A feel good story could be forming before our very eyes at Roughriders training camp.
A few days into preparations for the 2017 regular season, the Riders announced the signing of running back Anthony Allen. This marks the Florida native’s second go-around in green after spending last season with the B.C. Lions. Allen previously played for the Riders in 2014 and 2015.
Over the last year, the Riders have made plenty of headlines for moves or potential moves that caught the attention of fans and media for the wrong reasons. Allen is not one of those guys. During my time on the beat, few made as positive of an impression as Allen. In today’s world where players are taught to put up walls and share as little as possible about the game and themselves, Allen was someone who wasn’t afraid to let us into his world.
Allen’s time in Saskatchewan in 2014 came with plenty of adversity both on and off of the field. Allen was the league’s second leading rusher in 2014, even though he didn’t get the number of carries his numbers warranted. Like most of the team, things didn’t get much better for him in 2015, including some things that were out of his control. None of that compared to the stuff Allen was dealing with off of the field. His father had leukaemia, among some other family matters that go beyond the usual drama that we all see in our lives from time-to-time.
Despite this, Allen always has a smile on his face and is willing to sign every autograph and chat with every fan who sticks around at the end of practice. Some professional athletes play the “good guy” card very well. There’s no question it’s 100 per cent genuine with Allen.
Upon his return to Riderville, Allen admitted that he was close to hanging up the cleats and calling it career before getting a call from Jeremy O’Day.
There are good football reasons why Allen might be a fit again in Saskatchewan. He’s a powerful runner who isn’t afraid to block and as we know, a blocking running back is a big part of the offence run by coordinator Stephen McAdoo. He’s also proven in the past that he can put up some big numbers when given the chance to carry the load with a coaching staff that believes in him. Allen picked up nearly 500 yards last year even though he split the role with Jeremiah Johnson with the Lions. So far, Â in three CFL seasons, Allen has averaged nearly six yards per carry. If Allen had been given the opportunity to be the feature back every week, he likely could have rushed for some 3,000 yards in his career already. Despite that, Allen is 60 yards short of 2,000 in his career in just 35 games.
Does any of this mean Allen should find himself on the 46-man roster in a few weeks? Of course not. He will have to earn his way onto the roster like everyone else. The good news is it’s really easy to hope he does.
