Bert Faibish
Ticats.ca
Success in football is all about timing.
The team that gets hot going into the postseason, the team that gets healthy before the stretch run, and in the Ticats case; the team that gets injured players back just as other players go down.
In a fortunate twist of fate, after losing Bo Smith to a season-ending injury in Calgary alast week , the Hamilton secondary is ready to welcome back Jason Shivers from the sick bay. Shivers has been out with an elbow injury since September 18.
So as the Ticats approach the stretch run, their starting secondary will greatly resemble the one which began the season and played well into September.
“It feels real good to get back into the groove, I feel like I haven’t missed a beat,” said Shivers.
“I felt like I was playing my best ball just before I got hurt so I’ve been pretty anxious to get back on the field,” he added.
Smith’s injury means that Geoff Tisdale will return to the corner position he played for much of the season, and that Shivers will take over the weakside halfback position.
It’s a move that Tisdale feels completely comfortable with.
“I really don’t feel like there’s any difference, whether I’m playing corner or half,” said Tisdale. “I’m completely comfortable at either position and I feel like I play them both pretty well, so it’s just a case of going out there and competing on every play.”
The new/old group of players will get one more chance to gel as a unit before the post-season begins, as they play host to the B.C. Lions this Saturday.
When weighing the benefits of giving his secondary time to get reacquainted with one another during the game, Coach Bellefeuille will liely have their health at the forefront of his mind. While Tisdale and Shivers need to get used to their positions again, they also need to be healthy for the East Semi-Final.
Another player who could see playing time in the secondary on Saturday is safety/linebacker Kyries Hebert, who missed last week’s game due to a minor injury.
Hebert could see some time at safety this week in relief of regular starter Dylan Barker.
Hebert was acquired as a free agent after being released by the Cincinnati Bengals last month and is expected to play a prominent role on special teams and as a situational player on defence moving forward.
