By: Justin Boone
Game Two in the Ticats/Argos rivalry comes to TigerTown tonight and it will be an important game for both teams as they look to keep up with Montreal in the East.
For those who say the hostility between Hamilton’s Tiger-Cats and Toronto’s Argonauts has dulled over the years, they need to look no further than the Argos defensive tackle Adriano Belli. The former Ticat showed the fire that still exists between the clubs when he was ejected from their game earlier this season at the Rogers Centre.
The result was a 32-13 dismantling of the Double Blue, the Ticats first win Toronto since the beginning of the Bob Young era, and a significant step for a team looking to stand it’s ground against it’s oldest adversary.
It’s hard to imagine that two teams separated by 70 km could be as completely polar opposite as Ontario’s two football clubs, but the pairing makes for the CFL’s greatest rivalry and one of the most storied traditions in Canadian sport.
With cities as different as their respective owners, the Boatmen and the Tabbies are the ultimate clash of blue ribbon versus blue collar. The Argos have survived on big plays from their quarterbacks, receivers, and special teams, while the Ticats make a living on the ground with the punishing running attack backed up by a hardnosed defence.
Belli, who showed his frustration in the Argos loss to Hamilton, is one of a long list of players who have traded jerseys in this turf war. Jeff Johnson, Mike O’Shea, Orlondo Steinhauer, Jude St. John, and most recently Wayne Shaw and Jerome Davis once donned the Black and Gold. On the other side, Ray Mariuz, Tony Miles, Matt Robichaud and John Williams went from the retractable dome to the open field of Ivor Wynne Stadium, where the teams will play their remaining two games this season.
The Ticats are looking forward to hosting their territorial foe, as the boast a record of 64-34-1 within the confines of their home field and they’ll look to make it 65 tonight.
The Breakdown
FB Jeff Piercy on Toronto’s defence…
“The biggest thing about Toronto is they are veteran. They have Belli, Fletcher and O’Shea running things and then the secondary has been together for a long time. We need to make sure we get positive yardage on first down. If you’re second and long, that’s where they want you to be. They drop into their match coverages and cause a lot of problems. Last time we played them I had a carry for a short first down. If we’re second and one, I’ll take the carry, but if we’re second and eight I don’t even want to see the ball.”
DB Sandy Beveridge on Toronto’s offence…
“I think Kerry Joseph has really stepped up to the forefront to lead that offence now. He seems to be tucking the ball away and he’s starting to hit his stride in being able to read the defences a bit better. I think he was struggling with the new offensive scheme early in the season. In the backfield, Dominique Dorsey is pretty spectacular, not only is he fast but he’s quick. He gets to his top speed within a 5-10 yard window, so you can’t let him get started and you have to force him to go east/west instead of north/south. They have some injuries at receiver but regardless of who is out there, they’ll still be running the same routes, and the same plays.”
Under The Radar
RB – Terry Caulley – Tiger-Cats
Injured at the beginning of the season, Caulley has returned to the lineup and stepped in for Jesse Lumsden as the starter. In Lumsden absence last year, Caulley played extremely well so the coaching staff is hoping he can do the same, while being backed up by speedster Tre Smith.
WR – Reggie McNeal – Argonauts
The Argos fourth-string quarterback was moved to wideout this week due to a series of injuries at the receiver position. He has the athleticism to get the job done, but it will be interesting to see how he does against the Ticats secondary.
Final Notes
– Captains for Thursday’s game: George Hudson (Offence), Nautyn McKay-Loescher (Defence), Ray Mariuz (Special Teams).
– Changes on the offensive line once again this week as Charles Thomas returns and will take Jonta Woodard’s spot at left tackle.
– Expect Richie Williams to do a better job of making his reads and getting the ball downfield. He admitted that there were times he held on to the ball too long, which led to some of the sacks last week in Montreal.
