Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
The Tiger-Cats stare at a crossroads as they prepare to face off with the Eskimos in Edmonton.
A win at Commonwealth Stadium would put any chance of a crossover by the hosts in serious doubt, while a loss would complicate Hamilton’s playoff push once again.
The Ticats are under no illusions as they prepare for their Week 15 tilt, knowing full well that much remains to be done before their attention can turn to the postseason.
“Our backs are still against the wall and we’ve got a lot of work to do,” insists linebacker Jamall Johnson.
“[The Eskimos] are just another hurdle that we’ve got to get over in our schedule.”
The blowouts of past weeks have shown that the Ticats possess the talent and the offensive weaponry needed to play at the highest level.
Dave Stala believes that unlocking that potential once again is a matter of each and every player knowing and executing his assignment, allowing Henry Burris to survey his options behind centre.
“As long as we hit our spots, Hank’s going to get us the ball and we’ll be able to make plays,” says Stala.
“You’ve seen how explosive we can be over the last few weeks, and we’re going to try to keep it going.”
Producing a consistent effort has been Hamilton’s downfall at times this season, and Johnson argues that staying on an even keel is the only way that he and his teammates can maintain their high standard of play.
“You have to keep a level head and stay positive throughout the bad times and the good,” explains the linebacker.
“When things are going rough on the field, you’ve got to get guys making plays and looking at the good things we’ve done and building on them, duplicating them.”
There are many such positive things to build on from the Ticats last meeting with the Eskimos, in which Hamilton dominated all three facets of the game en route to 51-8 thrashing.
The Ticats were able to virtually eliminate the Eskimos running game on that occasion, and Johnson confirms that such will be his defence’s mission once again at Commonwealth Stadium.
“Going into any week on the defence – as a whole unit – you want to shut down the run and make a team one-dimensional,” says the linebacker.
“They’ve got three really good running backs on their roster. We’ve got to be ready to play with our big boy pads on and play with some attitude and smack them around a little bit.”
Hamilton should be aided in that effort by their relative continuity on the defensive side, where a group that has seen its share of rotation experienced very little turnover this week.
“People don’t see that, but it plays a major role in how a game can be called for a coordinator, because of the abilities of a player and what they can do within the scheme,” says Johnson of the value of a stable lineup.
“Being able to go out with some continuity this week is a great positive for us.”
The Ticats look to improve their unflattering road record in Edmonton, knowing that success in the long term will depend on their ability to win away from home.
“We’ve dropped a couple of games on the road and we want to bounce back, because down the line, if we set ourselves up right, we might be playing a road game in the playoffs,” says Johnson.
“You want to have the good experience of having done that.”
The CFL has certainly entered its stretch run in the 15th of 19 weeks of regular season play.
Ticat quarterback Henry Burris suggests that this stage is the one in which a contender shows its mettle. His team has the chance to do just that in Edmonton.
“This is the time of year where teams start to really separate themselves and make that push for the playoffs,” says Burris.
“Hopefully we’ve learned from our mistakes.”
