
Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
BANKS HONOURED AFTER BIG GAME
After his highlight-reel performance in Sunday’s comeback win over the Alouettes, receiver and return man Brandon Banks has been honoured by the CFL as the league’s Special Teams Player of the Week.
Banks compiled 210 total return yards in Sunday’s win, punctuated by a 107-yard return on a missed field goal that he returned to the house to give the Tiger-Cats their first lead of the game.
“It’s a good honour,” said Banks, “But you know it goes to the other 11 guys that were out there battling with me. All I had to do was get to the sideline and run as fast as I could.”
Banks took a Jeremiah Masoli handoff 45 yards to the house in the third quarter, with both runs coming up the West sideline in front of the grandstands at Alumni Stadium.
“With the skill set that I have, it’s a big advantage for me to get more space on the field,” he said. “It was a relief, I was waiting to bust one, get back to the feeling of making big plays.”
SAME APPROACH TO SEASON FINALE
Saturday’s regular season finale against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers may be meaningless for the CFL standings, but don’t expect Kent Austin to treat it that way.
“I don’t see it like that at all,” said Austin. “I told the players before practice, we’re preparing to win just like any other game. It doesn’t matter if we end up resting some guys, the ones that are called to play will treat it accordingly.”
With their victory over the Alouettes on Saturday, the Tiger-Cats locked up second place in the East Division, as well as the home playoff date that comes with it. This gives Austin the opportunity to rest some players who need some time off, while easing those recovering from injuries back into the game day lineup.
“We want to get through day one, day two, get two days of treatment in, and get two days of reports from our medical staff,” said Austin. “We’re not jumping the gun on their return. In other words if they’re fully cleared to play, then it’s probably important to get them some playing time.”
One thing Austin knows for certain is the situation at quarterback for the game in Winnipeg.
“We’re going to start Hank, and Hank’s going to play as much as he needs that in our mind gets him ready to play against Montreal,” he said. “Right now our mindset is to get Henry ready for the playoffs.”
FRIENDLY ROOKIE COMPETITION
Team success in football always supercedes individual statistics, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for some friendly competition.
That’s exactly what’s been happening in the Tiger-Cats locker room this season, as rookies Greg Ellingson and C.J. Gable (who happen to be locker neighbours) have both been making their case for Hamilton’s Most Outstanding award.
The two were deadlocked for much of the season, providing a one-two rookie punch on offence, but an untimely injury has held Ellingson out for the past five games, turning the competition into a one-horse race. Still, that hasn’t kept the two from continuing their banter, with Ellingson returning to full practice this week.
“He was talking about if he gets 200 receiving yards and gets to 1000 he’ll be up there for Rookie of the Year,” laughed Gable. “I told him the only way he has a chance is if he gets 300 yards and three touchdowns, maybe.”
Ellingson dismissed any notion of a rivalry between the two players, insisting that the lighthearted competition has had benefits on the field as well.
“I’m just busting his chops a little bit, we’ve always been joking about it, we have a good relationship where we can mess with each other,” said Ellingson. “It’s always nice to have somebody on your team that can push you and make you a better player.”
Unfortunately for Ellingson, not even a performance for the ages against Winnipeg will be enough for him to take the crown – the votes are already in, and the team’s award nominees will be announced on Wednesday.