Ouellette, Armstead would be scary in Riders backfield

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Imagine Saskatchewan Roughriders power-backs A.J. Ouellette and Ryquell Armstead in the same backfield.

Tough to tackle. Big-play capability. Great pass-blockers for quarterback Trevor Harris.

Scary!

“It’s definitely a possibility,” said Roughriders head coach Corey Mace. “You have to look at it.

“We tell the guys specifically this week and moving on, we’re gonna find the best possible roster for ourselves. If it presents itself that those two — obviously it’s gonna be at the expense of somebody else — make sense for us that week and we’re carrying forward, we’ll get it done.”

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Well, ” … at the expense of somebody else” means another American player would have to get bumped from the roster if the Roughriders wanted to dress Ouellette and Armstead for their regular-season finale against the visiting Calgary Stampeders on Saturday (5 p.m., TSN, Mosaic Stadium).

The same predicament awaits if the Roughriders deploy them together in the playoffs, when CFL teams must continue following restrictions limiting them to 19 Americans (not counting quarterbacks and a naturalized American) on their 45-man active rosters.

Because injuries have ravaged the Roughriders this season, particularly where the team usually has an abundance of Canadian receivers and offensive linemen, they have been forced to dress American replacements. Not many CFL teams can afford the luxury of dressing two proven, American power-backs.

“I’d love to have all of them,” said Riders running backs coach Anthony Vitale. “That would be great!”

Is there a way to get them all on the roster?

“I’ll be honest with you, I have no idea,” said Vitale. “That’s well above my pay grade, but it’s a great question.”

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The Roughriders started this season with two American running backs in Ouellette and rookie Clint Ratkovich, listed as a fullback, who has been moved to the practice roster. A high-profile free-agent acquisition from the Toronto Argonauts, Ouellette wasn’t very effective earlier this season, primarily because he got nicked in training camp. When Ouellette ultimately got placed on the six-game injury list, he was replaced by veteran Frankie Hickson.

Hickson’s quick-burst running didn’t get much traction. So the Roughriders recruited Armstead after he was waived by the Ottawa Redblacks, who didn’t like his behaviour and truly haven’t been very good themselves since dumping him.

After only three practices, Armstead carried 25 times for 207 yards and helped snap Saskatchewan’s seven-game winless skid in a 37-29 victory over Calgary. Before the Roughriders could say “Hallelujah!” Armstead hurt a shoulder in their next game, coincidentally against Ottawa, leaving veteran backup Thomas Bertrand-Hudon to carry the football. Hickson was activated again for one more contest.

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Hickson gained only 46 yards on 15 carries during a 28-24 win over the Edmonton Elks, likely causing consternation about the anemic running attack just as its importance grew

“Maybe in October and November in Saskatchewan our RPO (run/pass option) doesn’t look as good as June, but it’s always been a priority here to be physical and run the ball,” said Vitale.

With fresh legs and looking again like an all-star, Ouellette gained 84 yards on 16 carries in a 39-8 victory over the B.C. Lions, Saskatchewan’s fourth straight win.

“(Ouellette) was banged up and you knew he was toughing through some things,” said Vitale. “That took a little speed off of him, but the nature of his game is to go a million miles an hour. In practice you’re begging him, ‘Hey, it’s a walk-through. Can you tone it down a little?’ ”

While Ouellette took starter’s reps during the team’s first practice back from a bye week, Armstead resumed practising on a limited basis during Tuesday’s workout. That raised the possibility of soon seeing that two-pronged running attack.

Although Ouellette is 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds and Armstead is 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, Vitale admitted they have similarities in their styles because they’re equally capable of plowing through the line or running outside the fray.

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“For us, the standard is the standard,” said Vitale. “We really don’t deviate. We don’t talk much about a rookie or a 10-year vet. We don’t grade on a scale.

“We expect them to perform at the same level and we know it’s gonna come a little easier to an A.J. than it would be to Q. They both play, right now, the way we want them to play.”

Getting them together on the field would be ideal, but unlikely.

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