Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
One of the most stories rivalries in professional sports will be renewed this weekend when the Tiger-Cats head to the Rogers Centre to take on the Toronto Argonauts.
It’s been thirteen weeks since the last time the two East Division rivals met on the opening weekend of the season, when the Ticats came just short, falling 39–34 to the defending Grey Cup Champions.
Much has changed in TigerTown since then, less than 50% of the players who started week one will retain their role for this weekend’s game. Some of that turnover is due to a rash of injuries, but much of it is also attributable to the strong play of some Ticats rookies.
Courtney Stephen is one of those rookies, and he’ll return to action on Friday after being sidelined the past two weeks.
“It’s always tough to sit out,” said Stephen, who has held down the starting safety spot since week five. “Especially when we lose. You feel like you can contribute and you’re letting guys down. But we got back to the drawing board this week and we’ll be ready to play when we get to Toronto.”
But the Argonauts have dealt with their share of injuries as well, and as such Zach Collaros will make his sixth consecutive start on Friday in place of an injured Ricky Ray. Collaros has stood tall in his time at the helm of the Argos offence, leading the team to a 4–1 record with all four wins coming on the road.
Collaros performance and the Argos game plan earned praise from Ticats pivot Henry Burris.
“They have a great system in place, they have great players around him, and that makes your job easier, especially as a young quarterback,” he said.
Stephen and linebacker Brandon Isaac believe the key to stopping Toronto’s offence this weekend will be to bring the pressure on Collaros, and ensure he can’t get comfortable.
“He’s a very athletic, mobile quarterback, when you rush him he can make you miss,” said Isaac. “The key is to get at him, if we’re able to hit him and rattle him he’ll start showing the signs of a back-up quarterback, but if we just let him sit in the pocket and make his reads, he’ll look like Ricky Ray.”
“We’re going to have to make sure we mix it up and keep him on his toes, make sure he can’t just sit back there and pick us apart,” said Stephen.
Sitting three games behind the Argonauts in the East Division, a back-to-back series gives the Tiger-Cats a perfect opportunity to make up some ground on their rivals – something that Burris and the Ticats are looking forward to.
“We know these games are huge,” he said. “From here on out, we’re battling not only to catch up with the Argos but playing for playoff position. Even beyond that, we’re just playing right now to be the team we know we can become.”
Burris also expressed his desire to make-up for what he sees as a lackluster performance last weekend against the Stamps.
“We’re coming off a loss where we feel like we embarrassed ourselves. Well here’s the chance to make amends for that and bounce back against the Argos. This would be a great week for us to get back on track.”
