BC's Great running attack and a Willie Flashback

[globespanner]

Watching the game the other night makes me think this iteration of the Lions may have the best the teams best Tandem of RB's ever.

Johnston and RAiney have been amazing showing both power and a slippery quality not all backs posses.

I am old enough to remember Willie Fleming at his peak and on Saturday night Chris Rainey gave me a deja vu moment of the man Bob Ackles called the greatest football player he ever had play for him in the NFL Or CFL. REmember this guy had a rushing average of 9.7 yards per carry one season.

The play was the outlet pass where Rainey was slighly right of the offensive line. He cut back to the left leaving the LB over run the play then juked and outran 3 players towards the left sideline. As the TV guys said these guys are elite athletes being totally indressed by the unique elusiveness and athleticism of an even greater athlete. It is Truly the first time I have seen it from a Lion in more than 50 years.

Fleming and Rainey are small men with Rainey being a taller and thinner.
You just knew sooner or later he would burn out from injury and it happened. But for a brief moment he was incandescent. Rainey is a joy to watch so enjoy.

Speaking of incandescent stars the Manny show passed the brilliantly elegant Swervyn Mervyn in Career yardage. In the bygone days of 50K + crowds at BC place MF could make the stadium literally shake with his leaping elegance and great hands as he made fools of DB's. Could their be a bigger contrast to him than Manny who is truly Beast Mode as the most physical wide receiver in the CFL. He reminds me of a cross between Marshawn Lynch and Michael Irrvin. Congratulations Manny I think you are on track to break the 10K mark.

[TheLionKing]

Nub Beamer and Willie Fleming

Larry Key and John Henry White

Sean Millington and Robert Drummond

[Qman]

none the 4 pairs are the best in history though,

1970s worry the glory days for our strong run game. Don Moorhead wasn't a great passer, but was a master of planning the run game.

Evensen, then
Eley, then
Musso, then
Lou harris, then
Strickland, then
Key

Eley & Harris both had 1200ish yd seasons in 74. That would be #1 statistically in lions history
Beamer & Fleming 1962-63ish would be similar if you include all of Willie receiving yards too.

[KnowItAll]

not the best, but I really liked tony cherry and Anthony parker

[Robbie]

Interesting topic. While there are always some topics about great quarterback-receiver tandems in the past, there are far fewer if any conversation about great running back/fullback tandems in the past.

Sean Millington and Robert Drummond

It's always good to hear somebody remember this great tandem including the underappreciated 2000 Grey Cup run and win in which the two of them won the game awards. And while Sean Millington is arguably a legend, unfortunately Robert Drummond will never fall in the same elite category whenever there's a discussion about Lions running greats.

And while the 1994 Grey Cup run and win is much memorable in which Sean Millington is the constant (while Robert Drummond was on the other side with Baltimore at the time) his tandem will also never fall in the same elite category - Cory Philpot even though he still holds the Lions record for most touchdowns in a season with 22 during the 1995 season.

Larry Key and John Henry White

The 1985 Grey Cup run and win is also memorable as well to break the 21-year drought, and while John Henry White is a legend his two tandems in the 1985 season are not - Keyvan Jenkins and his playoff replacement, Freddie Sims.

not the best, but I really liked tony cherry and Anthony parker

The 1988 season was an interesting one with so many new faces led by Matt Dunigan. Despite the positives that Tony Cherry did I could never forgive him for a rather huge negative and that is, in the late stages of the 1988 Grey Cup after Matt Dunigan threw the fatal interception the Lions still had a chance to get the ball into field goal range especially after Anthony Drawhorn too the ball to the 45-yard line. But Tony Cherry committed a huge undisciplined major foul for rough play that brought the ball back to the 30-yard line and the Lions were uninspired after that and went three and out.

All of you would say the 1991 season was exciting and memorable, but I'd say the running tandem was not. Jon Volpe was decent with a then-team record of 20 touchdowns and winning Most Outstanding Rookie, his tandem Chris Skinner was essentially terrible by fumbling so many times.