TigerTown Notebook – October 29
Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
Cortez: Defence has been strong in past two games
Ticat Head Coach George Cortez praised the recent play of his defenders following Hamilton’s indoor workout on Monday morning.
The coach highlighted the work of Hamilton’s defensive line in particular as an area of strength in the past few weeks.
“We have played pretty well on defence in the last two games,” Cortez admitted.
“Our front has done a nice job for the most part against the run. I know that they had over a hundred yards this week, but I don’t know how they did that. The two guys playing inside have done a really good job and it puts a lot of pressure on the offensive line to protect the quarterback.”
“All quarterbacks when they don’t get to stand back there and just look out, it’s harder for them. It makes coverage better. It makes everything better.”
Cortez: A playoff team is just that
The Ticats have the opportunity to enter the postseason, despite a record of 7-11 at best.
Asked whether he finds the CFL forgiving, Cortez argued that he and his players can only perform according to the rules of the game, and that all bets are off once a team makes the playoffs.
“The rules are what they are,” said the coach.
“I know that in ’01, when we (Calgary) went 8-10 and won the Grey Cup, everybody had something to say. We played by the rules. We were second, we weren’t even third.”
“It’s a small league. If you let people into the playoffs, people are going to compete to the end. It certainly keeps the interest level up.”
Burris: Calling in favours from Calgary
Whether Hamilton can indeed sneak into the playoff picture depends on the result of Calgary’s visit to Edmonton on Friday.
Henry Burris was confident on Monday that his ex-teammates will enter their final game seriously and with a desire to win against a provincial rival in the Eskimos.
But he pointed out that the events of Friday will only be meaningful if the Ticats take care of their end of the bargain the day before.
“If there’s one favour that they can do for me and my teammates, it’s definitely taking care of business up in Edmonton,” said Burris of the Stampeders.
“But one thing about the Stamps is that I know that Coach Hufnagel always makes sure that they go in with a winning attitude regardless of the situation in the game.”
“But it means nothing if we don’t handle business on Thursday against Toronto. That’s the only thing on our minds, because if we’re going to have any opportunity to get in, it’s going to have to start with a victory on Thursday.”
Burris: Communication and ball security are crucial
Burris and the Ticats offence have had their struggles against the Argos this season, and the quarterback suggested on Monday that the group will have to improve communication and protect the football vigilantly if they are to succeed at the Rogers Centre.
“We’ve got to communicate better, as far as being on the same page,” said Burris of the means to make gains against Toronto. “It starts with the protection up front and then myself and the receivers making plays.”
“The Achilles heel is protecting the ball. To me, that’s been the number one thing that we’ve had to do as an offence all year.”
“They’ve given us a lot of different looks up front, and some we’ve done good things against and some we haven’t. We’ve got to be sure that we’re picking up all of different blitzes and nuances that they’re bringing, and then be able to make plays.”
Burris: Eager to play the Argos again
A win-or-die occasion likely needs no more motivation.
But with a fourth and final meeting with the hated Argos on the horizon – who currently lead the season series between the two teams 2-1 – the Ticats have more to fuel their competitive fire.
“Toronto is a team that beat us the last two games and just like Winnipeg it’s a team that we’ve been hoping to play again,” said Burris. “Here’s our opportunity.”
“If we want to get into the playoffs, we’ve got to beat the team that right now has the season series against us. Hopefully we can go in there and do the things that it takes to get this victory. This is a team we want to play, one that’s our rival and a very good team.”
“So we’ll be up to the challenge.”
Burris: Rogers Centre will take conditions out of the equation
With storm conditions prevailing in Southern Ontario for duration of the week, the Ticats and Argos will avoid the rain and wind under the cover of the Rogers Centre dome on Thursday.
Burris was appreciative on Monday of the opportunity to focus on football in an environment free of the obstacles of bad weather.
“Domes are always really good places to play,” said the quarterback.
“You never have to worry about any other factors than the 12 guys on the opposite side of the ball. You can just focus on executing. You don’t have to worry about Mother Nature playing a part, even though I feel like we’ve played well dealing with the circumstances.”
“But now that’s one more obstacle that we don’t have to worry about. All we have to do is go out there and line up and play football.”
