Jun
Lions bucking trend in backfield
Courtesy Vancouver Province:
He may waffle upon recognizing a potential strategic advantage, but Wally Buono rarely has not been definitive when it comes to declaring his starters for the Lions, particularly in the backfield.
OK, maybe not at the 2004 Grey Cup game when he kept the guessing game going as to whether Casey Printers or Dave Dickenson would start at quarterback.
At tailback, the coach of the CFL team has been resolute about playing a single import and has been equally adamant that if you run the ball you do not run back kicks.
Until now.
When the Lions open the regular season Friday on the road against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, they’ll operate the tailback spot and return game by committee.
It’s a validation of what fourth-year veteran Ian Smart has been quietly suggesting ever since it became clear the Lions would be forced to adjust to the loss of Stefan Logan to the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.
As for rookie Martell Mallett, well, it’s a chance to start a pro career. The two will share both jobs, providing Buono can stick to his guns and not revert to naming a feature back as he has done in the past.
“I kind of see us like the Carolina Panthers with [DeAngelo] Williams and [Jonathan] Stewart,” Smart said of the pairing, hopeful the Lions can just come close to the 2,351 rushing yards piled up by the NFL twosome last year.
“It’s smart to get guys fresh and you can catch defences off-balance.”
Opponents might indeed have trouble telling the two apart. Smart (5’8″, 193 pounds) is one of the smallest players in the CFL. Mallett is listed at 6’0″ and weighs 195 pounds, though his straight-up running style bears no resemblance whatsoever to Smart’s game.
Realizing neither has a CFL pedigree as an every-down back, however, Buono figures there’s merit in switching his mindset.
“Maybe it takes the pressure and expectations off both of them,” he suggested. “Does the CFL say there has to be starters and backups? I get the sense that mindset is a little old-fashioned, dictatorial and too possessive.”
That may have been a way to describe the guy making the decisions in past years, especially when it came to deciding on a tailback. Buono gave Willie Hurst exactly one game upon arriving in 2003 before calling Kelvin Anderson.
Antonio Warren got five games in ’06 before he was replaced by Joe Smith, who only got two weeks last year before he was sent packing by Logan.
The revolving door theory has hardly been a success though, as Buono’s teams rank just fourth since 2003 in total rushing yards. And as the starter, Smart becomes the fourth different tailback in as many years for the Lions.
But to the Lions, much less every other CFL team, a running play is just a breather between passes and as such Buono says he isn’t about to pay a premium to be effective.
“I believe everybody’s scheme is such that if you have a dependable offensive line and a dependable back you should average five yards a carry and get 1,000 yards,” he said.
“You don’t pay a quarterback a ton money so you can have the most explosive rusher in the league. We’ve had a lot of backs. They’ve been fairly productive but not necessarily outstanding.”
So at least until they learn definitely whether Logan will return, the Lions will try the combo approach and won’t scour the free agent market, Buono said. In Smart, they see Logan. Mallett is Smith. For now, tailback by committee has arrived.
