Flanders sets 500-500 goal for rushing, receiving

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This article was published 24/05/2018 (2156 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Timothy Flanders is hesitant to give an answer when questioned about his future, conscious that his words could be misconstrued as putting himself ahead of the team.

But following back-to-back seasons that saw the Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back emerge as a dual threat in the CFL, Flanders can’t help but picture what more opportunity might look like.

“If I make the most of every opportunity that I can, I feel like 500 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving is an attainable goal,” he said in an interview with the Free Press earlier this week.

It was a lofty prediction for Flanders when you consider that, over the 2016 and 2017 seasons, he combined for 535 rushing yards and added just 354 through the air. It certainly doesn’t help that he currently sits second on the depth chart at running back, behind starter Andrew Harris. Though Flanders has earned the trust of offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice as a sure-handed receiver, including using him in the slot in a number of packages last year, to see a similar situation play out in 2018 appears near impossible.

With the addition of Nic Demski, the Bombers will go with two Canadian receivers to fulfill their ratio needs, with the other spot most likely going to one of either Drew Wolitarsky or this year’s No. 12 overall pick, Rashaun Simonise. While that still leaves three other spots at receiver, those are already filled by Darvin Adams, Weston Dressler and Adarius Bowman — the biggest pieces among arguably the deepest class of receivers the Bombers have had in years.

It’s not that Flanders doesn’t understand the obstacle in front of him. He just sees no point in stressing over what might or might not happen when the Bombers reveal their roster for the season-opener at home against the Edmonton Eskimos on June 14. Instead, he relies on what he’s been able to achieve in the past, hoping it’s enough to make him the obvious choice if and when the opportunity arises.

“There’s a lot of competition going on right now, and I feel like I’m doing everything I can,” he said. “I know I can produce.”

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea was adamant Flanders remains a key part of the offence, even if he’s spent much of training camp working with the No. 2 group. He declined to state whether an injury would likely be the only way Flanders is to get a realistic shot at notable playing time, perferring to keep his plans supressed until the schedule forces his hand.

“There’s lots of things to figure out before we get into that,” O’Shea said. “He’s a very good football player than can step in and start for us and carry the load. I know his teammates love him and he works very hard for them.”

When Harris pulled up lame with an injured ankle in 2016, forcing him to miss three games, it was Flanders who stepped in, averaging nearly 87 rushing yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry. He also chipped in with 15 receptions totalling another 145 yards.

After Dressler and Adams struggled to stay in the lineup during parts of last season, it was Flanders who excelled as a receiver, while also giving the Bombers a unique two-tailback system that at times haunted opposing defences.

In the 10 games Flanders played in 2017, he combined for more than 70 yards in four of them. While not overly impressive numbers in and of themselves, consider Flanders was splitting the ball with Harris, who went on to lead the CFL in rushing, with 1,035 yards, and set a new CFL single-season record for running backs with 105 receptions.

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“My first year it was just running back and I felt like I proved myself and what I’m capable of doing there. And then last year, when I got moved to receiver, I proved again what I could do other than at running back, providing the offence with different looks for the opposing defences,” said Flanders. “So now it’s more of ‘OK, what do I need to do next?’”

That’s why Flanders, in order to prevent any doubt that might creep in from wondering what might be in store for him, decided to set the goal of 500-500. In order to achieve it, he has immersed himself in the playbook deeper than ever before and his increased knowledge of the schemes, he said, has him seeing the game slower and executing his route with quicker efficiency. It hasn’t been easy studying two positions, but there’s little else he can do if he hopes to earn the kind of playing time required to reach his mark.

“I feel like my time will come,” he said. “Since I’ve been here I’ve always been patient — very patient.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.

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