what are argos doing for running game ?

[macspectrum]

i though if argos could snag messam, who was very pissed at calgary, and have him in backfield with cross - both are cdn and can catch [and messam is local boy too]
too -
imagine an all cdn offensive backfield ..... and messam is a big body
would go very long way to easing pressure on a older QB injury prone or a young QB just learning the ropes and argos lost posey to nfl
.
and messam ran ery well in bad field conditions
scored 2 td in grey cup game agains the argos
.
if wilder came back - even better - messam was signed by green riders for less than $100k - he took a pay cut
messam, cross and wilder in arego off backfield - argos are odds on fav for grey cup 2018
defense looks loaded for bear 'woods' .... lol
.
who is now going to run the ball for the argos ? what does popp have up his sleeve ?
. can some1 help me understand ?

[mchesher03]

My uneducated opinion is that they’ll try to pluck some bodies from the free agent camps (like I assume they did with Wilder) and they’ll supplement that with Anthony Coombs (not an every down RB but was a running back in his university days).

For what it’s worth I say you give Declan Cross some runs here and there too.

[macspectrum]

My uneducated opinion is that they’ll try to pluck some bodies from the free agent camps (like I assume they did with Wilder) and they’ll supplement that with Anthony Coombs (not an every down RB but was a running back in his university days).

For what it’s worth I say you give Declan Cross some runs here and there too.

i could see cross pass blocking the slipping out of the backfield to catch the ball - he seems to be very good to find 'spaces' in the flats - i recall he caught 2 2pt converts in the gc game and a pass/run for 20 yds
.
i dont think i'd risk coombs's health as a running back
.
perhaps the argos can trade some of their plethora of line backers for messam ? i still think messam would be a great fit - even - if wilder can come back - then the argos would odds on fav to get to grey cup


and leading the blocking for a rb

[doubleblue]

i could see cross pass blocking the slipping out of the backfield to catch the ball - he seems to be very good to find 'spaces' in the flats - i recall he caught 2 2pt converts in the gc game and a pass/run for 20 yds
.
i dont think i'd risk coombs's health as a running back
.
perhaps the argos can trade some of their plethora of line backers for messam ? i still think messam would be a great fit - even - if wilder can come back - then the argos would odds on fav to get to grey cup


and leading the blocking for a rb

I thought it would have been a great idea to add Messam as a RB to the lineup, especially now with James Wilder's shenanigans. Wouldn't have to play every down as they could toss in Jackson again for a change of pace. Also would have kept the extra DI for defense seeing they appear to be going with an import kicker.
Cross and Messam on each side of Ricky dropping back to pass sounded good to me. But with Jerome signing with the Riders that ship has sailed. I would have only done it because of Ricky. He apparently took a discount to help with the cap. Put up a wall around him and let him do his magic. That doesn't include a pony running back who will keep getting run over by 250 lb DE's.

[Argo57]

Not sure how adept Messam is in the blocking department, his pass catching ability may not be good enough for Trestman’s system as well.

[macspectrum]

dont forget that messam scored 2 tds in the 2017 grey cup
a ring is very impotrtant to him
i would think playing for the current gc champs would have some impact
also he is local gta boy
just imagine messam, cross and if wilder came back - 3 backs for about $300k - wow !

[AngeloV]

Not sure how adept Messam is in the blocking department, his pass catching ability may not be good enough for Trestman’s system as well.

For his size, Messam is terrible at pass protection. He's not a great receiver either. All of his catches are uncontested screen and swing passes. Argos tend to send their backs downfield in the pass game as well. Messam would not have been a fit for the Argos offence.

[gilthethrill]

For his size, Messam is terrible at pass protection. He's not a great receiver either. All of his catches are uncontested screen and swing passes. Argos tend to send their backs downfield in the pass game as well. Messam would not have been a fit for the Argos offence.

Agreed. Factor in his large price tag, I am not upset he did not become an Argo.

[R.J]

Has Messam become the new Fajardo ?

[ArgoGabe22]

Did Wilder Jr. even inform the team of his intentions or did he just tweet it?

[macspectrum]

i dont think he had a huge price tag as he took a pay cut to join the green riders
cross also makes catches screen and swing catches

[AngeloV]

i dont think he had a huge price tag as he took a pay cut to join the green riders
cross also makes catches screen and swing catches

Difference being, Cross isn't the feature back in the offence, and is a great blocker.

[macspectrum]

messam scored 2 td against the argos in the 2017 gc - i think messam is a good, not great blocker - i still think he and messam would make for a great off backfield - the one thing is messan is older but his lack of a ring would bode well for the argos - as it stands now my original question remains
who will run the ball / block for the argos ? ray is getting older and is injury prone and the QB they got needs help
.
a good runner makes the argos odds on favs in the east

[paulwoods13]

At this time last year, the question was who will throw, catch and run. Somehow we managed to find players to fill all three roles. I'm confident we will this year, as well. Wilder may still end up as our RB this year, but if he doesn't, someone (possibly someone we've never heard of, just as we hadn't heard of Wilder at this time last year) will do it and will likely be no worse than adequate.

[macspectrum]

argos make extension offer to wilder

http://3downnation.com/2018/02/27/re...mes-wilder-jr/

speak of the devil

[Tobin Rote]

Solid Import (International) running backs are actually quite plentiful... due to the high number of top NCAA programs producing them compared to the relatively small number of new opportunities that exist in the NFL each year. Hopefully JWJ will sign with us for 2 more years (which is a reasonable compromise in my view)... otherwise I'm fairly sure that Mr. Popp is very capable of finding a good group of worthy replacements.

[Jon Gonzo]

Solid Import (International) running backs are actually quite plentiful... due to the high number of top NCAA programs producing them compared to the relatively small number of new opportunities that exist in the NFL each year. Hopefully JWJ will sign with us for 2 more years (which is a reasonable compromise in my view)... otherwise I'm fairly sure that Mr. Popp is very capable of finding a good group of worthy replacements.

Very true.

My first choice, for the purposes of continuity, is to see him return. I think it, most certainly, is best for both parties. I am also happy that they made him a better offer. I think that was the right thing to do. It will also allow the fans to move on from him, if he doesn't take it.

I don't think any fan wants a player around who 1) gets an overly inflated opinion of himself in a half a seasons work or 2) doesn't want to be here.

As good as he was for part of last season, I don't believe you can ultimately win in a good league like the CFL with either of those 2 factors in play.

If he turns this down, then he will sit, and I predict that we'll all move past him and he will have wasted a year of his life, for a dream that will get harder and harder to accomplish by the day.

It won't say tons about his character for perspective NFL suitors either.

His best course of action is to re-up here, train hard and come in and give all he's got to live up to that 1,000 + 1,000 season. Or, is this guy a bit of a flake?

[R.J]

Solid Import (International) running backs are actually quite plentiful... due to the high number of top NCAA programs producing them compared to the relatively small number of new opportunities that exist in the NFL each year. Hopefully JWJ will sign with us for 2 more years (which is a reasonable compromise in my view)... otherwise I'm fairly sure that Mr. Popp is very capable of finding a good group of worthy replacements.

As I've said previously: Popp has a very good record at finding RB's, so I'm not worried. IMO Wilder had 4 monster games, and was a non factor for the rest, Grey Cup he was horrendous IMO, tbh he reminds me of Chevon Walker, and that home run style of running isn't successful for too long.

I do however wish that Popp would stop signing these tiny backs though.

[gilthethrill]

As I've said previously: Popp has a very good record at finding RB's, so I'm not worried. IMO Wilder had 4 monster games, and was a non factor for the rest, Grey Cup he was horrendous IMO, tbh he reminds me of Chevon Walker, and that home run style of running isn't successful for too long.

I do however wish that Popp would stop signing these tiny backs though.

I really thought the snow in the Grey Cup hurt Wilders running ability. To say he was a non factor in those games I feel is inaccurate. At best the other teams were able to hold him in check.

[paulwoods13]

Win as a team, lose as a team. Our offence did enough to win two PS games. You don't have to get a lot of yards to be a "factor," especially in an offence where priority 1 for TB is pass protection.

If Wilder was a horrendous non-factor, I guess so were Green (3/27 in EF), Edwards (2/12 in GC) and Coombs (0/0 in GC).