By Duane Forde,
CFL.ca
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ most recent attempt to rebuild their club through free agency appears on some levels to be a classic case of déja vu. After all, it was only two years ago, also on the heels of a last place finish, that the Cats went out and signed the likes of Adriano Belli, Mike Morreale, Donnavan Carter, and Wayne Shaw in an effort to turn their fortunes around. However, a closer look reveals that, rather than starting over in 2006, the Tabbies are actually getting back with the program they started in 2004.
It’s no secret to those who follow the Canadian Football League on more than a casual level that quality non-import talent is one of the keys to success. Following their dismal 1-17 campaign in 2003 the Tiger-Cats’ first move was to address their deficiency in that area, not just by bringing in the four aforementioned players as starters, but also by upgrading their Canadian depth (and special teams play) with the acquisition of people like linebacker/defensive end Matt Petz, fullback Kojo Aidoo, kicker Jamie Boreham, and long snapper Matt Robichaud. This was a crucial first step in returning the franchise to respectability and contributed significantly to their improvement to 9-8-1 and a playoff berth in 2004.
However, winning games often masks problems and in this case their .500 record seemed to obscure some of the team’s shortcomings from the hometown fans. On the other hand, the club’s brain trust recognized that this team still had a long way to go to be considered a contender. Getting younger, or at least more athletic at quarterback and adding some speed to the offence were foremost on their wish list.
In fact, the organization’s greatest mistake a year ago wasn’t a failure to foresee the problems that 2005 would hold, but rather an inability to prevent them. For example, although quarterback Danny McManus was coming off a strong season, the coaching staff knew that they were on borrowed time with a 40 year-old QB especially given that they weren’t sold on Marcus Brady as the heir apparent. They tried to buy some peace of mind by pursuing several pivots but were unsuccessful in attempts to lure any of Doug Flutie, Henry Burris, or Ricky Ray to Steeltown.
Furthermore, in spite of the fact that Troy Davis was the league’s reigning rushing champ, many in the organization remained unconvinced that he was the ideal running back to play in the kind of offence they wanted. With this in mind, the drafting of McMaster University product Jesse Lumsden was much more than publicity stunt. The feeling was that Lumsden would provide not only another quality non-import but that his breakaway speed would provide a complement to Davis’ physical running style. Unfortunately for the Ivor Wynne faithful, Lumsden wasn’t available until midseason following a tryout with the National Football League’s Seattle Seahawks but looked good in the feature role after Davis was dealt to Edmonton.
The Tabbies also attempted to add a blazer to their receiving corps in Chris Brazzell but the former British Columbia Lion struggled when a season ending injury to Archie Amerson forced him to play slotback rather than his natural position of wide receiver. Brazzell was eventually dealt to Winnipeg for yet another promising Canuck, Kamau Peterson.
The Ticat front office led by head coach Greg Marshall and general manager Rob Katz has done a solid job so far this off-season of making sure the team isn’t caught with its pants down again in ’06. They addressed their quarterbacking situation with the acquisition of Jason Maas immediately after the season and continued to improve their Canadian content and team speed by resigning wide receiver Brock Ralph, who came over from the Eskimos in the Davis trade, before he hit the free agent market. In addition, with Lumsden testing the NFL again, the club has solidified itself at the running back position with the signing of the always productive Josh Ranek from Ottawa while the arrival of former Renegades centre George Hudson will cushion the blow of losing Tim Bakker to Edmonton in the Maas deal. The club also has high hopes for some other off-season pickups. Import offensive tackle Jamal Powell arrives from B.C. to provide insurance in the event that Jonta Woodard sticks with the NFL’s Washington Redskins. Meanwhile, linebackers Ray Mariuz, a Canadian, and American JoJuan Armour will at least improve the special teams if they don’t end up as starters in the linebacking unit. This is all to say nothing of the arrival of respected CFL coaches Joe Paopao and Kani Kauahi who bring much needed experience to the offensive side of Hamilton’s coaching staff.
Fans in Steeltown would love to see the club cap its off-season activity by putting return specialist Bashir Levingston in Black and Gold should he part ways with the hated Toronto Argonauts. Regardless, even if the Hamilton Tiger-Cats don’t make another significant transaction before training camp opens, the ones they’ve already made should guarantee improved results in 2006…even if they were a year too late.
Duane Forde was a CFL fullback for 12 seasons and was a member of the Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders in 1992 and 1998. He co-hosts CFL Snap on The Score.
