Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
When the Tiger-Cats face the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg this Friday, they’ll be facing a team they’ve already beaten this season, albeit with one major personnel change.
Quarterback Max Hall will get his first CFL start Friday against the Ticats, and is the third pivot to start a game for the Bombers this season.
Despite the change at quarterback from the first time these two teams faced each other, Ticats Head Coach Kent Austin expects to see a similar effort put forth the second time around.
“It would be incumbent upon us defensively to understand the skill sets of all three, and be as prepared as we can,” Austin said after practice Tuesday. “But at the end of the day you’re not going to get that far away from what you do, especially from a philosophical standpoint.”
If it counts for anything, the Ticats have faced Max Hall this season, though it was only for three offensive series in the preseason. Hall was two for five with an interception, but Winnipeg left many of their starters at home, bringing a skeleton crew.
“We didn’t see much of him, but we know he’s a good quarterback,” said Ticats linebacker and defensive captain Jamall Johnson. “The more you know about a player on the field the better, but their offence is going to be what it’s going to be.”
“We have to be prepared out there to do the things that we do well, stop the run first and foremost, and make him beat us throwing the ball,” he continued. “When he’s throwing we have to give him some different looks to confuse him, he hasn’t had much game experience.”
Defensive end Eric Norwood, who has compiled 15 tackles in his first five CFL games, isn’t concerned about who lines up under centre, but rather about what he and his teammates can control.
“It doesn’t matter to us. We’ve still got to play ball,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Hall, (Buck) Pierce, or (Justin) Goltz. We just have to focus on doing our jobs, and playing disciplined football.”
