By Kevin Thompson
Check out the latest Ticats.ca Q & A with head coach Marcel Bellefeuille where he discusses the win against Edmonton and this week’s game versus the Riders.
Right off the bat, give us your thoughts on Saturday’s exciting win over the Eskimos…
MB – “It was a big win for us, the guys played well and overcame some adversity as we were down early. We did a great job hanging on to the football with the weather conditions. We showed a lot of toughness playing through the weather and coming back from being behind.”
As you mentioned, the weather played a large role in Saturday’s game, especially with the heavy rain in the second half. How did this affect your game plan?
MB – “(It affected the plan) a little bit because it was tougher to throw the ball down the field. In the fourth quarter, we played a field position game with the wind so our kicking game was important. Nick got hot for us in the fourth quarter punting the ball so that really helped us.”
So far this season, your team is 3-0 against West division teams. What factors have contributed to your success against the West division?
MB – “I don’t believe it has anything to do with the west teams, I think we have played well since we’ve won and it just happens to be that we’ve played a lot of western teams early in the year. I believe we are playing better football, improving every week and it just so happens that those are the teams we’ve been playing.”
Two members of your secondary, Chris Thompson and Geoff Tisdale, teamed up for an exciting, game-changing interception/lateral/touchdown play on Saturday… What was going through your head at that time?
MB – “Obviously at the time you’re like no, no, no, and then you’re like yes, yes, yes and it worked out. I trust our players, they know the difference between playing aggressive and playing smart football. Chris was being aggressive and made it work.”
Markeith Knowlton had an outstanding performance on Saturday recording 11 tackles, one interception, one pass knockdown and one fumble recovery against Edmonton. Can you comment on his performance and contribution to your team’s defence.
MB – “He had a great game. Markeith is around the ball and makes plays around the ball quite a bit. He makes plays at opportune times… (against B.C.) he stripped the ball on the one yard line and this time he intercepts the ball in the end zone, so he makes plays when you need them most. He’s active and constantly moving around the football so he has been critical to our success on defence.”
Quinton Porter has played well, especially in the last few games. He had a touchdown pass, ran in another touchdown himself and did not throw any interceptions against Edmonton. How has he improved since training camp?
MB – “He has improved considerably, the game is slowing down for him, he’s making good decisions with the football, he is starting to throw the football away when he needs to, taking his shots when he has them and moving the team so I’m very happy where he’s at.”
Many of the TigerTown faithful would describe your team as resilient. Do you agree?
MB – “Yes, they are resilient, I think they are positive, they play one play at a time regardless of the score, they play hard and you are going to have an opportunity to win most weeks when you do that.”
The team is on the road for the next two games, how do you prepare your team for playing in the opposing team’s buildings?
MB – “It’s no different than any week, although you have to add some crowd noise during practice to get them used to playing on the road again so for the offence that is part of the plan. Each game has some significant differences like preparing for the wind in Saskatchewan so we’ll do that and make the adjustments to our kicking game. Outside of that, it is preparation as usual.”
Can you talk about Saskatchewan and what elements of the team your players need to be aware of?
MB – “They are a great football team, a great team at home, they really play off their crowd and they have some big-play players like (receiver Weston) Dressler. Their defence is very aggressive, fast and they fly around the football… so it has more to do with us as a team in terms of being prepared for the challenge rather than any particulars.”
It’s time for the team’s bye week following Sunday’s game… what are your plans during your time off?
MB – “I will take a few days off, hang out with the family and try to recharge the batteries.”
