Ticats.ca
Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
The learning continues for Ticats
In the aftermath of his team’s sole workout on Wednesday, Ticats Head Coach and Director of Football Operations George Cortez addressed his team’s progress as the players continue to wrap their heads around a fresh playbook.
He stated that while gaps remain to be filled in the team’s installation process, a certain amount of improvisation would be an asset when the time for competitive football arrived.
“We’re making good progress,” said Cortez. “As I told the players yesterday, there are days when the offence’s installation doesn’t match the defence. I know that when we put plays in at first in training camp there are going to be certain formations that we’re not going to be very good against.
“But that’s how we install the plays and it’s how we install the offence, so that’s just life. And guess what? In the games, the other team doesn’t always line up the way that you expect them to line up. You have to rescue bad calls, you have to make the play against something you didn’t expect. It works the other way as well. The first time that we used three by two, the defence had trouble because they hadn’t seen the formation and then they adjusted to having seen it.”
Cortez on Burris: an evolved quarterback
The Black and Gold’s offensive boss also touched on the ways in which his star pivot Henry Burris has changed and evolved since the two first began working together over a decade ago.
Beyond his transformation on the football field, Cortez indicates that Burris has undergone a few off-field alterations as well.
“When I first coached him, I asked him to bring a case of beer back for a friend of mine who loved American beer,” said a reminiscing Cortez. “When he got back to town, I asked, “Henry, where’s the beer?” He said it was out in his car, so I went out there and there was a six-pack in the cooler. So I came back in and said, “Where’s the rest of it?” He said, “You told me to get a case!” I wanted a case, not a six-pack! Now he thinks he’s a wine connoisseur.
“He obviously knows a lot more than he did when he first came to us and has a great awareness of what we’re trying to do, which is a real plus for us.”
Cortez on Congi: showing punting prowess
Asked to evaluate the early performance of kicker Luca Congi after he spent the past season on the disabled list in Saskatchewan, Cortez was full of praise for the returning veteran. The Black and Gold’s bench boss argues that while Congi’s effectiveness as a punter thus far may surprise some observers, his history in the league hints at his ability in that role.
“I think he’s kicked the ball very well,” said Cortez of the former Roughrider. “Obviously he was banging them through in the few kicks that we were doing there near the end. I think he’s punted better than most people probably would have anticipated. As
I’ve told people, I looked at the year that he punted and his net yardage wasn’t much different from Paul McCallum’s this past year. And nobody’s griping about Paul McCallum’s punting.
“So maybe people have underestimated that part of his game.”
