Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
Burris: Focus has been the key to success
Following his team’s Monday workout, Tiger-Cat quarterback Henry Burris addressed the torrid pace that his offence has set in recent weeks. The veteran pivot argued that the central reason for his squad’s success has been its exemplary attention to detail.
“We’re making sure that all of the little things that we’re not feeling comfortable with are getting worked on,” said Burris.
“Whether it’s in the classroom watching film, or here on the field making sure that we have the right timing. The number one thing is just being able to go out and play and not worry about things.”
According to Burris, Tiger-Cats Head Coach George Cortez can be credited with removing that anxiety by trusting in his team’s judgment.
“George has said that all he wants us to do is be decisive in our decision making,” said the Ticat quarterback. “Having that confirmation allows you to just go out and play the game that you love to play and that you know you can play without worrying.”
Burris: Bragging rights are on the line against Calgary
Facing a confrontation with the Stampeder team that he helmed for nine seasons, Burris confirmed that the game brings an added level of motivation along with it.
“You always want to beat friends, because these are games that we’ll talk about in 10 years when we’re all retired and reflecting back on our careers,” said Burris.
“Juwan Simpson and Charleston Hughes and all of those guys will be gunning for me. We’ll be trying to take each other’s heads off and get the win for our team. But afterwards, these are the games that we’ll be able to brag to each other about.”
Burris: Awards reflect a team-wide effort
Last week, Burris became the first CFL player to garner consecutive honours as the CFL’s Offensive Player of the Week since Milt Stegall did the double in 2006. It came as no surprise in the wake of that accomplishment when the Tiger-Cats quarterback was subsequently named as the league’s Offensive Player of the Month for July.
Burris welcomed the accolades on Monday, but indicated that his recognition is an acknowledgment of the play of his offence as a whole.
“We’ve got a good thing going right now, and it’s definitely something that we want to continue,” admitted Burris.
“Offensively we’ve been playing on the same page. I feel like I’m just accepting these on [the group’s] behalf, because they’ve had stellar performances in the last few weeks and you can definitely tell that they’re gelling as well.”
Burris: “Hunger” will overcome the bye week lull
His team’s bye week break came on the heels of a spectacular offensive stretch – that has seen the Tiger-Cats score 35 or more points in four consecutive games – but Burris argued that his group is squarely focused for their return to action.
“This team is hungry. That’s one of the things that I first noticed when I got into this locker room,” said the Tiger-Cat quarterback. “It’s a lot of humble guys who are concerned with the big picture but also taking care of the little things. You haven’t heard a lot about the Saskatchewan game because we’re all about moving forward.”
Cortez: Burris’ execution has been spot on
Tiger-Cat Head Coach George Cortez was quizzed as to the source of his quarterback’s historic success to start the season in the wake of Monday’s workout.
Cortez argued that Burris’ fundamental achievement has been in properly executing schemes in spite of the defences he has been faced with. Able to hold his end of the offensive bargain, Burris has benefited from the equal contributions of his fellow attackers.
“He’s done a good job of executing the plays as they’re designed,” said Cortez of his quarterback. “That sounds pretty simple but sometimes it’s hard. There are guys on the other side. Even though we spend a lot of time drawing defences up on cards and trying to get the other guys to play that defence, sometimes it doesn’t look the same in practice as it does in the game.
“He’s had good patience and he’s waited on things to happen. Receivers have done a nice job of running routes and we’ve had good protection. It takes all three of those things to happen to have success in the passing game.”
Cortez: Player reaction has been positive following the bye
With regards to the effect of the bye week on his players and their well established rhythm, Cortez said that there is always some measure of uncertainty following such time off. His team will be on equal footing however, as Calgary similarly enjoyed a bye a week ago.
“Everyone wonders how they’re going to come back after having a long period of time off,” said Cortez. “Some teams play better and some teams don’t. There’s no way to predict it. The other guys are coming off of the same break, so at least it’s equal from that point of view.”
After a largely technical training day on Saturday, Cortez believed that his players were rounding well into midweek form and showing a commendable willingness to work.
“The practice on Saturday was tough, but I knew that was going to be the case,” said Cortez. “It was very generic and we did a lot of drill work, trying to get better at things. But we’ve had a good attention span.
“It’s a mindset to get back to work. Practicing football is not easy. We pay them to practice, they play for free. It’s hard to get back in the room, but I think our concentration is good.”
