Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
If you’re looking at the Tiger-Cats depth chart from last week’s game with the Riders and think that the secondary looks a little young, don’t worry; it’s not an illusion.
Though defensive back was one of the positions which GM and Head Coach Kent Austin targeted for improvement in the offseason, the Ticats line-up this past weekend featured five rookies starting in the secondary, a situation which would have been unfathomable at the season’s opening.
The Ticats pursued defensive back Evan McCollough and safety James Patrick in free agency, bringing both to Hamilton in 2013. They were expected to join fellow CFL veteran Dee Webb and bolster a Ticats secondary that struggled in 2012.
But even the best laid plans often lead astray, and due to injuries and underperformance, none of the three have been active for the past two weeks. Because of all the Ticats injuries, which Austin himself said has “hit the absurd level,” some rookie defensive backs have been forced to step up in a big way to keep the Ticats defence competitive.
Most Ticats fans got their first look at Raymond Brown in the preseason, when his three (yes, three) interceptions were the highlight of the Tabbies 52–0 beatdown of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Brown has now started the past three games for the Tiger-Cats after being activated from the practice roster, and despite the team’s inexperienced starting secondary, he feels that things are starting to come together.
“It’s not that difficult really because we all came together during rookie camp,” said Brown of his teammates. “We’re starting to put everything together.”
Emanuel Davis is another defensive back thrust into relatively unknown territory. A little over a week ago, he was walking the street a free agent. With injuries in the secondary mounting, Austin felt it beneficial to bring in a player who was familiar with the system (which Davis learned in training camp) in the event he would need to be inserted to a game.
That familiarity certainly paid dividends for Austin, as Davis started last week’s game at corner after spending just two days of practice with the first team defence. It wasn’t a problem for Davis however, as it was a call that he had been spending the weeks since training camp preparing for.
“I felt like things didn’t work out the way I wanted them to in training camp, but I stayed grounded and had faith that they would bring me back,” said Davis. “I stayed in my playbook and kept on top of things. I actually prepared at home.”
And that preparation appears to have paid off. Davis made a spectacular play to break up a pass which certainly would have gone for a touchdown on Saturday, just days after returning to Hamilton. The defence as a whole held the Riders, who boast the CFL’s leading offence, to a mere six points in the second half.
Something both Davis and Brown cited as a reason for their individual success was versatility, which was one of Coach Steinauer’s expectations for his DBs in training camp.
“On our defensive back corps we have to be interchangeable,” said Brown. “Knowing how to play every position is very valuable to our success because injuries can happen, guys can go down and we need to fill in.”
Also invaluable for the rookies has been the wisdom and veteran savvy of players like Webb and McCollough, who despite their injuries have continued to help some of the younger players find their way in the CFL.
“They’ve done a good job of taking us under their wing, getting us in the film room, helping us get keys on receivers,” Davis said. “You’d never know they were injured from practice. They’re right there on the field with us, right beside the coaches when we’re getting calls from the sideline. They do a good job staying in tune with practices and games and helping out whenever they can.”
