What’s the best way to help out the best running back in the league? Give him a running mate to open holes and change the pace.
The ground game was not a position of need for the Central Alberta Buccaneers after 2014. Junior Rivera captured the Alberta Football League rushing title and rookie of the year honours with 810 rushing yards.
But this offseason, the Bucs picked up another weapon in the backfield as Lacombe’s Tanner Green returned to the game after playing out his junior lacrosse eligibility.
The combination gives the Bucs the most dangerous one-two punch in the league.
“We’ve clicked pretty well,” said Green, 22, of his chemistry with Junior.
That’s a bit of an understatement.
At six-foot-three, 230 pounds, Green is a completely different style of back than Rivera. Green is a big, bruising, upright runner in the mold of an Eddie George who made four pro bowls with the Tennessee Titans. Green entered Saturday’s 66-6 win over the Lloydminster Vandals with the best yards per rush average in the league with 14.1 (113 yards on eight touches).
Rivera, meanwhile, has speed to burn and the agility to make would-be-tacklers miss. He entered Saturday’s game against the Lloydminster Vandals as the third leading rusher in the AFL with 294 yards on 46 carries, just 26 yards behind Fort McMurray Monarch Greg Pelly (320 yards on 32 carries).
Buccaneers head coach Devon Hand is starting to find a comfort level with the two backs.
After almost ignoring the running game completely in their first two games, the Buccaneers have leaned heavily on their tail backs and have rushed for more than 200 yards in their last three contests.
He has been softening up defences with Rivera, getting them used to his speed and slashing style, and then uses Green like a battering ram to run them over.
“He’s the yin to Junior’s yang,” said Hand.
“He’s the power guy, Junior’s the outside guy, they’re both very good. We made the decision to run the ball, and that’s basically because of the way Tanner ran at practice ... he’s a beast.”
Green’s contributions have kind of come out of nowhere.
He hadn’t played the game for four years since high school when he was in the backfield for the Lacombe Rams, where he was used primarily as a blocking back.
Green thought his future lied in lacrosse and after starting out with the junior B tier III Lacoka Locos of the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League, he transferred to Edmonton.
But his eligibility ran out at the end of last season, and he had friends already playing for the Buccaneers, who talked him into coming back to the gridiron.
The Bucs are just starting to scratch the surface of his potential.
Against the Vandals he continued his physical running, scoring a touchdown on a 12-yard run up the middle to open the second quarter and put the Bucs up 17-0. Then he showed his versatility with a 75-yard-catch-and-run for another score — pulling the ball down in traffic over the middle, then sprinting the final 40 yards to the end zone.
“In high school I mainly played fullback because I was too big to play running back, though I ran the ball pretty similar to what I do now,” said Green. “Even here I’m ‘too big’ comparatively, but it’s nice that (offensive coordinator Aaron Sheppard) giving me a chance because I’m a rookie here and Junior’s been here a year already.”
The Buccaneers next test is going to be one of their most difficult of the season when they take on the Fort McMurray Monarchs on July 25 at Lacombe’s ME Global Athletic Park. The Monarchs improved to 4-1 with a 100-0 win over the expansion Airdrie Irish, and, like the Bucs, their only loss of the season came at the hands of the Calgary Gators. Whoever wins this game will get the inside track at home field advantage for the playoffs.
Key to beating the Monarchs will be the Buccaneers’ running game.
“Our whole offence coming together is our frontline. If our frontline is strong, if they can push Fort Mac’s defence back, then I don’t think we’ll have any problem opening holes and running against them,” said Green. “It’s all about giving our quarterback time to throw the ball and now that we’re keeping our running backs in to give them extra protection, I think our offence can really come together.”
jaldrich@www.reddeeradvocate.com