Justin Dunk
Ticats.ca
Each day after practice has finished, every Ticat player gathers around head coach Marcel Bellefeuille for the post-workout debriefing. On Thursday, all of Hamilton’s defenders were summoned by defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin for a second post-practice breakdown – it was the first time Chamblin pulled his unit together after a practice this season and the message was clear.
“He was telling us we have to win this game,” linebacker Renauld Williams said.
Allowing 19 unanswered second half points to Calgary last week was out of character for Chamblin’s get-after-it defence. He also told the group of defenders that he wants them to come out on Saturday, fly around, make plays and get back to having fun on the field.
Confidence should not be lacking when the Tabbies defenders line up a across from a double blue opponent who they absolutely dominated in four meetings last season – three during the regular season and, of course, the Eastern Semi-Final loss to the boatmen.
Hamilton allowed a meager 44 points, 11 points per game, in four games against the Argos in 2010. Cleo Lemon was behind centre during each Ticat-Argo encounter last season and will start for the double blue on Saturday. Lemon managed just a single touchdown pass, which came in the Eastern Semi-Final, against six interceptions versus the Hamilton secondary a year ago.
“I think we mixed up coverage well between man and zone, and showing different looks. I think with him being in his first year that was hard,” defensive back Jason Shivers, who intercepted Lemon once last season, said. “He’s a little bit more seasoned now so he is used to seeing different looks. I think it’s going to be important for us to make sure we are disguising our looks.”
Joining Lemon in the Argos offensive backfield, after sitting out four weeks with a knee injury, is talkative runner Cory Boyd. The mail carrier for Toronto led the team with eight catches in the Argos 16-13 playoff upset of Hamilton last year, while adding 93 tough and time-chewing yards in the win.
“He’s a big back who is strong, fast, and physical so we have to get a lot of guys to the ball and get some hits on him,” Williams said.
Hamilton’s middle linebacker will clash with Boyd on the field for the first time, but he is well aware of the amount that Boyd likes to vocalize on the field.
“We love guys that talk,” he said. “The more you talk the more we want to hit you. So let him keep talking, we’re going to put some pads on him.”
While Boyd was out of the Argos lineup, the Argos became very charitable with the football. They have lost nine fumbles, and fumbled 17 times in total, while quarterbacks Lemon (4) and Dalton Bell (4) have combined to throw a league leading eight interceptions.
“We noticed that if you hit [Lemon], he will throw it to you,” Williams said.
“I see that they have a lot of miscues. We want to capitalize on that,” Shivers added. “Our mindset is all about takeaways, takeaways, takeaways.”
Toronto has turned the football over 19 times through their last five games — all losses. Teams have been able to capitalize on the mistakes made by the Argos this season, scoring 38 points off turnovers, a trend Hamilton will look to continue when kickoff time arrives on Saturday night.
