Argonauts.ca Staff

TORONTO -- During training camp last season, G.M. & Head Coach Jim Barker quickly developed a certain tone and personality for his team’s offence.  He wanted tough, physical players; in part, to match the style of the offence’s eventual brightest star, Cory Boyd. 

The 25-year old came into last year’s training camp as a rookie but assumed the starting running back position early on and never looked back.

At season’s end, Boyd was second only to Blue Bombers’ running back Fred Reid in rushing yards with 1,359 on the season.  He also caught 38 passes for 363 yards, giving Boyd a CFL-best total of 1,722 yards from scrimmage.

The New Jersey native was named a CFL all-star, the first Argonauts running back to earn the honour since Michael Jenkins in 2001.  Boyd was also named East Division All-Star as well as the Argonauts’ Most Outstanding Player for 2010.

As a result of his exceptional season, the Argos rewarded Boyd with a contract extension through the 2013 season.Boyd was second in the league in rushing attempts with 226, and fans can expect to see the offence continue to go through their star running back this upcoming season.

During a conference call last week, coach Barker stated that his philosophy remains focused on keeping the ball on the ground. 

“I think I’m a guy who believes that you have to be able to run the ball,” said Barker. During the 2010 season, the Argos ran the ball 40% of the time on offence - a significant stat considering the CFL is widely understood to be a passing league. 
 
Barker and his staff have stressed continuity this off-season. Presumably, if the coaches are already familiar with the players, and vice-versa, the result is an overall increase in offensive productivity. It could mean even bigger numbers for Boyd.

Boyd’s ability to not only replicate his stats, but to also continue to carry the load on offence, will go a long way in determining how effective the offence is this season.
 
Finding an import backup for Boyd last season proved to be difficult. By season’s end the staff settled on power back Dwayne Wright who averaged 5.7 yards per carry.

Also spelling off #3 were Canadians Jeff Johnson (who finished as the team’s second-leading running back) and, occasionally, Andre Durie and Bryan Crawford moved inside to carry the rock. Others were inserted into the lineup but didn’t stick.

Import RB Chad Kackert, who has experience with the Jacksonville Jaguars and played with the younger brother of DL Alex Buzbee at New Hampshire, will also be in training camp to push the group.
 
It is an old adage that running the ball ‘sets the tone’ for each game and the Argos leaned heavily on their ground game last season. Expect, once again, that Boyd and company will be called upon to carry the load and set the tone for the entire Argos season in 2011.