Toronto Argonauts running backs coach Josh Moore, Brandon Whitaker (3), Ben Malena (34), during the mini-camp at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, Wednesday, April 26, 2017. (Photo: Johany Jutras)
“I’m just happy to be back in Toronto, back in the six and looking forward to the season.”
It wasn’t a certainty that Brandon Whitaker was going to be back in Double Blue this season. After finishing second among CFL rushers with 1,009 yards in 2016, Whitaker didn’t re-sign until March 30th, well after the beginning of the free agency period.
The veteran is back for a third season with the Argos after spending the first seven years of his career in Montreal. Right now, Head Coach Marc Trestman confirms that Whitaker sits atop the depth chart.
“It’s Brandon’s job to lose,” admitted Trestman. “We’ve still got a bunch of time left, and we’ve got a bunch of reps with these other guys and I think Brandon’s in the driver’s seat, but we’re going to know a lot more in the next ten days.”
There are two backs trying to push Whitaker away from the steering wheel and become number one on the depth chart.
James Wilder Jr. looks more like a linebacker than a running back. At 6’3” and a muscular 230 pounds, his size isn’t lost on the man whose job he’s trying to take.
“He’s a freak of nature,” said a wide-eyed Whitaker. “I call him a Power Ranger because he looks like a Power Ranger to me. As a kid, you’d see them and they’re big and you’re so small and they just look so big and muscular.”
“He’s got it all,” the Oklahoman continued. “He’s got all the tools. He can run, he can block, he’ll run you over, and he’s agile. I mean it’s not even fair with the genetics that he has and he works hard on top of his genetics so that’s even scarier.”
A 1,000-yard rusher, ACC Championship Game MVP, and NCAA National Champion while at Florida State, Wilder knows he has a limited time to impress the coaching staff. He’s also fully aware that his special teams play is going to be a big part of his audition and adds this is an area where he should be able to establish himself.
“With my size and my speed I can do pretty much every special team,” said a confident Wilder. “That’s what really kept me in the NFL for three years. I’ve been doing that my whole life so that’s nothing new for me.”
James Wilder Sr. was a star running back in the NFL for a decade. Despite retiring two years before James Jr. was born, he is still the Tampa Bay Buccaneers all-time leading rusher.
Trestman has liked what he’s seen so far from the legend’s son.
“He’s got a lot of energy, he’s got a lot of life to him,” said Trestman. “He’s right there with the other guys. I don’t think there’s a depth chart there. Brandon is a little ahead of the curve, and then the other guys really are at the same level so we’re going to do our best to give them a shot.”
Also in the mix is returnee Ben Malena, who in three games for Toronto had just four carries and two catches. Closer in stature to Whitaker than Wilder, the man who started in the backfield with Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M learned a lot in his brief time in Canada.
“The game is different, but it’s the same”, Malena told Argonauts.ca. “Especially in my position, the box is the box, but the flow of the game is different. You have to be more versatile as a running back than down south.”
Malena is trying to impress the coaching staff as a consistent player who can make big plays. But it’s one aspect of his game that the coach centered out – his blocking.
“I really like ‘Deuce’, he’s practicing well,” said Trestman. “We run a couple of protection drills along the way and it’s obvious that he has the toughness and the will and the technique to do it right, as the other guys did as well.”
If one assumes that Whitaker maintains his starting status, the battle for the backup spot will be worth keeping an eye on over the two pre-season games.
Extra points: The next time you’re complaining about your commute to BMO keep this in mind. A father and his young son were at practice on Tuesday, making the trek from Indiana. Why? They fell in love with the uniqueness of the CFL after watching it on ESPN. They wanted to see a game live, so they made the journey north…As of noon on Tuesday, Trestman hadn’t decided on a roster or individual playing time for Thursday’s game. He said the staff would decide that Tuesday afternoon…Practicing indoors at the Ontario Soccer Centre has its idiosyncrasies. When placekicking, Lirim Hajrullahu hit an overhead ceiling fan on a couple of occasions…Maple Ridge B.C.’s Malcolm Williams looked very comfortable, making a couple of nice catches in drills…There’s no television for either of the Argos pre-season games, but you can join Jeff Johnson and me for the radio broadcast on TSN 1050.