Tiger-Cats head coach Marcel Bellefeuille answers some questions as his team prepares for their home opener against Calgary on Saturday…
You played in a hostile environment in Winnipeg last weekend and now your team gets to play at home. Can you talk about the advantages you expect to see playing in front of the crowd at Ivor Wynne?
MB: Well, first of all, communication will be better. It was tough for our offensive line, they couldn’t hear very well… it was a playoff type atmosphere. The second thing is we won’t have to travel. The first week getting on the road like that, especially going halfway across the country is a little draining.
The third thing is we’ll have the support of our home crowd and the other team will hopefully have to deal with the same type of noise that we dealt with.
Maurice Mann missed the season opener but has practiced this week. Should we expect to see him in the lineup on Saturday?
MB: We hope so, he’s done a good job practicing and it looks like he’s getting healthy, so at this point in time we hope so.
Marcus Thigpen earned the CFL’s Special Teams Player of the Week award in his CFL debut. What are your thoughts on his first game?
MB: He exceeded expectations. He scored twice and that’s tremendously important. He has good speed, good vision, and as he continues to improve and learn in game situations, he’ll be even better.
Is it safe to say that you have found the returner the team has sought after?
All indications are that we have. It’s only one game so we’ll have to look at it over a longer period, but up to this point, obviously the indications are he’s more than capable of being that guy.
Justin Palardy also made his CFL debut in Winnipeg last week. What did you think of his performance?
MB: He did a lot of good things. Kicking the ball, he had a 45-yard average, he got the ball up in the air and did a good job on that. He still has some things to work on but he’s certainly coming along.
What’s the main message you have been telling the team as you get ready for the Stampeders?
MB: Preparation, preparation, preparation. Focus on doing the little things well this week.
Can you talk about some of the challenges the Stampeders present on both offence and defence?
MB: Well, first of all, they’re an excellent football team. They went to the Western Final last year, won the Grey Cup the year before and have a lot of holdovers from those two years.
It all starts with the quarterback, he can run, he can throw, and he’s very poised. He has a number of weapons in guys like Nik Lewis and Joffrey Reynolds.
On defence, they’re aggressive, they blitz, they get after you and turn the ball over.
Henry Burris is considered one of the elite quarterbacks in this league. What kind of things will the defence have to do to prevent him from having a big game?
MB: It will take a complete defensive effort across the board. Obviously we have to contain and keep him in the pocket, not give him the opportunity to run around and make plays with his legs.
Is there any advantage at all to be playing another very mobile quarterback after facing Buck Pierce last week?
MB: The things that we learned last week are important. Staying in our lanes and making tackles and getting off the field. In terms of the speed of the game and having a quarterback that puts pressure on you, that is the advantage of seeing a guy like that two weeks in a row.
