Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats returned to the practice field Saturday, fresh off a victory in their preseason opener on Thursday against the Alouettes. Head Coach Kent Austin was pleased with the effort put forth by his team, and singled out the defence in particular for stepping up.
“On defence we did some really good things,” he said. “We got turnovers, got good pressure on the quarterback, and played the run really well.”
Defensive line coach Dennis McPhee also expressed how pleased he was with his unit’s effort in the opening game.
“The guys played hard and we had a good rotation,” he said. “I was really proud of their effort and what they accomplished.”
Several veteran players were left in Hamilton for the trip to Montreal to make room for rookies still battling for a roster spot. One of those rookies is Hasan Hazime, who was acquired by the Ticats in February, and made his first CFL appearance on Thursday.
“It was amazing. So exciting to get out there and see what game speed is like,” Hazime said. “I got out there, got some reps, and I think I did pretty well.”
A Canadian who played at Akron and Wake Forest, Hazime was enamoured with the speed of the professional game, as well as getting back to his roots in three-down football.
“It’s definitely much faster than college ball. You’ve definitely got to be in shape to play this game,” he said, laughing.
One of the veterans that remained in Hamilton was Greg Peach, who has played an important role on the Ticats defensive line last season. Peach had a breakout year in 2012, but he insists that just because he was left home and has a pedigree in Hamilton, his roster spot is anything but safe.
“You can’t think like that,” said Peach. “If I thought I was safe I might as well stay home. You have to come in here every day thinking that you’ve got to earn your role.”
As a rookie, Peach did just that, and took a veteran’s position with an impressive training camp, so he’s not taking anything for granted. He was impressed with the way the newcomers played on Thursday.
“Those guys gave a great effort out there,” he said. “You could tell at first that they were a little timid with their pass rush moves, but as the game progressed they started getting comfortable and looked really good.”
There is of course always room to improve, and Coach McPhee lauded defensive coordinator Orlondo Steinauer’s ability to work with the players in practice.
“He’s a strict disciplinarian and holds people accountable, but he also understands what training camp is all about,” McPhee said.
“There will be mistakes here and there and players get fatigued, but he knows how to work that out while still keeping players fresh for the games.”
