Bert Faibish
Ticats.ca
Anything you can do I can do better.
Bob O’Billovich and the Ticats officially entered the arms race that has become CFL football in Ontario this afternoon by signing former Saskatchewan Roughrider and 2009 West Division All-Star Stevie Baggs.
The move comes just days after the Toronto Argonauts signed last season’s Outstanding Canadian Ricky Foley, and puts teams in the East Division on notice.
These guys mean business.
The very idea of joining Baggs with sack specialists Justin Hickman and Garrett McIntyre must make Defensive Coordinator Greg Marshall salivate over the possibilities and give the remaining quarterbacks on the schedule some sleepless nights.
Last season’s CFL sack leader joins an already potent defence that currently sits third in the league with 25 sacks, including six from McIntyre.
“I’ve played under coach Marshall before so I felt very comfortable with that,” said Baggs.
Baggs spent the entire preseason and training camp with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and was one of the final roster casualties before the start of the season.
“It’s been tedious, getting released by the Cardinals and waiting on phone calls and hearing from your agent,” said Baggs.
“Ultimately I just wanted to come to a winning organization that was on the uprise, where I was going to be able to play football,” he added.
The player that terrorized opposing backfields in 2009 with 12 sacks, 55 tackles, four forced fumbles and one interception will join the likes of fellow All-Star’s Jamall Johnson and Markeith Knowlton and give the Ticats arguably the most fearsome pass-attack in the league.
By signing Baggs, Ticats General Manager Bob O’Billovich not only added an impact player to his team, he kept rivals like Montreal from adding him to their roster. Baggs could very well be the extra piece that elevates Hamilton from being a good tem, to being elite.
“You just can’t have enough pass-rushers in our league because our league is so pass-oriented,” said O’Billovich.
“I think our fans are going to gravitate towards him, he reminds me a bit of Joe Montford because Joe was a great defensive player and not a real big guy as a rush-end, and I think Stevie has the potential to be that type of player,” he added.
As hard as it was for Baggs to say goodbye to the fans in Saskatchewan, he’s looking forward to some of the opportunities that playing for Hamilton will provide.
“I want to win a championship, and I just want to be a part of a process and a team that has that type of mindset and I feel like the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have that,” said Baggs.
