Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
Pride isn’t the only thing on the line this weekend when the Ticats host the Montreal Alouettes, but it’ll certainly play a part.
Last week, the Tiger-Cats struggled in Montreal. It was a tough pill to swallow for a team that had just beaten the division-leading Toronto Argonauts two games straight, but one that could be used as a learning tool.
“It was hard to watch the film… it was hard to think about on a six-hour train ride home,” said receiver Bakari Grant on the Ticats loss last weekend. “But I think it’s good. I think a lot of guys reflected and you could tell guys were ready to work when we came back to practice on Tuesday.”
Grant leads all Tiger-Cats with 68 catches and 930 receiving yards through 16 games in his third CFL season, despite having to share opportunities with offensive weapons like Andy Fantuz, Greg Ellingson, and C.J. Gable.
“I can’t say I’m disappointed in the season I’ve had,” said Grant, “But there’s always room for improvement, and that’s what we’re looking for now: playing more physically, and finishing all of the plays, not just some of them.”
We already know that the Tiger-Cats are guaranteed to be playing in the East Semi-Final. What is still undetermined is the location of that game. A win would ensure the road to the Grey Cup travels through Guelph. With a loss, the Ticats will need some help next week to help secure a postseason game at home.
“It’s a really big game,” said Ticats linebacker Brandon Isaac, who also emphasized the mental advantage gained by winning the season series against a divisional opponent. “You don’t want to lose two times to the Alouettes then go into their building in the first round of the playoffs.”
Like Grant, Isaac found it difficult to watch the film from last week’s loss in Montreal.
“All week I’ve been watching plays where I’ve made mistakes,” he said. “You’ve got to watch the same plays over and over that you gave up last week and it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.”
That bitter taste will, according to Isaac, remain in the minds of the Ticats this weekend, when the Alouettes come to Guelph for the first time in 2013.
“They’ve got a feeling that they’re better than us because of the way they won,” said Isaac. “But we believe in us, we believe in the team, we all have the same goals and the same ambitions. We want to come out this week and execute our game plan.”
One thing that favours the Ticats this week is the team’s recent performance following a loss. After Hamilton’s last loss – a 35–11 home defeat to the CFL-leading Calgary Stampeders on September 28th – the Tiger-Cats responded by ripping off two in a row against the Argos, a trend that Coach Kent Austin hopes continues this weekend.
“What we’ve shown this year is the ability to bounce back when we’ve not played well, and to play a good game the next week” said Austin. “Hopefully that stays the same.”
