Can you win with a no-edge RB?

[Tecno]

Can you win with a RB who can't attack the edges?  Ya, I'm looking at Brady.

Watching all the other teams these last 2 weeks I find it striking that all of these cheap IMP RBs, of which there are almost too many to count, all gouge D's for massive yards on the edge.  They're so fast, and shifty, and powerful.

Look at loser MacMahon in CGY this week, who isn't even their "real" back.  Or nobody backup Lawrence in MTL.  Look at brand noob Powell in EDM.  Then think back to Theis.  Or start to talk the real, big CFL stars like Horvath and Rankin.  All of those guys are versatile that D's can't home in on one aspect, and so they are a threat for huge (virtually) risk-free ground yards.  And that opens everything else up.

So how do you compete against that with a back that can only run between the tackles?  Especially when most teams can stop our run cold with just their front 4 and maybe an extra LB coming in.

Did you see Brady try to shift one outside this last game?  What a joke that was.  Condell & Brady have been reading the press that having no edge threat by Brady is killing us, and tried to do something about it.  Failed miserably and they didn't try it again.

Nope, Brady hits the wall, presses, and shifts to 1 of 2 predetermined paths (and I'm being generous by including "2"), and if it's closed he just plows in, gets stood up and doesn't even fall forward.  Gain of 0, 1 or 2.

Can you win games like this?  Would we be better with Rankin or Horvath for less money??  "But he blocks": ya, so many whiffs this season, including Zach-killers.  "But he catches dumps": ya, no he doesn't, not like AH33 used to do 10 times a game.  "But he doesn't fumble": haha, gotcha on that one -- find me one non-ELC RB with more fumbles this season.  "But his avg YPC is 6": ya, well his TDs are basically zero (and have been for years), and he's not winning games for us.  Not like all the other star ones are...

"But he's a WPGer and fans love him": ya got me there.  Agreed.  But is it enough?  Lose with lovable Brady, or win with Rankin.  Speaking of which, is Rankin up for FA??  I'm not saying fire/trade Brady, as you can't do that until you have something better lined up.  But just continuing on this current path isn't going to win us games, let alone cups.

[dd]

Yes this weeks games proved that import quality running backs are literally a dime a dozen. We ve heavily committed to Brady who is a north south runner with no shiftiness or breakaway speed, and we re paying him a ton. And sadly that ain't gonna change

[Blue In BC]

Yeah I've been saying that all year and why I said he's over paid. A great player in his style, great team guy and person.

That said, we should have another RB also on the roster that can give us an edge capability in our game plan.

You can't always run between the OT's and expect defences to take that away from your plan. It's compounded by not having a QB that is not a running threat.

At the very least we need a DI on offence that is that variable style in 2027.

[jdrattops]

A Canadian running back set to break every Canadian running back record is certainly not the reason this team is a below .500 football team set to miss the playoffs this season.  When you have coaches and coordinators putting the player and team into positions to fail, they will fail.  The O'Shea process of success may have worked in years past, but like many things change so has this process.  The Bombers are trending to be the 9th place team in 2027 unless there are changes in the process, coaches and/or management.  Amazing how some shyt on the teams best player that's not being used enough.

[bomb squad]

They need to use him as a pass catcher out of play action more. That's another one of his strengths. If he can start off in a little more space with some momentum, he can really push people around.

[Waffler]

I certainly do not think Rankin makes us a winner by himself. QB has long been the biggest determinant in winning in the CFL. Toronto wins with no running game at all. This is why I say go all in for Kelly. The odds of Winnipeg doing that are minuscule but that is how you win.  If we used Brady differently, had a running QB, mixed in Peterson it would help. I don't see our best player as a problem.

[Blue In BC]

A Canadian running back set to break every Canadian running back record is certainly not the reason this team is a below .500 football team set to miss the playoffs this season.  When you have coaches and coordinators putting the player and team into positions to fail, they will fail.  The O'Shea process of success may have worked in years past, but like many things change so has this process.  The Bombers are trending to be the 9th place team in 2027 unless there are changes in the process, coaches and/or management.  Amazing how some shyt on the teams best player that's not being used enough.

I don't think anybody is putting the season on his shoulder. He's an excellent player and excels in what he does. The issue is that we need other play makers on offence. Things improved somewhat when Singer started playing regularly.

A better OL would improve things dramatically as well.

We need to reconsider how we manage some of the SMS spend, ratio application and use of our DI's. There is no one solution that fixes everything.

Gaining a Rankin or a Horvath would improve our offence. I don't think either are potential free agents but that's not the point.

A rookie like Powell on the Elks appears faster, more elusive and can get to the edge.

[Jesse]

Yes you can win with him and no he's not part of the problem at all.

[Blue In BC]

Yes you can win with him and no he's not part of the problem at all.

I wouldn't say he's not part of the problem per se. He's a metric in our play calling and ability on offence. Like I said we need additional play makers so he can't be keyed on as much.

[jdrattops]

I don't think anybody is putting the season on his shoulder. He's an excellent player and excels in what he does. The issue is that we need other play makers on offence. Things improved somewhat when Singer started playing regularly.

A better OL would improve things dramatically as well.

We need to reconsider how we manage some of the SMS spend, ratio application and use of our DI's. There is no one solution that fixes everything.

Gaining a Rankin or a Horvath would improve our offence. I don't think either are potential free agents but that's not the point.

A rookie like Powell on the Elks appears faster, more elusive and can get to the edge.

Agreed, so is it Brady's fault that O'Shea and Condell put together the offensive roster that doesn't include a player like this, or Walters can't find a scat back?  As far as the threads question, the answer is yes you can.  Harris, and Cornish weren't edge runners and have GCs.

[GOLDMEMBER]

Why they haven't subbed in Peterson is beyond me.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Agreed, so is it Brady's fault that O'Shea and Condell put together the offensive roster that doesn't include a player like this, or Walters can't find a scat back?  As far as the threads question, the answer is yes you can.  Harris, and Cornish weren't edge runners and have GCs.

I believe Walters brings in decent American running backs almost every year, so many I forget their names quickly.  2 TC's ago it was Quinton Cooley the guy they called "Short Bus" that was the talk of TC, he lasted a few months before they let him go.