Newcomer fills key dime back position

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/07/2022 (1153 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DIME back, cover linebacker, strong-side linebacker, whatever you want to call it, it’s not an easy position to understand.

“Oh man, it’s just so many different things,” Blue Bombers defensive backs coach Jordan Younger told the Free Press after Wednesday’s closed practice at IG Field.

“It’s a complex position. We ask a lot of the dime. He’s one of the players that can blitz, he can be in coverage, man coverage, a low zone player, he can be a high zone player, there’s so many variables into the responsibility for that one player. To break it down for the casual, it’s really not casual in our defence. It’s not that simple to explain.”

Whether that makes sense to you or not, one thing is obvious: it’s clearly a spot where you’d want an experienced player.

Veteran Mercy Maston was supposed to hold down the dime this season for the Bombers, but he tore his Achilles in training camp. Maston also suffered a season-ending injury the year before, leading to the Bombers acquiring Alden Darby from Toronto.

But the Bombers took a different approach this time. Instead of making a deal for a seasoned defender, the club decided to throw CFL newcomer Donald Rutledge Jr. in at cover linebacker.

Rutledge, a 25-year-old from Georgia Southern University, would be the first one to admit it’s been an adjustment, but his coaches have liked what they’ve seen from him through five weeks of play.

“For a young guy, getting ready for his sixth game in the CFL, he’s picking things up pretty quickly. He’s doing a solid job,” Younger said.

“Most importantly, he works at it. Every week, he makes a concerted effort not to make the same mistakes that he made the previous week. What you see is his comfort level is growing and his sense of timing is getting a little bit better. He’s anticipating as opposed to reacting.”

It’s a position unique to the Canadian game, but in Saturday’s 43-22 road win over the B.C. Lions, Rutledge looked like he’d been playing it for years. For the first time in his young career, Rutledge forced a fumble and had an interception.

Rutledge attended NFL training camps with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals before heading up north.

“I take a lot of pride in just coming in and learning every day. I get with the veterans, I get with the coach, and I just try to absorb as much information as I need to. I may stay after and talk with the linebackers and make sure we’re all on one accord and I may stay after and talk to the DBs and make sure we’re all on one accord,” Rutledge said.

“Like I said early on in camp, if anyone had to be in this position, I’m glad it’s me cause I feel like I’m humble enough, I listen enough, and I take in information well and execute well. It’s just great having a group of guys around me that keep encouraging me and pick me up when I do mess up.”

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ANOTHER RECEIVER INJURED

The Bombers placed Canadian receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange on the six-game injured list on Wednesday. O’Leary-Orange didn’t finish Saturday’s game in Vancouver.

FIRST RESPONDERS NIGHT ON FRIDAY

It will be First Responders night on Friday at IG Field when the Bombers (5-0) host the Calgary Stampeders (4-0).

The evening’s festivities, which include a halftime Rugby 7’s exhibition match between first responders, is being presented by the 2023 World Police Fire Games. Winnipeg is the host site for next summer’s World Police Fire Games.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.