Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
He was the public face and the offensive arm of the Tiger-Cats for the past three years. But thanks to an offseason game of musical chairs, Kevin Glenn will be receiving the boos rather than spurring them on when he steps out onto the Ivor Wynne turf tonight.
The veteran quarterback finds himself helming the Stampeders’ offence following a season-ending shoulder injury to starter Drew Tate, and has piloted that high-octane machine admirably so far.
Glenn stands as the most accurate pivot in the CFL at the moment, completing 70.3 per cent of his passes on route to what was a West Division-leading 155 points before the bye week.
The Tiger-Cats’ defenders are well aware of Glenn’s abilities, with many veterans having faced off against him in practice on countless occasions. Defensive back Dee Webb believes that Glenn’s experience has honed his skill set.
“In my experience playing with him I’d say he’s smart, he’s a leader,” says Webb of his former teammate. “He gets the ball where it needs to be thrown and he makes the minimum in terms of mistakes. He’s been around the league for a long time and has seen a lot, so he knows where he wants to attack.”
Both sides of this on-field equation will be well acquainted with one another, but the question remains as to which side that familiarity may benefit more. Webb suggests that the mutual knowledge will balance the playing field, and that success depends on which team proves more able to adapt.
“You tend to know their tendencies and they know yours, so it can work both ways,” says the defensive back. “But it’s always good when you’re playing someone that you’re familiar with. It’s all about who can adjust to who’s game first, who can counteract the other to score points.”
Jamall Johnson knows that Glenn will not be easily cowed on Thursday night, but believes that the key to his unit’s success will lie in its ability to rush his decisions.
“He’s a competitor, and we’ve got to come out and be prepared to shut him down,” says the Tiger-Cat linebacker. “First, we’ve got to shut their run down and then try to do some different things to try to get him confused and routed. We’ve got to get some pressure on him and force some mistakes from him.”
The agents of that pressure will largely be found among the Ticats’ defensive linemen, a group that has shown significant improvement during the team’s three-game winning streak. The emerging talent of Brandon Boudreaux and the return from injury of Greg Peach in particular have lent an attacking flair to the trenches.
Johnson commends his teammates on the line, who he believes have met every threat thrown their way.
“Our defensive line has been playing really well, as has our defence as a whole,” says the linebacker. “But it starts up front, and those guys have been playing better on the run and with the linebackers as well. We’ve been getting pretty good pressure on the quarterbacks.
“Every week there’s been an improvement that you can see and measure, and I tip my hat to those guys, because they’ve been challenged and they’ve answered.”
Much of that progress can be attributed to the ever-evolving chemistry that the Tiger-Cats continue to develop as the season moves forward.
Johnson admits that creating the crucial understanding needed to function as a unit takes time. The longer they remain together, the more impressive the Ticats’ product on the field becomes.
“It takes time to gel and get that camaraderie and some of that cohesiveness that you need to be a strong and dependable defence,” says the linebacker. “We’ve got to depend on each other every day, and from training camp to now, we’ve gotten better.”
Cultivating chemistry requires work both on and off the playing field, and the Tiger-Cats enjoyed a night out as a group on Tuesday for just that purpose.
“We went bowling the other night as a team, and that’s just to get out and have a little fun,” says Johnson. “You smile and get to know guys a little bit better off of the field. Little things like that help you get better on and off of the field.”
The understanding among the Tiger-Cats’ defenders will surely be tested tonight by an able and proven Stampeder offence. But Dee Webb encapsulates the attitude of his squad well as he welcomes the hurdle that lies ahead.
“You always look forward to the challenge when you’re going up against one of the top offences that has been doing it for years,” says the defensive back. “We’ve just got to go out and put out our best and play hard, let our hard play get us the ‘W’.
“You want that pressure on your back when your number is called. When it’s time to make that stop, we’re going to be there.”
