Can someone please explain to me why tight-ends are not being used in the game any more. You only have to look back to the days of Rocky Dipietro and Tony Gabrielle. These were exiting players and they gave us many an exciting play. Go figure.
They made them into slotbacks...but most teams still use a tight end formation for short yardage situations. Jason Clermont could have probably been a tight end in the old CFL...but we can thank Hugie Campbell for revolutionizing the game back when Edmonton was winning those 5 straight Grey Cups...and everybody followed suit.
Thanks for your insight. Appreciate it.
You can still see the double tight end formation on occasion. I love seeing it.
Remember when you had flankers, and split ends?
It's all about trying to get a mismatch.
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Bigger OLBs were recruited to negate the blocking and catching advantages of the large tight ends. Of course, the bigger OLBs tended to be slower, so offences eventually made their own adjustment by shifting from tight ends to slotbacks -- usually smaller than tight ends, and not as good at blocking, but faster. If you can't outreach 'em, outrun 'em.
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Defences then adjusted some more, bringing in 'tweeners', or converting larger DBs to OLB to keep up with and cover the faster slots (I think Don Sutherin was one of the first to do so). Recently (mid 90s?), we've seen offences reply by bringing in very small but very fast receivers to play slot, such as Craig Yeast and Terry Vaughn. If you can't outrun 'em, you gotta run faster.
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This has been countered by defences using even smaller DB type players as OLBs -- for example Reynard Cox is only 188 lbs., and Chris Martin only 190. However, the fact that the OLBs are now so small means that they are vulnerable to being pushed around or out-reached by tight ends. And thus we've seen over the last couple of years a revival of single or double tight end formations! If you still can't outrun 'em, outreach 'em!
Today in our game you see a hybrid TE -- actually a FB or a large SB lining up as tights in those situations. I like to see it as well as a change of pace.
I think the slotback became de rigeur in our league as both players such as Hughie Campbell (as mentioned earlier: a real slot) and split ends such as Tommy Joe Coffey and Hal Patterson came to dominate our game in the 60s...the influence of spread formation offenses from the US college ranks affected the Canadian game even more than the NFL because of multiple motion, hence the advantage of having a slotback in motion opening up the passing game even further here in the CFL.
Oski Wee Wee,
Boy, would i love to see the TE come back in the CFL. They make the game so much more interesting. Often its 2nd and 7 (or 3rd and 5 in the NFL) and the TE makes that play in the seem. We should at least sign one TE to use in goal-line to create matchup problems for the Defense. Just a thought
yeh, but id rather have slotbacks quad and triple recievers man, love it!@ so much feild and time to make moves i love having slotbacks, as i play as one its my fav pos, besides saftey
Does nobody remember Ryan Donnelly playing TE? He'll come in as number 91 on some downs to play TE. So we do have one. (the 91 is for my birth year, not Ryan, however he is a good player)
Two years ago, with Ray Thomas and Ryan Donnelly the Cats had a really promising two tight end formation. Thomas was a bona fide receiver, not just an extra lineman, although they seldom threw to him. Shasme he got hurt 