Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
Focus is squarely on the game at hand
With the wealth of storylines swirling around the Tiger-Cats’ tilt against the Stampeders on Thursday, Head Coach George Cortez indicated that he was doing his best to insulate his players and focus them on the task of besting Calgary on the field.
“The importance of it is that it’s the next game,” said Cortez. “The next game is always the most important game.”
The coach did admit that his familiarity with the Stampeders and vice versa would make proper execution even more crucial on Thursday than it otherwise would be.
“It makes it interesting because when I watch them play, I see some of the things they’re doing and understand why they’re doing them,” said Cortez. “I’m sure they do the same thing. That doesn’t mean that you can’t do what you normally would, but it probably means that you’ll have to execute at a higher level.”
The Tiger-Cats have the opportunity to claim sole possession of first place in the East Division with a victory on Thursday, but Cortez argued that winning provided its own impetus for him and his players.
“It’s motivating to win. That’s the motivation,” said the Ticat coach. “It’s an opportunity to be the first team in the league to win four in a row. It’s a long time from now until they seed the playoffs, so I’m not too worried about that. But I am worried about the next game.”
Group remains grounded despite success
After fielding questions regarding early season discontent, the Tiger-Cats find themselves being asked about complacency with three consecutive wins under their belt.
Cortez admitted on Tuesday that winning poses its own psychological challenges, but the coach was adamant that his group is well prepared to fend off over-confidence.
“I’m not concerned about it. I just know that it’s human nature to like it when people say good things about you,” said the coach. “You need to realize that the only reason that those things happen is because you perform. Because you perform well and win games. It has nothing to do with whether you’re ranked in the power rankings or not.
“How do you respond to prosperity? We’ve dealt with adversity, but now we have to respond with people patting us on the back and saying good things about us.”
Quality of training returning
With questions persisting regarding the effect of the bye week on his players, Cortez indicated on Tuesday that quality was gradually returning to the Tiger-Cats’ training sessions.
He argued that even a single week away from football was bound to affect the team, but that with the commendable focus that they’ve shown, the players were moving in the right direction.
“Practice has been up and down. The first day was not really sharp, but I didn’t expect it to be sharp,” said Cortez. “We didn’t do a lot of team stuff that day. We did individual work and a special teams circuit to get back into the flow.
“Even though it’s only a week off, the body’s got to get adjusted to coming out here on a hot day and banging yourself around. I thought that we’ve had good attention. Is it the best practice we’ve ever had? No. But is it the worst? No.”
Stampeders offence presents a threat
A quick look at the standings would suggest that the Tiger-Cats should be ready favourites for Thursday’s clash with the Stampeders.
Cortez cautioned however that despite its losing record, Calgary’s offence has proven that it can be efficient this season. The Stampeders record is also a deceptive one, with the team suffering two of its losses in the dying stages of high-scoring matches against the Argonauts and Alouettes.
“They’ve been great on second down. I think they’re second in the league in second down conversions,” said Cortez of Calgary’s offence. “I think they’re first in the league in second down pass conversions.
“They’re a good offensive team. You look at the stats across the board on the team and you wonder how they don’t have more wins at 2-3. Part of that is that they could be 4-1 quite easily. They lost two games right at the end.”
The Tiger-Cats must also be wary of the man under centre when they take the field on Thursday. While ex-Ticat Kevin Glenn may officially be a backup at this stage, Cortez pointed out that the veteran quarterback’s experience differentiates him from most of those who occupy the second spot on the depth chart.
“He’s an experienced player and he’s had success,” said Cortez of Glenn. “Those kind of guys are different than if we were playing a backup that had never played before.”
