Menu
@
October 3, 2018

Morris: Sutton adds new dimension to Lions’ ground game

The BC Lions are counting on running back Tyrell Sutton to add a little extra punch to their fight to make the CFL playoffs.

Head Coach Wally Buono hasn’t decided yet if Sutton, obtained in a Sept. 25 trade from Montreal, will be in the lineup when the Lions (6-7) play the Toronto Argonauts (3-10) Saturday night at BC Place Stadium. But the addition of the former CFL all-star gives the Lions depth at a position where the team has sometimes underperformed this season.

“He’s a very good running back, he’s been a difference maker,” Buono said after Sutton spent time practising with the first-string offence this week. “He gives you tremendous depth.

“He also gives you the ability to change up things when you have to change up things. It’s going to be tough the next five games, including the playoffs. You have options like him, then you always improve your football team. No matter who is playing, they are going to fresh and they are going to be motivated.”

 

Sutton spent five years in Montreal where the closest he came to a winning season was 2014 when the Alouettes finished 9-9.

Heading down the stretch he knows the Lions don’t have much room for error, but they are at least in the mix.

“It’s great to at least have a fighting chance,” said the 31-year-old from Akron, Ohio. “I’ve been over in Montreal for quite a bit of years. To be able to come here and bring some veteran leadership . . .  someone who is hungry and has seen the dark days.”

The Alouettes (3-11) have lost three consecutive games and likely will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

“I haven’t had this opportunity in a few years,” said Sutton. “To be able to actually see the light at the end of the tunnel is better than trying to find that silver lining.”

Sutton joins a Lions team that has struggled to move the ball along the ground. BC is second last in the CFL in rushing yards (1,146), average rush (4.7 yards) and rushing touchdowns (10). The Lions are also seventh in the league, and last in the West, with 304 total points.

In nine games for Montreal this year Sutton has 86 carries for 417 yards and a touchdown. He also has 30 catches for 309 yards, with an impressive 265 yards coming after the catch.

“I play ball,” said Sutton. “You can try to box me into whatever type of schematics you want. I can do whatever you ask me.”

Tyrell Sutton (right) and Jeremiah Johnson (left) look to get the Lions’ ground game back on track (BCLions.com)

Sutton’s best game this year was Montreal’s season-opening loss against BC where he had 65 yards on 15 carries. His best season in Montreal was 2015 when he rushed for 1,059 yards and five touchdowns on 180 carries and was named a CFL all-star.

Lions’ quarterback Jonathon Jennings is thrilled to add Sutton to the backfield.

“He’s a monster,” said Jennings. “He’s a guy I have been watching since I got in this league.

“He’s a true running back, a guy that really brings the hammer. Even on teams that weren’t very good, he always played hard.”

Veteran Jeremiah Johnson is currently the Lions top rusher with 515 yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries. Chris Rainey — the smallest man on the team — is next with 180 yards on 41 carries. The five-foot-eight, 180-pound Rainey is used largely as a return man.

Even though the five-foot-eight, 213-pound Sutton doesn’t have the build of a typical power back like Jerome Messam, he is a punishing runner who looks for contact. He also is an excellent pass blocker, an important addition for a team that has allowed 28 sacks this season, fifth most in the league.

“You can ask a few of the teammates around, nobody wants to hit me,” said Sutton. “I don’t care I don’t look like Jerome Messam. My legs are as big as him.

“I’m a dog out there. I want to come in and be as physical as possible. I want to put some fear into the defence, the linebackers especially.”

The Lions believe Sutton can bring toughness to the team’s ground game down the stretch (BCLions.com)

Buono is more concerned with results than what style his running backs use.

“They are different types of runners,” he said. “The thing you want about your running back, is you want production. Jeremiah Johnson has had production. Tyrell has had very good production.

“He’s powerful, he’s elusive. He’s a good pass receiver, he’s also good at protecting the quarterback. It’s about being physical. As the games get further into the season, the weather gets colder, people need a weapon like Tyrell Sutton.”

The Lions are looking at the struggling Argo as a cold compress after being battered and bruised in a 40-10 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last weekend.

The defending Grey Cup Champions have lost five straight games, but their last win was a 24-23 defeat of the Lions back on Aug. 18.

“You can’t think about last week,” said receiver Bryan Burnham. “We have an opportunity to eliminate the defending Grey Cup Champions. I think that’s the motivation right now.”

Things won’t get any easier for the Lions after playing Toronto. The Lions play Calgary twice, including a season-ending game at BC Place, host the Eskimos and play the Roughriders in Regina.

“We are still in a position where we determine our own fate,” said Burnham. “We have to look forward, not backwards.”