Ticats.ca Staff
“They say that winning solves all problems, makes you smarter, makes your kids smarter, makes your wife prettier, so hopefully we’ll get that benefit. Last week we talked about digging our way out of a hole and we have our head out of it but we haven’t got our body out of it yet.”
-Ticat Head Coach George Cortez hopes that his team can carry the momentum of their last blowout victory into tonight’s matchup. Hamilton Spectator
“We’re Hamilton Ticats and this place has been known for great defence and we don’t want to change that. Last week we played the type of football we know we’re capable of and our coach knows that we want to play aggressive.”
-Linebacker Jamall Johnson looks for the team’s strong defensive effort of a week ago to continue in Winnipeg. Hamilton Spectator
“We’re 4-7 right now, not even in the playoff picture. We just know that we’ve got to win every week. You can never be complacent in football. We started this season with the goal of winning the Grey Cup, and that’s still our goal.”
-Rookie linebacker Brock Campbell dismisses any notion that the Ticats will be complacent tonight in Winnipeg. Ticats.ca
“We haven’t done anything good against Winnipeg. In the only meeting we had this season, they beat us. It’s a game I won’t forget. To have four fumbles in that game – three while running and one in the pocket – is something I definitely haven’t forgotten.”
Henry Burris recalls his team’s last tilt with the Blue Bombers. Ticats.ca
“It’s about focus and about chemistry, and also about not kicking ourselves in the butt. It takes those practice plays – getting the reps in practice – and then following up on the field, showing up on game day.”
-Receiver Bakari Grant explains the means by which the Ticat offence will execute at a high level tonight. Ticats.ca
“It’s always good to have the momentum plays, but the more important ones are the second and twos, the second and threes. Converting those into first downs is what we have to do consistently. The big plays are called that for a reason, but they’ll come as they may.”
-Grant argues that the everyday, short conversion plays will be the most vital for his offence tonight. Ticats.ca
“Winning on the road in games where you have the opportunity to be successful in is a must. We have an opportunity to take our momentum and confidence into this game. You’re playing in a different park, but it’s the same people.”
-Burris on the necessity of continuing the Ticats climb back to contention tonight. Ticats.ca
“Everybody knows, when you’re down, that’s when you fight your hardest. This is a team with nothing to lose. They’re going to come out screaming, trying to make plays and do what they have to do to win, because they’re hungry for a win.”
-Ticat defensive lineman Brandon Peguese expects the Blue Bombers to be hungry for a win tonight. Ticats.ca
“I would suspect that they’ll be a very desperate team. I’m sure they’re tired about hearing people talking about what happened in the last game. I read the newspapers and I bet it hasn’t been a fun time to be a Blue Bomber this week.”
-Cortez expects that Winnipeg to be a desperate team. Ticats.ca
“When you learn how one call complements the next, you start playing better. Because every defence has a weakness in it, but if you can disguise and give the illusion that you aren’t going to have that particular weakness, it helps you defensively. When we’re playing a new lineup every week, you don’t get that continuity.”
-Ticat Defensive Coordinator Casey Creehan explains the benefit of continuity among his defenders. Ticats.ca
“We just want to have that identity: We pick each other up and we can deal with adversity, deal with mistakes, deal with turnovers, and still find a way to win. We are not even close to where we want to be.”
-Ticat slotback Andy Fantuz describes his team’s continued mission to improve. National Post
Buck makes a huge difference. Whenever you have a team that’s short on veterans, you need a guy like Buck in there. He’s a leader and he’s a good player and that’s what we need right now.”
-Winnipeg offensive tackle Glenn January on what Buck Pierce brings to the table. The Hamilton Spectator
“We haven’t showed maturity in certain situations. Until we show that we can move on from being undisciplined at times and all that stuff, I think that’s going to be a question mark.”
-Bombers QB Buck Pierce on what he saw from the sidelines. The Globe and Mail
“We know this team. They’re going to come out of the locker-room playing like some crazy dogs, you know, a desperate team looking to do whatever it takes to get a victory. We’re only two games up on them and we’re . . . as desperate as they are.”
-Henry Burris knows how desperate Winnipeg is for a win and understands that they are not a team to take lightly. The Globe and Mail
“Huge difference. He’s a veteran leader and has the ability to provide a bit of spark. Whenever things fall apart, he has the ability to freestyle and make us all look great. He’s got that confidence you look for. He’s going to try to make a play no matter what it takes.”
-Glenn January feels the team is much better when Buck Pierce is at the helm. Vancouver 24hrs
“That was where we were last year. We were a grind-it-out team. We’d just grind out the win every week. We gotta get back to that mentality on defence.”
-Winnipeg interm Head Coach Tim Burke recalls last season and wants the team to return to that mentality. Winnipeg Sun
“It’s the fact we’re not doing what we need to do on defence that has been killing us. We all have to make sure we understand our game-plan in and out. If we do our thing, it doesn’t matter who is playing quarterback.”
-Blue Bombers linebacker Marcellus Bowman believes each game is about how Winnipeg executes and not the opposing team. Winnipeg Sun
“They have a lot of weapons, their offence is heavily-loaded with a lot of talent and we thrive on (those challenges). They’ve been a hot-and-cold team, like we have, but they have the potential to be a very explosive team.”
-Blue Bombers safety Ian Logan on the challenge of facing a very good Hamilton offence. Winnipeg Sun
