By: Chris Ribau
If you ask Hamilton native Martin Short, he might tell you to chalk this one up to opening night jitters.
Short was on hand for the Ticats 33-10 loss to the Montreal Alouettes Thursday night, and although the outcome was less than expected, there are signs that this show has promise.
Perhaps the brightest light shone from under center, with quarterback Casey Printers displaying the athleticism and accuracy that made him the Most Oustanding Player in 2004. The Cats signal caller threw for 203 yards on 15 of 21 attempts, while rushing for 33 yards on three attempts.
“That’s Casey’s game, he’ll take off and make plays”, said head coach Charlie Taaffe in his post-game press conference.
Printers manufactured time in the pocket, and sometimes out of it, as he found a seam or spotted an open man. His favourite target on the night was wide receiver Scott Mitchell, who racked up 72 yards on five receptions. At 6’3, 220 pounds, the first-year Ticat isn’t afraid of a little contact, he seemed to relish it. Despite a loud hit early in the second quarter, Mitchell responded by hauling in the next three passes thrown his way. Taaffe suggested that the hit may have been a catalyst for Mitchell’s strong play as the game went on.
On defence, the Black and Gold secondary held coverage deep, forcing Calvillo to rely on the short pass, something he did quite successfully to the dismay of Tabbies fans. Look for defensive coordinator Denny Creehan to shore that up for next week’s game against Toronto. The linebacking corps was solid with Markeith Knowlton, Zeke Moreno and Ray Mariuz amassing 25 tackles combined.
The curtain has closed on act one of TigerTown, but as with any good show, the best is yet to come.
