Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
A confrontation with the Argos will always bring an added measure of passion and desire to the Tiger-Cats’ rabid fan base. But as they continue to search for the first victory of their 2012 campaign, the Black and Gold’s players are equally driven in the lead up to Saturday’s match up.
Henry Burris encapsulates that motivation as he speaks of the week three tilt, arguing that he and the Ticats’ offensive unit will go to whatever length is necessary to collect a win.
“Whatever it takes for us to put one more point on the board than them,” says Burris of his squad’s plan of attack. “We’ve had a great week of practice, in fact the finest week of preparation that I feel we’ve had to date. In the first two weeks, we learned a lot about our team in terms of the things we’re good at and the things we need to get better at. We’re playing against a team that’s coming off of a big victory last week. But if there’s any game you definitely have to win as a member of the Ticats is the one against the Argos.”
Despite being winless through two weeks of the 2012 schedule, both Burris and Ticat Head Coach George Cortez dismiss the notion that the team is feeling any additional pressure.
“I still think that we’re in a good position,” says the quarterback. “Nobody’s playing under real pressure right now, because we know the mistakes that we’ve made and that we have a long way to go. This season is a long way from being over. Even where we are now at 0-2, we could be in first place if we win two or three games. Right now, it’s all about winning the first one, and once you get that done you as a team get a feeling for what it takes to win. Right now, that’s the most important thing that we need to get done.
“Most pressure on coaches specifically is self-generated,” adds Cortez. “If how things are going makes you work harder, then you weren’t working hard enough to start with, and I don’t believe that that’s ever been the situation.”
While the Black and Gold may not be suffering from any added anxiety this week, the arrival of the Argos undoubtedly brings a new level of intensity to the proceedings on the field. Burris and Cortez both acknowledge that a heated rivalry brings a different dimension to any football game.
“It doesn’t take long to learn,” says the quarterback of the local hatred of the Double Blue. “You get out here and start to feel the passion from the fans that are here and all of the people that have been part of this organization in this beautiful city, and it rubs off on you. Being here for the two months that I’ve been here now, I’m definitely feeling that passion.
“Beyond that, it’s time for us to get win number one, and what better place to get it started than here at home. We’ve still got a long season ahead of us, but we’re playing an Eastern opponent and our rival, and we definitely need a victory and we definitely need it now.
“I know that when you have a quote ‘rivalry game’, everybody’s adrenaline level goes up,” adds Cortez. “But you would hope that at this level that would only be a small tick up, because we are professionals and we’re trying to be at a steady keel all of the time. But you know for a fact that when you can smell the barbecue wafting over the stadium wall, that everyone knows it’s a different kind of game.”
It may be a special occasion, but the Tiger-Cats are well aware that they can scarcely afford to be distracted as they chase victory on Saturday night. Mental mistakes have been more than costly thus far this season, and both Cortez and Burris emphasize the need for greater focus against the Argonauts.
“We talk every week about the things that we need to do to win the game. A lot of weeks, that comes down to having no turnovers,” says the coach. “If you have no turnovers on offence, you have a great chance to win the game. It varies on defence and special teams as to what that message is. Part of the defensive one might have been to be more mentally focused, because I can see where parts of that message dealt with the mental aspects of the game.
“Mental strength has been our biggest downfall in the first couple of weeks,” admits Burris. “We’ve had much better preparation and guys seem much more fluid in their execution during this week of practice. There weren’t as many missed assignments as there were in the past couple of weeks. It’s to be expected when you have a bunch of guys playing on the fly in a new offence. But it’s time to overcome those. No more excuses. That’s kind of been our mantra, that we’re not accepting any more excuses.”
Eager to eliminate the blemishes of weeks past, the Tiger-Cats can both enter the win column and gift their fans bragging rights with a triumph on Saturday night.
