Running back

[Taynted_Fayth]

Last week I was asked who I would prefer Harris or Messam straight up, ignoring the home town fav kind of deal Harris brings, and still went with Harris strictly because of his duel threat. That being said, I watched my kids team finally lay a beat down to the Mustangs yesterday (first time in the 5 years he's played football) and they have a running threat similar to Charles Roberts and Mike Sellers (scat back and a... I don't want to say fullback, more like a powerback) But watching this kid drag 5 mustangs for 20 yards and absolutely destroy kids out there on blocks for the smaller faster guy, are these type of players a dying breed? I'd maybe put Messam in that category but other then him, I think Harris is a little too small to be considered in that light. 

Don't get me wrong, Harris has been an exceptional addition to the team and love his play, but watching that last night totally made me miss the days where a RB could just blow thru someone and keep on keepin on

Other then Sellers who have we had of similar style and stature? Joe Smith?

[Adrenaline_x]

Joe smith was fun to watch in BC but hew was kinda looney tunes.

[Stickem]

Joe Smith?....you mean pic-a-pop Joe....He would stay after games and go around gathering up pop cans,,,True story...He was one of the first really eco friendly guys I've seen in the CFL and was a pretty good back to boot...Seemed to lose all interest in football for some reason and went gardening...Funny fellow.

[bigg jay]

24 minutes ago, Taynted_Fayth said:

Last week I was asked who I would prefer Harris or Messam straight up, ignoring the home town fav kind of deal Harris brings, and still went with Harris strictly because of his duel threat. That being said, I watched my kids team finally lay a beat down to the Mustangs yesterday (first time in the 5 years he's played football) and they have a running threat similar to Charles Roberts and Mike Sellers (scat back and a... I don't want to say fullback, more like a powerback) But watching this kid drag 5 mustangs for 20 yards and absolutely destroy kids out there on blocks for the smaller faster guy, are these type of players a dying breed? I'd maybe put Messam in that category but other then him, I think Harris is a little too small to be considered in that light. 

Don't get me wrong, Harris has been an exceptional addition to the team and love his play, but watching that last night totally made me miss the days where a RB could just blow thru someone and keep on keepin on

Other then Sellers who have we had of similar style and stature? Joe Smith?

At 6'1, 220lbs, Smith wasn't in the same league as Sellers or Messam when it comes to size. Both those guys were taller (6'3) and significantly heavier (275 for Sellers & 265 for Messam).

Players like Sellers or Messam aren't a dying breed, just a rare one.  They are freaks of nature that don't come around often and when they do, they usually end up down south.

[BomberBall]

Jerome Bettis was that type of back.  5-11 and 255 lbs...  For me, he was the funnest RB to watch, ever.

I know he never played in the CFL, but still, kind of relevant. 

[wbbfan]

2 hours ago, BomberBall said:

Jerome Bettis was that type of back.  5-11 and 255 lbs...  For me, he was the funnest RB to watch, ever.

I know he never played in the CFL, but still, kind of relevant. 

Josh ranek was kind of a similar type of runner. Quicker then you would think and a ton of pop. The bus was a ton of fun to watch, the combo of him and chris fuamatu-ma'afala near the end of his run was great. 

Straight up, id take harris for basically every other team in the league. Better pass blocker, better catcher and multi purpose threat. Doesnt require a ton of carries to be effective. Very strong balanced back. For most team where the run is close to an after thought he keeps you handing the ball off some times and gives you the most on plays where you run. Which are the huge majority. Hes also a guy who can play teams if you need, or move out to sb. 

However, if your a heavy run team (even by modern cfl standards) a grinding back like messam who wears defenses down faster is more useful. The point where a defense gets worn down comes much faster with a back like messam. And he has the kind of run power to push the pile easily. Some thing harris doesnt do. he can push through a pile of second level guys, but he cant push the pile of lineman like messam can. To be fair, no one else in the league can. 

The mental questions around messam and slightly more advanced age is tough to quantify. But messam has only passed 1k combined yards twice in his previous 7 years. With around 1300-1400 both times. Harris, has only missed 1k combined yards on offense twice. First season he got no touches, 2nd year he just barely missed. While breaking 1800 yards in 2012. Harris has played  111 games only missing time once, for 2 teams. Messam has played 100 games over the same time. Only playing full seasons his first 2 years. He first year with no offensive use. That with 5 different teams. Not to mention 52 tds for harris, 21 for messam. 

 In theory a back like messam could be better for a team like ours. In reality, the consistency, reliability, and durability plus the intangibles harris brings put him out in front. 

 Now if we could have picked up messam in the off season and played a 2 back set with messam and harris, thunder and lightning we could be in an amazing position. 

[LimJahey]

Right now Derrick Henry of the Alabama Crimson Tide and more recently the Tennessee Titans and Leonard Fournette of LSU are the new breed of running backs that have the size of a Defensive end but the speed of a top end running back. These types of guys will never sniff the CFL but will be tons of fun to watch in the NFL. They are what we call freaks of nature, Messam is something similar without a lot of the technical ability and top end speed but still a force against smaller defenders.

Edited September 3, 2016 by LimJahey