CFL.ca Staff
HAMILTON — Winners of four of their last five games, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats enter this bye week with their hopes of hoisting Lord Grey’s iconic cup very much intact.
Overshadowed by more dramatic goings on – the Surge in Swagerville, the Turnaround by Tillman and the Slide in Saskatchewan – the Black and Gold have been quietly stacking up wins of late and progressing towards their goal.
Since stumbling out of the gate against teams that now lead their respective divisions, these Cats may have become the league’s most intriguing team, the CFL’s version of the “most interesting man in the world” from the popular beer ads: “I don’t always play my very best. But when I do, it’s impressive. Stay tuned, my friends.”
As the season has progressed, flashes of black and gold brilliance have turned into longer stretches of it. And if this team – supremely talented in several spots, yet very young in others – continues to improve, the sky just may be the limit.
Quarterback Kevin Glenn, who would surely be a first ballot inductee if there were a Hall of Under Appreciated, eclipsed the 30,000 passing yard mark in his career in last weekend’s 37-32 shootout win over the Argos. In seven games, he has completed 62 per cent of his tosses for 1,759 yards and has 12 touchdown tosses against just five interceptions.
With the swift Quinton Porter at backup and the promising Jason Boltus, who may have the strongest arm of all three Hamilton pivots, in reserve, the Tiger-Cats feel they have the kind of depth at the league’s most important position that others could end up envying.
Their key free agent acquisition, running back Avon Cobourne, has run for 459 yards with just over a third of the season completed. He boasts a five yard rushing average, has yet to fumble and blocks and catches as well as he runs.
On defence, the Cats feature a ton of speed, with two of the best rush ends in the league in Stevie Baggs and Justin Hickman and the most active linebacking corps, featuring Jamall Johnson, Markeith Knowlton, and Renaud Williams.
Toss in the most consistent placekicker in the league in Justin Medlock (17 for 19 on field goal attempts) and it is clear this group has the talent to contend.
What’s more, the trade of Arland Bruce to B.C. frees up cap space for the Tiger-Cats to welcome a key piece from an NFL camp should, say, former Tiger-Cat defensive end Garrett McIntyre or Canadian receiver Samuel Giguere, become available.
But football is a tough business and Hamilton is an even tougher town, where some folks not only see the glass as half empty – they see it as suitable for breaking over the head of the nearest optimist.
The naysayers look at the club’s 4-3 record and mutter that it’s still hovering around the .500 mark, and while the Cats handled the Alouettes in their most impressive win, their other victories have come over B.C., Toronto and Saskatchewan.
Those pessimists may be missing some important considerations. We might even call them “future considerations” because they bode well for the rest of the season.
Of the five receivers listed as starters in the Cats’ last outing, three are rookies (Bakari Grant, Aaron Kelly and Chris Williams), and a fourth is in only his third season after seeing limited playing time in his previous two (Matt Carter).
Williams brings speed, and Kelly at 6’5 and Grant at 6’4, bring much needed size. As they develop, and veteran Maurice Mann returns from injury to join CFL touchdown leader Dave Stala as veteran stock, this group could make a lot of late season noise.
On the other side of the ball, of the seven defensive backs who have seen the most action for the Cats this year, three (Chris Rwabukamba, Carlos Thomas and Marcell Young) are rookies, one (Ryan Hinds) is a sophomore and three (Marc Beswick, Bo Smith and Jason Shivers) are in their fourth year in the CFL.
It’s another young group that has shown great cover ability at times and the propensity to miss an assignment at other times. And they are playing a new system under a new defensive co-ordinator, Corey Camblin. (The offensive co-ordinator, Khari Jones, is also a rookie at the co-ordinator’s position, having been elevated from quarterbacks coach.)
As these young defensive backs layer CFL knowledge on top of their athletic ability, and gain familiarity with each other and the system, the Tiger-Cat defence has the potential to be scary good.
In hindsight, it may have been unrealistic to expect the Tiger-Cats to romp out of the gate, because they didn’t stand pat this past off-season. They looked to get bigger and faster at receiver, more athletic and aggressive in the secondary and younger and more aggressive in their coaching ranks. And while change can be good in football, it can sometimes come with a price attached. Pay that price early in the year, and it may pay big dividends come playoff time.
The next month will be a telling measure of the Cats’ progress. They visit the red hot Bombers on Friday, August 26, host the defending champion Alouettes on Labour Day and then travel to Montreal on Sunday, September 11.
It’s a stretch that will go a long way towards determining whether the team can capture first place in the East and the right to host the Eastern Final and that would be a huge advantage.
Still, those who have been around the CFL the longest will tell you what matters most is not who is most impressive when it’s hot outside, but who is at the top of their game when the cold winds of November roll in. And as they heal their bodies this week and get ready for the CFL mid-season break, these Cats are quietly confident they’re on the right track.
