Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
The task at hand is easy for the Ticats to lose sight of with the CFL’s playoff picture swirling around them.
But Head Coach George Cortez is adamant that his players must have tunnel vision tonight, as they look to take care of business against the visiting BC Lions.
“There are controllables and uncontrollables,” says Cortez. “Controllables are things that you can do something about.”
“The thing that we can do something about is winning [tonight].”
Claiming that victory will depend on whether the Ticats can rekindle their league-leading offence. That’s no easy task considering the talent of the defence they will find across the line of scrimmage tonight.
Henry Burris highlights the Lions front four as a particular area of strength, operating as they usually do without added rushers.
“Those guys from BC are the defence that they are for a reason: because that front four flies around and makes a lot of plays led by Keron Williams,” says Burris.
“They do exactly what they’re supposed to do and they’re a very disciplined team.”
Burris is confident that despite the changes forced upon his offensive line through injury, the group is well prepared to meet the challenge in the trenches.
“The guys up front who’ve been playing, they’ve had the time and they’ve proved themselves,” says the quarterback. “That’s why they’re getting the opportunity to play.”
“They’re going to fight their butts off. That’s really all that you can ask for, especially with young guys. Fight your butts off and know your assignments.”
The Ticats offence is mindful as well of the Lions secondary, a group that has been a perennial strength of the BC team with veterans such as Korey Banks and Dante Marsh headlining a seasoned backfield.
“They have very good ball skills in the back end,” says Cortez of the Lions. “They aren’t up there as high as normal in interceptions, but they will catch the ball when it’s in their hands.”
“They do a very good job of not only route recognition, but reading body postures of the receivers and using that a clue of what route’s being run.”
Burris believes that the best means to attack such a skilled group is to avoid being too greedy downfield, and instead, attack opportunities wherever they are presented on the field.
“If the play is there underneath, take it and hold onto the ball,” says the quarterback of his approach to attacking the Lions.
“We’ve played BC already and we know what kind of team they are. They’ll give up certain things, but if you try to take too much, too early, that’s when they’ll get the turnovers. Their ball hawks in the back end will have a field day if you try to force things.”
With the proper management, the potential is always there for Hamilton’s offence to explode.
Ticat linebacker Rey Williams suggests that teams across the CFL have learned to fear that unit, and believes that Hamilton’s defenders will match their teammates’ level of play tonight.
“I’m not worried about this team,” says Williams.
“I know that no one wants to play our offence. We’ll get it fixed on defence and the offence will take care of their business.”
