Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
The CFL certainly doesn’t lack challenges for a newly-formed defence looking to gel and taste success. Only days removed from confronting the multi-faceted, Grey Cup-winning offence of the B.C. Lions, the Black and Gold’s defensive players find themselves preparing for an entirely different but equally lethal threat in the form of the league’s leading passer, Ricky Ray.
A precise pocket passer of the highest order, Ray put his talents on display for the league to see on Saturday, picking apart the Stampeders en route to victory in a vintage shootout. Looking to build upon the improvement they witnessed in their week two loss on the west coast, the Tiger-Cats’ defenders are well aware of the challenge that Ray poses.
Those veteran members of the Black and Gold who have lined up across from Ray on occasion acknowledge that his intelligence and pocket presence set him apart from any run-of-the-mill signal caller.
“He’s a smart quarterback,” says Ticat cornerback Geoff Tisdale of the Argo passer. “We’ve just got to study up on him and find out what he likes to do and what he doesn’t. We’ve got to take that and add that into our game plan.
“I’ve played against Ricky plenty of times,” adds defensive lineman Jermaine McElveen. “One of the things that’s different about him is that he’s not as much of a scrambler as the guys we’ve played for the last couple of weeks. One thing about Ricky is that we have to mess up his timing. If we can get at them up front and mess up his timing with his receivers, I think we’ve going to have a good night up front.”
The knowledge possessed by veterans like Tisdale and McElveen is invaluable for a Tiger-Cat defensive unit littered with young players, and both men indicate that they are aiding their less experienced teammates in their preparation.
“We’re always sharing experience,” says Tisdale. “You want to give the guys out there as much as you know, so that we can all play on the same page.
“I’m sharing that experience,” adds McElveen. “Most of the guys up front are younger, and I try to give them some of my experience. Sometimes it’s a matter of learning on the go. A lot of times, adjusting to the CFL – the yard off of the ball – it takes a few games to get used to it, to the speed. I think that now, I feel like the d-line is progressing. Each week we’ve gotten a little better, and this week I think we’re going to put it all together and get after this quarterback.”
The path to success on Saturday begins on the practice field, and McElveen indicates that the priority of the Black and Gold’s trench warriors lies in hammering out the technical elements of the game.
“It’s all about details,” says the veteran lineman. “It’s about getting back to our fundamentals. This week is going to be really big for the defensive line. We didn’t get off to the kind of start that we wanted so far this season, but we’re going to pick it up this week and get back to working hard.”
For his part, Tisdale argues that the secondary must do more of the same this week, improving by way of repetition.
“It’s about doing what we did last week,” says the seasoned cornerback of his unit’s focus in practice. “Studying our playbooks, and coming out here in practice and executing what the coaches are calling. It’s about repetition, and about communication. Communication is a big thing for us.”
McElveen believes that the Ticats’ morale remains high as they enter week three, and that Defensive Coordinator Casey Creehan’s high expectations for his defenders continues to spur them on.
“He expects so much of the defensive line, and that’s what I like about it,” says the veteran lineman of Creehan. “He expects so much out of us, and he put this whole defence together based on this d-line. Our chemistry up front has just gotten better. Even on this first day of practice you can notice it. It’s going to be a different line this week. You’ll see it.”
Tisdale sees success as coming via a balance of physicality and intelligence on the defensive side of the ball.
“It’s the same thing as last week,” says the cornerback. “It’s about playing physical and getting up on their guys. We’ve got to play our game, and play smart, sound football.”
The Ticats’ defensive corps knows that such play is necessary if they are to blunt the Argos’ burgeoning offence on Saturday and notch the team’s first, elusive victory.
