Bert Faibish
Ticats.ca
The old football cliché says, “the game is won and lost in the trenches”. This is true, especially when discussing the defensive side of the ball.
If your front four can’t apply pressure to the pocket, forget it, pack up your stuff and go home because with enough time the opposing quarterback is going to carve your defence like a Thanksgiving Day turkey.
The equation to defensive success in football is simple, but the two aspects work hand-in-hand. Good coverage equals pressure on the QB, and pressure on the QB equals opportunities for the secondary.
It’s a zen-like harmony that every coach strives to achieve — defensive nirvana.
The front four of Hamilton’s defence has been improving every week, and looks to be a special group with the potential to be great. Broken down week by week, each member is beginning to break out recently, with the exception of Garrett McIntyre who has been the unit’s most consistent QB stalker, recording a sack in three of the first four games.
Defensive linemen are a bit of a different breed. One part quiet work horse, one part trash-talking brigand, a defensive linemen has one chance to pay back the offensive line for their hours of double team’s and cut-blocks; a free shot at their quarterback.
It’s an opportunity for an impact play that can be jealously guarded, even amongst teammates.
“I’m happy when my teammates get sacks but at the same time, I want to get them just as bad,” said McIntyre.
“That, I think, fuels the defensive line because I know that if I don’t get there, Justin Hickman’s going to get there before me,” he said.
All of this, and last year’s sack leader on the team Khari Long is yet to break through and record a sack.
“I think these guys are coming on and getting a little better each week, and I think they had their best game last week in Montreal, in terms of getting up the field and putting pressure on the quarterback,” said defensive coordinator Greg Marshall.
Pressure. It’s a statless category in the CFL that makes a huge impact in the league. Even when the quarterback gets rid of the ball before the rush gets there, his timing is thrown off, his throw is inaccurate and his decision making is suspect.
That’s why sacks can be slightly deceiving.
Even though the Ticats are only tied for fourth in sacks, they sit at second in fewest first downs through the air. This is explained by pass rushers almost getting to the quarterback, but disrupting them enough to result in an incompletion.
“Me personally, I’d rather have constant pressure than one sack a game,” said McIntyre.
The Ticats will need to feed Darian Durant a steady diet of sacks and pressure this Saturday if they want to escape Regina with a win. The shifty quarterback leads the league in passing and is dangerous if allowed to escape the pocket.
“We have to play like we did in the second Winnipeg game, getting pressure on the quarterback and keeping Durant in the pocket,” said Justin Hickman.
With such a dangerous group of receivers at his disposal, limiting the time and space Durant has to make decisions will be absolutely crucial in executing a successful game plan on Saturday at Mosaic Field.
