Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
When the Ticats face off against the Blue Bombers on Friday in Winnipeg, it will be a battle of two teams in different circumstances.
While the Tiger-Cats are coming off their second win of the 2013 season before the bye week and are finally seeing some players return from injury, the Blue Bombers are 1–5 and in the midst of a mid-season rebuild, starting their third quarterback of the 2013 season this week.
It appears that Hamilton would have the edge heading into Friday’s game, but quarterback Henry Burris emphasized the need to stay humble, and never underestimate an opponent.
“Last time I checked that defence is the same as what we played before,” Burris said after practice Wednesday.
The Bombers ‘D’ sacked Burris seven times when they faced off previously, and defensive end Alex Hall leads the CFL with nine sacks through six games.
“Those guys are going out there and playing hard,” he continued. “We know they’re playing good football and we’re only one game up on them. We don’t have anything to brag about.”
Also putting an emphasis on the Bombers’ defence was Sam Giguere, who scored his first CFL touchdown in the last meeting between the two teams.
“With a defensive line like theirs you need to run good routes, get off the jam, and you can’t be late at the snap,” said Giguere. “If you’re two or three yards behind the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped, that means Hank has to hold onto the ball longer, and it gives defenders more time to get to him.”
One thing swinging in the Ticats favour this week is the team’s injury situation. The bye week gave players time to get healthy, and Friday’s game will be the first appearance for veteran wide receiver Andy Fantuz since the season opener in Toronto.
“Andy has a great understanding of what we do in the passing game,” said Coach Kent Austin. “He probably has the best understanding of anybody on this team, so we’ve missed that.”
But Fantuz’s impact won’t simply be his playmaking ability on the field, at least not according to Giguere.
“He’s good to have on the field, in the huddle, on the sidelines to talk about the game,” he said. “I think everybody’s looking forward to having him back out there with us.”
Also returning for the first time since the opener is linebacker Simoni Lawrence, who has been practicing all week with the first team defence. Lawrence was acquired in the offseason from the Edmonton Eskimos, but has been hampered by injuries in his debut season with the Ticats.
“It’s hard to watch my team play without me, especially when you work so hard in the offseason to prevent that, and you’ve never been hurt before,” he said. “I’m excited to get back on the field. That’s why we come up here, to play football.”
Like Burris, Lawrence was quick to dispel the notion that the Ticats are at an advantage due to the seemingly tumultuous situation in Winnipeg, and to emphasize the importance of the Ticats being at the top of their game.
“Max Hall is a smart guy, he plays professional football so it’s not like he’s going to come out and be a horrible quarterback,” he said. “We have to treat him like all the other quarterbacks. We can’t let him see what he thinks he sees.”
