Ferguson: Has the ground game run its course?

Last year when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats lost CJ Gable to yet another long term injury I wrote about Ray Holley, Louisiana Tech scat back and what his statistics over six weeks of CFL football said about the running game in Hamilton, and across Canadian Football League.

In the season opener, Holley led all rushers with eight carries for 24 yards. In Week 2 at Winnipeg, Holley had just 16 yards rushing on six carries and in Montreal, Holley added 47 yards on six carries. All three games combined did not match the production of CJ Gable in a victorious trip to Regina, Week 5 of 2015.

The Ticats running game has never been central to their offensive attack, yet they have been among the best offences in the league, which begs the question, what is our perception of the running back position in Canadian football and should a league which rarely commits to the ground attack be held to the same standard as our southern counterparts.

The simple answer is no.

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CJ Gable has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury – not helping the ground game for Hamilton (Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca)

We play by different rules, we have more QB sneaks than any league in place of running back dive plays, and we have one less chance to run the ball per set of downs which means there will inevitably be more passing.

However I think the question, “where has the run game gone” amounts to much more than the guidelines within which we play the games. It comes down to personality and perspective.

Every coach has a philosophical approach, it’s what makes us love or hate them. A coach who believes in going for two consistently? We love their daring nature. A coach who takes a knee to end the first half with thirty seconds remaining and the ball almost in opposition territory? We hate them for their cautious ways and usually let them know about it.

We crave a high entertainment value for our hard earned dollar because that’s really what sports are, entertainment. As a result we ask our coach to make choices that dazzle and entertain us. Why do you think we all scream at the coach to throw the challenge flag like a roman coliseum screaming at a gladiator to finish his opponent with the long end of a sword?

It’s because modern football players are gridiron gladiators and we are the desperate proletariat in need of our fix.

All of this should equate to Hamilton being one of the most entertaining and beloved franchises in the CFL, because Kent Austin could not care less about running the ball.

Since Austin and his offensive system arrived in Hamilton in 2013 the Tiger-Cats have had the least or second least amount of rush attempts in 2013 (303), 2014 (304) and 2015 (300). Meanwhile Hamilton ranked first and second in number of passes attempted in both 2013 (635) and 2014 (622).

In a plot twist worthy of Roman fable Russell Crowe refusing to give the new emperor his support, some Hamilton fans have become increasingly frustrated with Austin’s style.

Don’t get me wrong, when the Ticats are blowing teams out and running the ball less than ten times a game nobody cares, but when the black and gold dance with the .500 mark all season and show a limited commitment to offensive balance people get frustrated.

Jerome Messam currently leads the league in rushing with 810 yards on 115 carries and nine touchdowns (The Canadian Press)

Here’s a look at how the league, and teams, stack up at this point in the season (Week 15) over the last three seasons in rushing yards:

I realize the run game is not directly correlated with wins and losses. Running CJ Gable 25 times into a stout defensive front would surely produce more boos than cheers from the Hamilton faithful. However, I believe an extra dash of extra ground attack could help the Tiger-Cats offence get over the .500 hump and safely into the playoffs.

The reason I believe the Ticats would be better off with balance is it could cure their quarterback protection issues. Right now defensive ends are flying up the field with reckless abandon. They are beating the offensive tackles with pure speed or in Jonathan Newsome’s case Saturday in Regina against Terrence Campbell a heavy handed inside bullrush.

The best way to counter act a blood thirsty defensive lineman is to trap them, confuse them or use the cadence to disrupt their timing. Quarterback and offensive play-caller vs. defensive lineman is the ultimate game of brains vs. brawn. Most quarterbacks can’t bench 225-pounds or squat 300-pounds 10 times, so we rely on trickery and preparation to defeat those who can.

Adding even a hint of a run game, just a threat of a possible run game could lower the blood pressure levels of the offensive line, Collaros, Austin and Ticats fans everywhere. Zach Collaros is among the best in the CFL at commanding the line of scrimmage, reading defences before the snap and getting the Ticats into the correct play. The Ticats need to utilize their highly priced commodity to see run game opportunities (fronts, alignment, personnel) and play off their tendencies to gash defences just enough to keep lineman aware and slow down their pocket pursuits.

Kent Austin has always said the game plan is designed based on that weeks opponent and the opportunities they allow the offence. It might be time to start dictating what opportunities the Ticats will take instead of reacting if for no other reason that to protect their franchise quarterback.