Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
Eliminating the explosive Jon Cornish from the equation is the first priority for the Ticats defenders as they size up a rematch with the Stampeders.
Keeping Cornish in check for a full 60 minutes will require the Ticats to be vigilant in their assignments throughout Saturday’s contest.
“When we execute and get into our gaps that we’re supposed to be in, we can stop any back in the league,” argues Ticat defensive lineman Greg Peach.
“When we don’t, we’re just an average defence that can get gashed, just like anyone else can if they don’t do their job.”
Cornish enjoyed a fourth quarter to remember in the two teams’ last meeting, amassing 113 yards along the ground in the final frame after being held largely in check for much of the Week 6 encounter at Ivor Wynne.
Linebacker Jamall Johnson explains that reining in Calgary’s running game is the first step for his defensive unit, after which it can look to expose Stampeder quarterback Kevin Glenn.
“We want to come out and establish the line of scrimmage with our front seven,” says Johnson. “We’ve got to be more physical than those guys and we’ve got to come out and hit them in the mouth.”
“If you shut down a team’s run early enough and make them one-dimensional and our offence is putting up points, that’ll let us make some plays against Kevin (Glenn) with him throwing the ball.”
Glenn is a well-documented threat when allowed to reach a rhythm and put his wealth of receiving talent to full use.
Variety and confusion are the tools that Johnson and his teammates plan to employ to prevent that rhythm from developing.
“You’ve just got to throw some different looks at him,” says the linebacker of the means to disrupt Glenn.
“First, we’ve got to stop Cornish, and if we can do that, we put them in a straight passing mode. Then we can do a few things to mess with his reads and get him confused back there.”
Peach is understandably wary of Glenn’s track record, and argues that the Ticats best weapons against him are pressure and the length to challenge his smaller stature.
“You’ve got to condense the pocket. You’ve got to make him feel like he needs to get that ball out,” says Peach of the Stampeder quarterback.
“Because he is a great quarterback. I feel like he’s timeless. He just keeps showing up and putting up good games.”
“But he’s shorter, so you’ve got to squeeze the pocket on him and get your hands up on the quick throws. They’re going to try to run some sprint-out and play-action to help him out, and we’ve got to be ready for that as well.”
A defence searching for a bounce-back effort this week saw an encouraging sign on Wednesday, with the veteran linebacking trio of Johnson, Rey Williams and Markeith Knowlton practicing together for the first time in a matter of months.
It is possible that Knowlton – who has been sidelined since late July with an ankle injury – could return to live action in Calgary.
Johnson is enjoying the reunion of the linebacking veterans, who have spent precious little time together this season.
“We haven’t been able to play as a unit in the linebacking corps much this year, and it felt great just to be able to communicate with guys that you know and feed off of the energy that they’re bringing on a consistent basis,” says Johnson.
“Markeith is a fiery guy, he’s a playmaker – he makes a lot of plays on the field, whether it be against the run or in the passing game. He brings a lot of know-how to the game, and we’ve missed him.”
Whether Knowlton hits the field on Saturday remains to be seen, but his experience could be crucial addition for a group preparing to grapple with Calgary’s playmakers.
