Jul
Cobourne ready to go in Als home opener
Courtesy Montreal Gazette:
Avon Cobourne’s goals are simple this season – remain healthy and rush for 100 yards each game. And, following the Alouettes’ opening match, nothing has occurred to diminish that mindset.
“I’d love to have 20 straight 100-yard games,” said the diminutive 5-foot-8, 193-pound tailback. “Is that realistic? Yeah. If I continue to pass the century mark, we’re going to be fine.”
Cobourne and the Als started the season prosperously last week at Calgary, as Montreal defeated the defending Grey Cup champions. Cobourne, meanwhile, gained 107 yards on 19 carries, scoring on a 10-yard run. Now, the Als and Cobourne hope to keep that momentum going Thursday night against the Edmonton Eskimos at Molson Stadium (7:30 p.m., TSN, RDS, CJAD Radio-800).
Cobourne played 12 games for Montreal last season – the first time he became the Als’ principal running-back after two years of watching others handle the load. But only once in those 12 games did he carry the ball more frequently that he did against the Stampeders. Last August, in a game at Winnipeg, Cobourne had 21 carries, accumulating a season-high 137 yards.
“It was a solid game (against Calgary). We had a lot of new wrinkles they weren’t prepared for,” Cobourne said.
One can only wonder how the Als’ fortunes might have changed had Cobourne been utilized more effectively in the Cup finale. He had only eight carries that day, gaining 40 yards and scoring Montreal’s only touchdown on a 16-yard run. He was limited to three carries in the second half, when the Als mustered only one point.
“We practice the run as much as we do the pass,” head coach Marc Trestman said. “How many times he rushes in games is relative to how things are going.”
Needless to say, Cobourne was caught by surprise against the Stamps. With 185 carries in 2008, that worked out to an average of 15 rushes per game – totally understandable in an offence that preaches the passing game first. “But the coach obviously saw something and we continued to pound the rock,” he said. “I hope things work out the same way.”
Cobourne obviously hopes to prove he can remain relatively healthy this season. He was bothered by a recurring ankle problem in 2008 that forced him to miss six games. Cobourne underwent surgery last winter. Although he has refused to disclose the nature of the procedure, a source indicated it was to clean out his knee. Cobourne, coincidentally, had his right knee bandaged Wednesday. He said he still hasn’t found his optimum shape and has been tempered slightly by the surgery.
Should his health not be an issue, Cobourne’s confident he can produce impressive numbers. That’s understandable, considered he gained 950 yards in only 12 games. And, as impressive as Cobourne was against Calgary, his performance overshadowed that of Joffrey Reynolds. Reynolds, the Canadian Football League’s leading rusher last season, gained only19 yards on six carries and was a non-factor.
“You always want to do better than the other running back,” Cobourne admitted. “I always tell our defensive line I want to outrush him. The fact he was the leading rusher last season doesn’t concern me. I feel like, if I wasn’t hurt, I would have been the leading rusher.
“I always feel like I can be a difference-maker out there. The coaches believe in me and I believe in myself. When you give me the ball I’m supposed to make plays.”
Among the new wrinkles the Als employed against Calgary was utilizing kick returner Larry Taylor on offence. He had two carries for 26 yards while adding a 19-yard reception. Smaller than Cobourne, at 5-foot-6 and 170 pounds, Taylor nonetheless potentially gives Montreal another weapon which, in turn, provides defenders with one more challenge to overcome.
“I think they’re trying to find ways to get me involved, just not on special teams,” said Taylor, who returned two punts for touchdowns in last November’s East Division final against Edmonton. “It can be a big thing if they utilize me more and get me into space.
“I knew they would eventually try to figure out ways to get me the ball. Trestman’s a genius.”
And it likely hasn’t slipped past Trestman the Eskimos have eight new starters on defence and might be starting two rookies in the secondary.
“I look at the different defenders as just people,” quarterback Anthony Calvillo said. “We’ll run our offence and create matchups that benefit us – not because of personnel but because of the angles. On film, it definitely shows they can play. The guys up front create issues and help. We’re not going in thinking they have two new defensive backs and we’re going to go to town. That’s not how it works.”
Notes – Backup middle linebacker Ramon Guzman’s out with a hamstring injury and will be replaced by John Mohring. … Offensive-tackle Dylan Steenbergen, Montreal’s first-round draft choice this year, and long-snapper Cory Huclack are on the team’s 46-man roster this week, but that doesn’t mean either will be among the 42 who dress against Edmonton.
