By: Justin Boone
As the Ticats made their way to the dressing room at Rogers Centre last Thursday, after a 32-13 victory over the Argos, you couldn’t help but feel good for Caretaker Bob Young.
He stood in the end zone closest to the team’s dressing room, with a vindicated smile. It was the first time the Tiger-Cats had won in Toronto since July 20, 2001, making it Bob Young’s first win in rival territory and he couldn’t be happier.
Hamilton’s win in Week Two was one of many surprises that have made experts step back and rethink their pre-season prognostications.
In Montreal, head coach Marc Trestman has his new club undefeated after two weeks. The offensive minded coach has throw a variety of looks at opposing defences and has turned RB Avon Cobourne into a multi-dimnesional threat. Cobourne leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 347. The man giving him the ball, QB Anthony Calvillo, looks resurrected and as long as he stays healthy the Als offensive attack will remain dangerous.
If you’re bewildered by Cobourne’s success in place of the injured RB Jarrett Payton, how about the Tabbies new X-factor, RB Tre Smith, who has made the most of his opportunities as the team’s return man and in spot duty on offence. Smith has 454 yards combined, which is almost 100 yards more than the second best total in the CFL after two games.
Winnipeg might be suffering from a Grey Cup hangover, after failing to bring the championship back to Manitoba. Their offence has been less than stellar with all-star running back Charles Roberts averaging only 44 yards per game on the ground and they’re definitely missing WR Milt Stegall, as he fights his way back from off-season surgery. It doesn’t get any easier this week as they face the B.C. Lions, who are off too an equally disappointing 0-2 start, and are hoping to prove they’re better than their record shows.
After drinking from the Cup, Saskatchewan hasn’t missed a beat, winning their first two games with a combination of sound defence and overall confidence as a team. Things will be more difficult this week as starting QB Marcus Crandell is out and backup QB Darian Durant steps into the fire at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
Kudos to some big performances this week. Eskimos QB Ricky Ray had 448 passing yards, three TDs, and a perfectly thrown pass in the final minute to steal a victory from the Stampeders. Unfortunately for B.C. DE Cameron Wake, his team didn’t have the same success, but his eight-tackle, three-sack explosion against the Roughriders is likely one of the better individual defensive games you’ll see this year.
Finally, I would be remiss to leave out Ticats RB Jesse Lumsden and his 189 yards and two touchdowns, which was a big part of the reason Bob Young was able to have that grin on his face. The Cats rushing game has accumulated more yards in the first two weeks (462), than the Bombers, Argos, and Lions combined (358), something else for Bob to smile about.
The Ins and Outs
(Storylines from around the CFL)
All In A Day’s Work – How does a team win a football game without breaking 200 yards of total offence? Ask Saskatchewan’s head coach Ken Miller, who watched his club go through three quart
erbacks but still manage to beat B.C. The key to the game was the four turnovers that gave the Riders great field position. The Lions don’t seem nearly as scary but let me end that with an emphatic, YET.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind – Early last season we didn’t hear much from Lions WR Geroy Simon. In 2006, he led the league in receiving and his slow start a year ago made people question him, but by the end of the year he was once again atop the league’s receiving list. So far this year he has four catches for 68 yards, but just like I would caution anyone who counts out B.C. already, you can be sure we’ll hear more from Geroy.
In Their Sights – The Ticats offence is moving with more consistency and plenty of attention was given to the running game after Jesse’s display against the Boatmen, but QB Casey Printers is completing over 70 percent of his passes (70.5), a huge increase from a year ago. The only other quarterback about the 70 percent mark is Calvillo (72.8).
Out Of The Woodwork – A stat that often goes unnoticed is special teams tackles. We’ll hear about the defence, but rarely do you hear about the ballhawks on special teams, charging downfield like missiles. The Alouettes first round draft pick, LB Shea Emry, has made an immediate impact the way young Canadian linebackers have to, by leaving their mark on coverage teams. He currently leads the league with five special teams tackles.
Easier Said Than Done
(Quote of the week)
“I remember him, he was just a little guy on the sidelines. He used to yell, “Mosca You Stink!” I would look over and he would say, “Yeah You!” as he was hiding behind some of the guys. It was all in good fun.”
CFL Legend and Former Tiger-Cat Angelo Mosca speaking last season about his friend Bob Ackles, who passed away suddenly over the weekend. Mosca wrote about the very likable Ackles in his blog last year on Ticats.ca, following the release of Ackles’ book, The Water Boy
Follow The Leader
(Leaders from the CFL and the Ticats)
CFL Rushing – HAM Jesse Lumsden – 29 carries, 225 yards, 2 TDs
Ticats Rushing – HAM Jesse Lumsden – 29 carries, 225 yards, 2 TDs
CFL Passing – EDM Ricky Ray – 52/78, 697 yards, 3 TDs
Ticats Passing – HAM Casey Printers – 31/44, 374 yards
CFL Receiving – CGY Ken-Yon Rambo, WPG Derick Armstrong – 13 receptions, 208 yards, 1 TD
Ticats Receiving – HAM Scott Mitchell – 7 receptions, 119 yards
CFL Tackling – HAM Markeith Knowlton, WPG Barrin Simpson – 17 Tackles
Ticats Tackling – HAM Markeith Knowlton – 17 Tackles
CFL Interceptions – SSK James Johnson – 2 INTs
Ticats Interceptions – N/A
CFL Sacks – B.C. Lions Cameron Wake, HAM Darrell Adams – 3 Sacks
Ticats Sacks – HAM Darrell Adams – 3 Sacks
Let me know your thoughts on the week by sending you e-mails, comments, or questions to jboone@ticats.ca.
