Bert Faibish
Ticats.ca
In football terminology, the phrase “having a short memory” is applied when speaking about a number of positions on the field.
It basically means a player has to avoid dwelling on the last play, be it good or bad, and instead focus on the next one.
In the case of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, however, recalling the events that took place during a 49-29 loss at Canad Inns Stadium on July 2 is hard to avoid, and may in fact be beneficial.
Those same Blue Bombers arrive in town for the game Friday night, and there are some Ticats that can’t wait for another crack at them.
“It’s definitely going to be a good battle, knowing that in Week 1 they got the better of us,” said offensive lineman Simeon Rottier.
Rottier is one player who will be looking forward to prove that he is capable of playing at a much higher level than he showed in the first game.
“Week 1 wasn’t exactly how I wanted it to go but we got behind early and they were bringing the pass rush pretty good,” he said.
Rottier bounced back dramatically in Week 2, stifling the Calgary pass rush and showing the mixture of technique and power that made him a first overall selection in the 2009 CFL Canadian Draft.
“Week 2 was a lot better, I felt a lot more comfortable and at this point, the more reps I’m getting at right tackle the better I feel,” he said.
Rottier was moved from the guard position to fill in for the injured Jason Jimenez after he suffered a knee injury in the Ticats pre-season finale.
Players on the defensive side of the ball will be looking forward to the rematch as much as anyone, especially defensive back Jason Shivers.
“He’d be the first one to tell you that he had some struggles in the first game,” said defensive coordinator Greg Marshall. “I thought he came back and played better last week, he’s been working extremely hard at practice and you can see him gaining more confidence and becoming more comfortable with what we want him to do.”
Even though Shivers wasn’t pleased with the way he played in the first game, week 2 saw a dramatic improvement, with Shivers snagging his first interception of the season and returning it 53 yards. He’ll be looking to build on his performance against Calgary and come away Friday night with a measure of revenge.
“In the first game they came out and hit some big plays and I’m not looking for that to ever happen again,” said Shivers.
As a defender in the CFL, it is paramount to be able to live from play to play, never getting too up or down. The width of the field and the ability of receivers to use their unlimited motion to their advantage puts all the leverage on the side of the offence, and makes it imperative that defensive backs take advantage of opportunities when they are presented to them.
“Playing the position I play, sometimes people score, you just have to bounce back and finish strong,” said Shivers.
“I just try to stay even-keeled and in the moment,” he added.
Hamilton will try to use their home crowd to their advantage and give the Bombers a taste of their own medicine come Friday night.
