Ticats.ca
Justin Dunk
It might not be Labour Day when the Ticats take on the Argonauts, but Saturday’s game will have much of the same feel. August 13 will be the only time Toronto will travel to Ivor Wynne stadium this season.
Hamilton is coming off a second-half letdown in Cowtown, suffering a 32-20 defeat, so facing the double blue should provide the Tiger-Cats with a great opportunity to get back in the win column.
The battle between bitter rivals is always hotly contested, no matter the records but Hamilton will be looking to push the Argos even further into the East division basement – and out of playoff contention – than they already are.
Toronto is reeling with five straight losses after squeaking out a week one victory in Calgary 23-21 – the Argos lone win of the 2011 campaign. The Argonauts sit in last place in the CFL’s East Division, two games behind Hamilton for 3rd, but with the league’s crossover rules, Toronto currently sits tied for a playoff spot with B.C. and Saskatchewan.
A win for the Black and Gold would put Toronto three games back and go a long way, even this early in the season, towards Hamilton securing a playoff spot.
Toronto has given up 178 points on the season, second most in the CFL.
For a team built largely around their defence, that performance was simply not good enough. So head coach Jim Barker decided change was needed and parted ways with defensive coordinator, Chip Garber and promoted defensive backs coach, Orlondo Steinauer. The former CFL All-Star will be charged with implementing his defensive schemes in a short period of time, and preparing his defence to take on the Tiger-Cats.
The Cats have not had much trouble of late dealing with the Argos during the regular season, riding a five-game win streak, but the playoffs and last year’s Eastern Semi-Final were a different story. After winning all three regular season match-ups in 2010, Hamilton could not manage a fourth victory over Toronto in the post season and it ended their 2010 campaign in disapointment. The meeting on Saturday will be the first since the 16-12 home playoff defeat at the hands of the boatmen and will provide an opportunity for the Ticats to exact revenge on their rivals from Hogtown.
