Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
Burris: emphasis is on execution
Henry Burris addressed the most pressing area of improvement for the Ticats offence on Tuesday as the team prepares to face the defending Grey Cup champions in three days’ time. The Black and Gold’s veteran pivot argued that the priority of his group is firmly on improving their execution and turning their hard-earned yardage into points.
“The first thing for our offence is that we have to finish off drives,” said Burris. “It’s especially critical when you play against a team like the Lions. They’ll come out hard – especially at home – and they really ride the wave with their crowd. They have one of the best atmospheres for a home team to play in and it’s tough for an opponent. We have to be consistent. We had some penalties that brought back some big plays, some missed assignments.
“I’ve got to make some better throws and we’ve got to catch the ball. But we’ve moved the ball. We have the weapons to get it done, but you can tell that we’re still building some chemistry, but we’ve done well since Friday.”
With regards to how he and his team can achieve such efficiency, Burris stated that the approach must be to best exploit what the Lions’ defence presents in coverage.
“It’s about taking what the defence gives you. BC might present some different challenges, because they’ve got some great players on the back end with players like (Dante) Marsh and Korey Banks, (Ryan) Phillips and the guys on the field side. They’ve got some great, veteran players all around who have a lot of ball skills. It comes down to being smart with the ball and taking what they give us.”
Burris on Cobourne: leaning on experience to adjust
Asked to assess the progress of veteran teammate Avon Cobourne in reacclimatizing himself with the physical and tactical demands of the CFL, Burris indicated that he trusted his running back to use his wealth of experience to aid his return to action.
“When you’re a 30-plus old guy like us, you’re always in catch-up mode,” Burris joked.
“But it’s mind over matter at this point in our careers, it’s all of the experience that we have that allows us to use the physical abilities that we have to our advantage. Avon will be able to do just that, because he knows the game and he sees things before they actually happen. I know that regardless of who’s in the backfield we’re going to have a playmaker.”
Burris: B.C. an early litmus test
Looking to bounce back from the disappointment of their opening week, the Ticats face a tough task in the form of the defending Grey Cup champions. However, as Burris pointed out on Tuesday, any team that aspires to a title must challenge and overcome the very best.
“If you want to be the man you’ve got to beat the man,” said the veteran pivot. “Going out there on the road, it’s a tough environment to play in. For us to gain some momentum into next week this is a big game. It’s about getting things rolling and be able to feel better about everything that we have going on here. But we’re not lacking confidence on this team. We know what we’re capable of.”
Cortez: Splitting repetitions ensures preparedness
While addressing the media in the wake of his team’s Tuesday morning practice, the Ticats’ Head Coach and Director of Football Operations George Cortez spoke to the division of practice repetitions between running backs Chevon Walker and Avon Cobourne.
The coach explained that such sharing of time was not exclusive to his rushers, and was practiced in many areas of the team to ensure that those who may not be slated to start are prepared to step in if they must.
“They’re basically splitting reps in practice,” said Cortez of his two running backs. “We have several positions like that. There are a number of reasons for that. It allows more than one player to be prepped, because you never know what’ll happen. If you give one guy all of the reps and then he steps on a foot tomorrow and turns his ankle, the other guy will not be as prepared as possible. There are a number of positions where we give a number of guys reps.”
Cortez: Assessing a tough B.C. defence
Cortez echoed his quarterback in emphasizing the need for better execution on Friday night, and admitted that such would be no easy feat against a formidable Lions defence.
“We’d like to score some touchdowns,” said the coach of his goal for the contest. “We kicked too many field goals and didn’t score enough touchdowns last time around. BC is very good on defence. they’re a very typical Lions team like the ones I saw when I was in the league before. They’re a rotational defensive line, which is kind of a trademark of the Lions teams of this era. They play very solidly in the secondary, don’t make very many mistakes and rally to the ball. Their secondary has great ball skills, probably the best of any secondary in the league. If you throw it to them, they catch it. I was very impressed with how they played in the preseason.”
