TigerTown Notebook – October 25

Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca

Cortez: Smith will be an important addition

It appears that Ticat defensive back Bo Smith – who last played on August 9th – will make his return to Hamilton’s defensive backfield on Saturday.

Head Coach George Cortez indicated on Thursday that Smith’s condition has remained stable this week, and is hopeful that the veteran defender can return to action against the Blue Bombers.

“It’s good to see him out there and feeling good,” said Cortez. “He’s had a couple of false starts in the last few weeks where it was good one day and not so good the next day.”

“But it’s been good all week and we’re looking forward to having him out there.”

The coach suggested that Smith is the type of player who could have a major impact on Saturday’s game, should he make a return to the Ticats lineup.

“We hope for a lot,” said Cortez of the defensive back’s potential effect on the contest. “He was a guy that we hoped would be a big factor for us this year.”

“But he hasn’t played for a while. I couldn’t tell you exactly how long, but it was the summer the last time that he played.”

Cortez: Saturday brings a unique opportunity

The message to players from the Ticats coaching staff this week is a self-evident one.

There is a crucial game to be won, and a special occasion to be marked in the form of Ivor Wynne Stadium’s final regular season game.

“We’ve talked about the fact that it is the last game here and I don’t know all that many people who have had the opportunity to close a stadium to be honest,” said Cortez.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a crowd that’ll be into the game, and we should enjoy that and be a part of it. That’s in addition to all of the other things about how important this game is as far as the playoffs.”

“We’re up first. If we take care of our business, we can enjoy the rest of the weekend.”

Burris: Focused on the football

The festivities surrounding the Final Game will make Saturday’s contest one like no other, but Ticat quarterback Henry Burris emphasized on Thursday that he and his teammates must focus on the importance of the game for football reasons.

“My focus has to be on the implications, because the only way to truly honour this stadium is to send it out – regular season-wise – with a bang,” said Burris.

“We have to do what we can to beat Winnipeg. They’ve had this organization’s number, our team’s number this whole season. We thought that we had a few great opportunities to go out there and get victories, and we didn’t. They won at home, so why can’t we?”

“This is a great opportunity to give ourselves the best chance to get into the playoffs. Hopefully, Saskatchewan can do us a favour and beat Toronto, but it won’t matter if we don’t win this game.”

Burris: Drives have to be finished this time around

Hamilton’s typically explosive offence has missed an ingredient in its two games against Winnipeg this season.

Burris suggested on Thursday that red zone execution and ball security are the key elements needed to push the Ticats past the Blue Bombers on Saturday.

“Taking care of the ball is the big thing,” said Burris.

“We’ve put up points, but for some reason against Winnipeg we weren’t as effective in the scoring zone as we’ve been consistently throughout the season. We allowed them to stick around. We had 12 points last game and all 12 points came via the field goal.”

“When you’re letting a team just linger like that and your defence is on the field fighting their butts off, this is an offensive game and your opponents are bound to put up some points at given times.”

“If we put up touchdowns and make them a one-dimensional offence, take out the running game – which they pulled out against Toronto last week – and put the ball in Buck Pierce’s hands, hopefully we can be successful.”