“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. 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.”
-Tiger-Cat Head Coach George Cortez on the effect of his familiarity with Calgary. Ticats.ca
“It’s motivating to win. That’s the motivation. 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.”
-Cortez on his sole motivation tonight: getting a win. Ticats.ca
“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.”
-Cortez on the psychological task of staying focused through a period of success. Ticats.ca
“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.”
-Cortez on the Stampeders’ deceptive record. Ticats.ca
“You always welcome the bye week. It’s a good time to step back, relax and refresh your body and your mind. It’s never a bad time to get a few days off. Coming back, everybody’s refocused. Our goal is just to go out and perform well this week.”
-Ticat centre Marwan Hage on the importance of the rest and relaxation that a bye week provides. Ticats.ca
“We’re making sure that all of the little things that we’re not feeling comfortable with are getting worked on. Whether it’s in the classroom watching film, or here on the field making sure that we have the right timing.”
-Tiger-Cat quarterback Henry Burris on what the team is doing to improve in the midst of their current three-game win streak. Ticats.ca
“We have been putting up 35 points in the last couple weeks, but we’re not satisfied. We’re shooting for more. As long as we hit our spots and our o-line protects for us, Henry’s going to get us the ball and we’re going to make plays out there.”
-Ticat receiver Dave Stala on the team’s continued desire to improve their performance. Ticats.ca
“This team is hungry. That’s one of the things that I first noticed when I got into this locker room. It’s a lot of humble guys who are concerned with the big picture but also taking care of the little things.
-Burris on the motivation to improve shown by his teammates. Ticats.ca
“To have a good offensive line, it’s five guys playing as one. We had two new guys and it took some time for them to get to know each other and now that they do, it’s made a big difference.”
-Tiger-Cat Offensive Line Coach Doug Malone on the growth of his group. Hamilton Spectator
“Hamilton played a big part in my career. I spent three years there and we did some good things – we turned that football team around. I feel good about the fact that I was part of the team that restored playoff football to the city.”
-Ex-Ticat and current Stampeder quarterback Kevin Glenn on his time in Black and Gold. Hamilton Spectator
“In my experience playing with him I’d say he’s smart, he’s a leader. 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.”
-Ticat defensive back Dee Webb on Glenn’s character as a quarterback. Ticats.ca
“You tend to know their tendencies and they know yours, so it can work both ways. 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.”
-Webb on the challenge of a familiar opponent. Ticats.ca
“He’s a competitor, and we’ve got to come out and be prepared to shut him down. 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.”
-Ticat linebacker Jamall Johnson on the keys to shutting down Glenn. Ticats.ca
“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. 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.”
-Webb on the task of combating Calgary’s tough offence tonight. Ticats.ca
“For the past 22 years I’ve always, on second down, been taught to think run, but up here I’m thinking pass every play. Everybody across the line, [Greg] Peach, Jermaine McElveen, [Robert] Rose, and Ronnell [Brown], we’ve all definitely grown into our new positions.”
-Tiger-Cat defensive end Brandon Boudreaux on the adjustment process he and his fellow lineman have gone through this season. National Post
“Stuff happens in the game and you have to be ready for those changes to happen unexpectedly and just go out and play. There’s no excuse not to play at 100 per cent when a situation arises and you have to switch your position. Basically, just go out there and play. And play as fast as possible.”
-Calgary offensive lineman J’Michael Deane on performing within a constantly changing Stampeder line. Calgary Herald
“J’Micheal, his first quarter was his worst quarter (against B.C.) because he hadn’t played in over a year. But once he got used to the speed, he was OK. J’Micheal, Spencer, whoever it is, how fast can that individual get up to game speed. They’re athletic, they’re big men, and they can move their feet. So, we’ll
see when the guns fire and the lights are on, what they can do.”
-Calgary Offensive Line Coach Mike Gibson on the athletic strengths of his inexperienced linemen. Calgary Herald
“If you get slapped, it hurts. If you get punched, it hurts more because five is more powerful than getting slapped by two or three fingers. So, right now, we’re getting on two or three and sometimes four. We’ve gotta get all five all going in the same direction. As soon as we do that, we’ll be fine. When is that going to be? I hope it’s this week.”
Gibson on the hope that his full group can hit form tonight. Calgary Herald
“I’ve always played with fire. What happened happened. It’s one of those things that you can’t control. You learn from it, and of course it motivated me because to have the game taken away from you definitely hurts. But, again, it’s not about getting back at anybody. I’m out here trying to win another championship before my days are done, and we have the team that can get it done. I want to seize this moment and make sure I give it my all for the guys in this locker room.”
-Burris on his continued motivation to play football after being dealt from Calgary. Calgary Herald
“From my standpoint, (fellow ex-Stamps) Tim O’Neill, Geoff Tisdale, there’s definitely a little something more riding on it, just like Andy Fantuz, Rey Williams and Luca Congi last week (against Saskatchewan). But my No. 1 thing is that I’m not going to be selfish. My No. 1 concern is to go out there and play the football that I’m expected to play, go out there and have fun and play within the offence. Once we’re between the lines, they’re just another team. An hour beforehand, yeah, I’ll be excited, I’ll be pumped up playing against a bunch of old friends. But that’s behind me. And I’m glad it happened because in my mind, I’m in a better place right now.”
-Burris on the prospect of facing his old team tonight. Calgary Herald
“Happy for him? Yeah, I really am. I know how great Hank is, and when his mind’s right and he’s prepared, I don’t think there’s anybody better in this league. That’s the way I’ve always thought. He’s pretty incredible. But then there’s that other guy who can come out and really throw some things off. I’m hoping the other guy shows up.”
-Calgary receiver Nik Lewis on Burris’ skills and his hope that they won’t be on full display tonight. Calgary Herald
“People still would have enjoyed it if Drew (Tate) was still playing, but this what the scriptwriters would want. Kevin Glenn, former starting quarterback in Hamilton. Henry Burris, former starting quarterback in Calgary. And they’re playing each other. You don’t always get the script like this, so it’s good to take advantage of it when it’s put in place like this.”
-Glenn on the storybook setup of tonight’s match up. Calgary Herald
“It’s a win. And that’s what we’re in this business to do. I think once you start placing more emphasis on one win than another, you start to lose sight of what’s really important. What’s important is for us to get a win. It’s not about Kevin Glenn getting revenge, if you want to call it that, against Hamilton, or for Henry Burris to get revenge against Calgary. When you understand this game and this profession, the most important thing is winning games, and it doesn’t matter who you’re playing against.”
-Glenn dismissing the notion that avenging his departure from Hamilton is important tonight. Calgary Herald
“Honestly, it’ll get a lot of talk (before the game). Then after the first drive or two, it’ll just be Ticats-Stamps. Kevin will handle it fine. The good thing about it is that he’s familiar with their players; they’re not all the same, but he knows them, they know him and we’ll try to keep them on their toes a little bit.”
-Calgary Offensive Coordinator Dave Dickenson on Glenn’s return to Hamilton. Calgary Herald
“We’re going to rally around KG. I’m going to try my hardest to make a play to make his job easier. After knowing KG for a while and now getting to play with him, I’m comfortable with him. There are things we’re still learning about each other, but at the same time, we’re making a lot of progress very quickly.”
-Lewis on his plan to ease Glenn’s return to Hamilton. Calgary Herald
“He’s a straight shooter. He demands a lot but he treats you like a professional and that’s all you can ask for. You respect him for it. He doesn’t hide anything or try and trick you into thinking one thing when it’s really something else.”
-Glenn characterizing his Head Coach John Hufnagel. Hamilton Spectator
“You know (the crowd’s) going to come out and they’re going to boo me. You know they’re going to get loud and try to disrupt the offence. That’s what they do. But at the same time, I think it’s going to be a good game . . . Once we cross those lines, I’m the enemy now. It doesn’t matter if I’ve played here before. But it’s all gonna be in fun.”
-Glenn on the atmosphere he expects when he reenters Ivor Wynne tonight. Canadian Press
“It’s getting back to .500. It’s getting a win on the road. Coming off a bye week trying to establish some momentum for the rest of the season. There’s a lot of things at stake, but the most important thing is coming in here and getting a win against a good football team. Hamilton’s playing very good football right now, so we want to make sure that we come out with that same intensity and get a win.”
-Glenn on the importance of tonight’s game for his team. Canadian Press
“We want to continue to play in the area, in the zone, that we’re in and we’re just focused more on what we have to do. There’s going to be a lot of bickering and talking out there. That’s just what friends do. But it feels better if you can do what it takes to get a victory.”
-Henry Burris on moving past the storylines and executing in tonight’s game. Canadian Press
“It’s the next game, which makes it the most important game. It’s good after the game to see people that you know. But as far as emotions, it’s not th
e Grey Cup. It’s a regular-season game and all those games are about the same.”
-Tiger-Cat Head Coach George Cortez on the reality of tonight’s contest. Canadian Press
