just an update. i caught Lumsden's debut as a starting CFL tailback, and he showed flashes of brilliance. however, it was an unusual set of circumstances in which he played and i'll mention them before i talk about his performance:
1) he'd only been with the team for, i believe, 10 days. so he had a very limited number of plays to work from. the defense knew this, and keyed in on it quickly.
2) part of the trade that put him in position to start sent one of Hamilton's starting o-line packing. additionally, their most gifted o-lineman went down with injury on the first series of the game.
ok, here's the scouting report, as i saw it. first, the pros. he's a very impressive physical specimen to look at. very large frame, so he can put on weight if he wishes to be even more of a power back. still looks to have some baby fat (ie., he's not super cut at this point), so he can lean up and go qucik-twitch to be more of a speed back if that's the route he chooses. is an upright runner with a low-kneed stride. (i know a lot of you guys don't like player comparisons, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so a moving picture must be even better of a description.) he runs VERY much like shaun alexander of the Seahawks, but he possesses a very different skill set. unlike alexander and most upright runners, he really runs over people. looks to deliver more blows rather than taking them. very unusual for this type of runner. shows good vision, and likes to cutback. shows tremendous speed when he gets to the edge, outruns players who have the angle. can return kicks.
now the cons. again, unlike alexander he is very unpolished in the passing game. shows good hands, but needs a lot of work in running routes. wasn't asked to do much receiving in college. unclear if he can block. was on the sidelines for virtually all of his team's passing plays. likely he needs a lot of work, but physical running style lends credibility to willingness to learn. defense keyed on the fact that every time he was on the field, he got the rock. not his fault due to limited time with his play book, but didn't break many runs after his first carry went for 8 yards.
overall,looks to be VERY raw in his development, but has the physical package and the unteachable gifts (vision, falling forward after contact, size, and speed) to become a special back. needs to immerse himself in his playbook after his late signing before he will truly be able to give a fair account of himself on the field.
