‘I don’t care how good you run it’: Scott Milanovich puts one ability above rest in Tiger-Cats’ RB battle

Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography.

Offensive guru Scott Milanovich doesn’t have a particular type when it comes to running backs, but there’s one common ability his starters need to have without question: protect the quarterback.

Whether it was Avon Cobourne, Brandon Whitaker, Cory Boyd, Chad Kackert, or Greg Bell in the past, every primary ball carrier in Milanovich’s offence has to be a reliable QB protector.

Bell signed with the Ottawa Redblacks in February during CFL free agency, which left Hamilton without an incumbent starter. Americans Shane Watts, Larry Rountree III and Avery Morrow along with Canadians Johnny Augustine and Ante Milanovic-Litre are competing for the RB1 position.

“I told them: ‘If you can’t protect, I don’t care how good you run it, you’re not going to be able to play for us.’ We’re going to take the best guy that we think is going to help us. The one constant: they gotta be able to protect,” Milanovich emphasized to the media.

“If they can’t protect, you can’t play in this game, you can’t play in the NFL. The quarterback’s going to get killed. The defensive coordinators in our league in the last 10 to 15 years have gotten so good with their pressures and they’re multiple. The guys have to be smart, otherwise you get a bunch of quarterback injuries.”

According to Watts, he was with the Ticats for about six weeks last year, off and on, which helped him understand the waggles and Milanovich’s playbook. Meanwhile, Rountree III was signed in January after earning approximately $1.2 million USD in the NFL and playing two seasons in the United Football League with the Birmingham Stallions. Morrow’s a professional rookie while Augustine and Milanovic-Litre are CFL veterans.

Rountree III set the University of Missouri school mark for rushing yards by a running back (3,720) during his time (2017-2020) with the Tigers in the Southeastern Conference. The 27-year-old dropped 30 pounds entering his first three-down league training camp. He played four-down football at 235 pounds and reported to McMaster University at 205 pounds.

“Coach [Jarryd Baines] told me in the meeting: ‘Fellas, you gotta be able to run.’ Coming into rookie camp I felt great. The whole time we were doing conditioning, I wasn’t even tired,” Rountree III told the media.

“I’m getting used to my body being this light, being able to run and not get tired. Up here in the CFL, you gotta be able to run and move.”

Rountree III sought CFL advice from former teammates Tyler Snead and Aubrey Miller Jr. Snead he played with at Millbrook High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, while Miller Jr. spent three seasons at Missouri alongside him. He also spoke to Toronto Argonauts’ strong-side linebacker Adarius Pickett about what to expect playing in Canada.

Milanovich would like to have a starting running back in place prior to the team’s final preseason game against the Argos on Friday, May 29, but it’s very possible the competition could come down to how the players perform at the University of Guelph. However, the 53-year-old head coach does not solely rely on exhibition games for his evaluations, pads will be on “most of the time” in training camp with live one-on-one blocking drills and team periods critical for the ball carriers vying to start.

“You gotta do things a little bit differently when you’re looking for a tailback and you don’t have any incumbent because the preseason games aren’t really enough. The thing that’s consistent: they got to be able to protect the quarterback,” Milanovich said.

“They are the guy that’s going to touch the ball most, I expect our tailback to be around 1,500 yards between run and pass total in a season, if they’re healthy. That’s about what Greg was at last year. They got to be able to protect the quarterback or we can’t play them.”

The Tiger-Cats have six days between the team’s final exhibition game and regular season opener at Hamilton Stadium against the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday, June 4. Milanovich stated the players his coaching staff knows are starters probably won’t play in the last preseason game. Although, players who are battling for starting spots and to make the team will suit up.