Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
With three weeks to go in the 2013 season, the Tiger-Cats have already locked up a spot in the playoffs.
Now all that’s left to do is ensure that one is played in Guelph.
A win on Sunday against the Montreal Alouettes would do just that, as it would give the Tiger-Cats the season series victory against the Als and put them six points clear with just two games left in the season.
“At the end of the day it’s all about getting the job done,” said offensive lineman Marc Dile about Hamilton’s game on Sunday. “But for the fans and the people that have been rooting for us all season to experience that kind of atmosphere, that’d be something awesome to bring to Guelph, and to carry into next year as well.”
The atmosphere in Alumni Stadium was electric on Thanksgiving, as the Tiger-Cats notched their second straight win against the Toronto Argonauts, and linebacker Simoni Lawrence would love the chance to play in that atmosphere again in the playoffs.
“It’d be awesome,” he said. “At that Toronto game I realized just how awesome our home field advantage was. It felt like there were 30,000 fans in there, they were all going nuts.”
“And to hear their chants, hear them yelling at the Argos, you just have to keep pumping your arms and they’ll keep screaming.”
But the ‘Cats can’t start printing tickets just yet, because the Alouettes are still firmly in the race to host a playoff game in Montreal. A two-game sweep of Hamilton would give the Als the season series and the inside track on second place in the East, meaning they’ll be at the top of their game Sunday.
“This is a very aggressive bunch and they’re doing a good job keeping that team competitive game in and game out,” said Burris, talking about a tenacious Montreal defence led by CFL tackle leader Chip Cox. “They get a lot of pressure on the quarterback, as we saw in Moncton. They’re going to make plays, and they’re going to get home.”
And the Alouettes defence has done a good job of turning that pressure into negative plays – boasting the fourth-most sacks in the CFL and forcing a league-high 22 interceptions. Is Hamilton’s offence up to the challenge? Henry Burris thinks so.
“I’m confident in our guys up front,” he said. “Our running backs do a great job in pass protection, and I’m more than comfortable with my receivers and what they’ll do against that man-to-man coverage on the back end.”
One big difference for the Alouettes on Sunday will be the man under centre. Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith will make his first career CFL start in Montreal. Smith is a true dual-threat quarterback, recording over 1,000 rushing yards in his career at Ohio State, and Austin admits that the Ticats’ preparation this week was tweaked slightly.
“He brings some other things to the table,” he said. “He’s a big strong kid, throws the ball well… can run, get out of trouble and break tackles. We’re preparing a little bit differently for him, but at the end of the day we have to prepare for what we see.”
For Simoni Lawrence, making contingency plans due to uncertainty at quarterback is nothing new.
“I feel like this is how we’ve been preparing all season,” he said. “That’s how the league’s been this year. We had to prepare for Collaros, then Ray, in Winnipeg we never really knew who was going to play (quarterback). I feel like this week is similar to the rest of the year.”
