TigerTown Notebook – October 18

Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca

Cortez: “We have a chance to prove a lot of people wrong”

Ticat Head Coach George Cortez admitted on Thursday that his team is the underdog in the eyes of many as it prepares to travel to Calgary.

He argued that while many around the CFL will give the edge to the Stampeders on Saturday, he does not share in the opinion that his players are overmatched.

“We have a chance to probably prove a lot of people wrong by going out and winning in Calgary,” said Cortez. “If we win, it’ll give ourselves opportunities as the season closes out.”

“There probably aren’t a lot of people around the league that give us much of a chance to go out there and win. But I don’t believe that, and I hope that our players don’t either.”

Cortez: Stopping Cornish is a priority

Cortez asserted that keeping Stampeder running back Jon Cornish in check will be a top priority for his defenders on Saturday.

Calgary has great faith in its ability to run the football, and the coach suggested that his players will have to deny the Stampeders their steady rushing diet.

“It’s certainly an important thing if you want to stop their offence,” said Cortez of slowing Cornish.

“You’ve got to stop the run when they’re running, which is often on first-down. They run more than 50 per cent of the time on first down, which is a little unusual in the CFL.”

“They have a go-to guy on second down. In the pinch, they’re going to Nik Lewis and you’ve got to understand that and keep him out of the game.”

“Easier said than done.”

Cortez: Plenty of players with diverse experience

The Ticats find themselves once again shuffling players to accommodate injuries in preparation for Saturday.

But Cortez pointed out that his team is hardly alone in being banged up at this late stage of the CFL campaign.

Many of his players have gained experience at several different positions this season through rotation, experience that should serve them well this time around.

“It’s not any different for most of the people in this league,” said Cortez of the Ticats injury situation.

“We’ve certainly had a lot of guys – especially in the secondary-type positions – who have played corner, halfback, sam-nickel, free safety. We have a number of guys with a wide range of experience back there. There’s no doubt about that.”

Burris: “There’s no giving up on this team”

Henry Burris weighed in on the Ticats status as underdogs on Thursday, and argued that those outside the team likely underrate its resiliency.

“It is what it is. We’re going into a hostile environment in Calgary,” said Burris.

“They’ve been playing well all season, and of course we’ve had a couple of disappointing losses back-to-back. When you have that situation, people feel that you’ve given up.”

“But there’s no giving up on this team. We’ve been a resilient bunch this year. We’ve had to overcome a lot of adversity this season, and I hope that it’ll be a good thing for us this week.”

“Guys have been focused this week and there’s been a lot of intensity out here. When the chips are stacked against you, that’s when the real men rise up.”

Burris: Filer is more than capable at centre

The uncertainty of Tim O’Neill’s status this week could see rookie lineman Mike Filer get his first start at centre on Saturday.

Burris spoke confidently on Thursday about Filer’s readiness to step into the breach if need be.

“If Mike Filer has to get in there, I’m confident in the ability that he has,” said the Ticat quarterback. “He’s a great drill sergeant up front and knows how to direct guys.”

“He speaks loudly and when he makes a call, he makes sure that everybody listens.”