Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
Cortez: Ticats must improve to win their “individual contests”
The inevitable question after tonight’s result at Ivor Wynne: how should Hamilton proceed as they look to do better in a week’s time?
Ticat Head Coach George Cortez argued in the wake of his team’s loss that the Ticats must improve their performances in the man-to-man struggles that make up a football game.
Looking for success as a unit, the players will first need to win their personal battles.
“The solution to almost any problem in football – it’s a cliché – is to play better,” said Cortez after Friday’s game.
“It’s a team game but it boils down to a lot of individual contests. I would suspect that we didn’t win enough of those individual contests tonight.”
Cortez: “I’m not giving up”
Time is not on the Ticats side, with only three games remaining in their CFL schedule after tonight’s loss.
But Cortez was hardly ready to admit defeat, and pointed out that the result of Edmonton’s Saturday tilt with Saskatchewan may do nothing to change the task facing the Ticats.
“Depending on what happens tomorrow night, the situation next week might be exactly the same as it was this week,” said the Ticats’ coach.
“I’m not giving up on this season with three games left, and I don’t expect the players to.”
Burris: Ticats must rekindle their competitive fire
Ticats quarterback Henry Burris was at a loss when asked to explain his team’s showing at Ivor Wynne tonight.
He cited the Ticats impressive recent results at home, and wondered where the same emotion and intensity had gone this time around.
“The way that we’ve played here in the last few home games, we’ve come out and played with a lot of emotion – We played exciting football,” said Burris.
“I don’t know what it was tonight, because given the situation this is the time where you have to play with that emotion.”
The quarterback confirmed that the Ticats will have to ask tough questions of themselves in the coming week, as they prepare for a difficult visit to Calgary.
“With three games left, if we’re going to get into the show we’ve got to start winning right now,” said Burris. “We’ve got to do some soul searching from here on out.”
“We’ve got a tough game in Calgary next week and it’s not going to get any easier going out on the road.
Burris couldn’t diagnose the issue at hand immediately following tonight’s game, but suggested that whatever ailed his team would have to be quickly addressed.
“Whatever it is, we need to nip it in the bud right now, because if we don’t get this thing turned around, we’re not going to make the playoffs,” said the quarterback.
“That would be a disappointment with the talent that we’ve got in this room.”
