By: Justin Boone
When the Ticats players arrived at Ivor Wynne Stadium Tuesday morning, it looked like an exterminator had been hard at work.
Inside every locker was a mousetrap, a symbol of their upcoming game. A trap game, as head coach Charlie Taaffe refers to it because it’s sandwiched between a big win and the team’s bye week.
“It’s tough because a lot of guys are anxious to go home, but we’re hungry and if we get this win we’re going to be anxious to come back,” said running back Terry Caulley, whose 134 combined yards and two touchdowns helped power the Tabbies to a win last week against Toronto.
“It’s a long season, and we had a rough start, but hopefully that Toronto game was a spark to something that could be very special,” he added.
The Ticats are entering somewhat unfamiliar territory this week, as they enter a game with a better record than their opponent for the first time since 2004.
“We see a team with a lot of talent. For whatever reason they’re not playing well, but they have their back against the wall like we do, so we’re not going to underestimate them,” expressed the team’s leading sacker Darrell Adams.
It’s a sentiment that’s shared on both sides of the ball. The mousetraps are only one way that coach Taaffe has made sure his club doesn’t take the Bombers lightly. With Kevin Glenn back at the helm and the return of Milt Stegall, the defending East Division champs are pulling out all the stops to get back on a winning path, including signing former Ticats return man Jason Armstead. No matter what changes have happened the goal is the same for the Tabbies.
“It’s simple. We just have to get it done,” explained versatile offensive lineman Marko Cavka. “There’s not a whole lot to think about. If we can get a win in Winnipeg, the momentum will carry into Labour Day and we can get a roll going.”
A Ticats win combined with an Argos loss will put Hamilton in second place, and push the Bombers further down into the basement of the East, a place where they might be in need of those leftover mousetraps.
The Breakdown
RB Terry Caulley on Winnipeg’s defence…
“They’re smart, they’re physical, and
they’re fast. They fly around to the ball. We know that their front four are very experienced, with guys like Doug Brown and Jerome Haywood, so we have to come into this game focused. If we try to do the extraordinary then we’re going to shoot ourselves in the foot. If we just take each play one step at a time and focus on our assignments, I think we’re going to come up successful.”
Rontarius Robinson on Winnipeg’s offence…
“Basically the first thing we look at is who’s the starting quarterback. This week it’s Kevin Glenn so we really have to focus on him. We understand that they have a good receiving corps so we have to be real mindful of them. They have the leading receiver in the league in Romby Bryant, so we have to keep our eyes on him. And with Milt Stegall back in the mix that just adds fuel to the fire. Charles Roberts is still very dangerous, so we’re going to be trying to bottle him up and get all black shirts to the ball, and continue to do what we do and play well.”
Under The Radar
RB – John Williams – Tiger-Cats
Say hello to your starting running back for Thursday’s game. The host of Pigskin Cinema himself will be in the backfield when the game gets underway in Winnipeg, because of ratio issues. While Terry Caulley will still see plenty of touches, don’t discount the team’s other Canadian back, who will look to write his own blockbuster script in his first start of the year.
WR – Milt Stegall – Blue Bombers
Some might argue that a perennial all-star like Stegall can’t really fly under the radar, but without him in the lineup the team has struggled so far this year. He returned two weeks ago, but was still slowed by injuries. After a week off, he returns once again and the Bombers are hoping he can help right the ship, before it sinks.
Final Notes
– Captains for Thursday’s game: Marwan Hage (Offence), Jykine Bradley (Defence), Sandy Beveridge (Special Teams).
– Jonta Woodard returns to the offensive line this week, along with Pete Dyakowski at left guard, Marwan Hage at centre, Marko Cavka taking over for George Hudson at right guard, and Charles Thomas moving back over to right tackle.
– With Tre Smith not making the trip due to ratio issues, Jo Jo Walker will assume return duties, backed up by Terry Caulley. Walker won Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts against Edmonton in the final game of the season last year, with five punt returns for 100 yards and a touchdown.
