- only good in short-yardage situations. Davis and Williams both have atrocious O-lines giving them no holes. Reynolds is good but puts the ball on the turf too much. Ranek isn't clicking at all this year. So to reiterate, as it stands right now, only the Bombers and the Alouettes have established running games.
Running game in the CFL hasn't always been that great as it's NFL counter part, except on kick returns, passes, and QB sneaks.
likewise, the passing game, although better, isn't always great in the NFL (Smaller field).
Reynolds and Roberts have the most yards rushing. I wonder is this because they have played weaker run defences?
Reyonds has played Edmonton twice and hamilton twice. Both teams are allowing an average of more than 100 yards rushing against.
Roberts has played edmonton once and toronto twice and again both are giving up 100+ yards on the ground.
so is it the defences that are making these guys look good or are these guys going to put up numbers like this against the better run defences?
I think it's safe to say that Reynolds and Roberts are the best RB's in the CFL, regardless of the team that they're playing .
I'd say the bad running game in Montreal has to do with the Alouettes playing twice the Bombers. Go ahead and try running against these guys. Gotta give credit where credit is due.