Isaac Owusu
Ticats.ca
Ticats.ca takes a look at how the Tiger-Cats roster looks before training camp begins on Sunday.
OFFENCE
Excitement and promise are the early themes of the Tiger-Cats’ offence heading into training camp, especially with the team moving forward with a different starter under centre.
Versatile Zach Collaros joins the team after two seasons playing for the Toronto Argonauts, where he posted 2,316 and 14 touchdowns in eight starts while spelling an injured Ricky Ray. He also rushed for 236 yards and five touchdowns.
Challenging Collaros will be quarterbacks Dan LeFevour, Jeremiah Masoli and Stephen McGee, who are all returning to the Ticats.
LeFevour registered 394 passing yards and 317 rushing yards in limited action as a change-of-pace pivot in 2013, while Masoli ran for 61 yards and threw two passes as the team’s third-string quarterback. Stephen McGee will enter his first CFL training camp after joining the team midway through the 2013 campaign.
Taking the handoffs will be a collection of tailbacks headlined by C.J. Gable, the reigning East Division Most Outstanding Rookie. He was an effective dual threat in the rushing and receiving game, posting 782 yards rushing with seven touchdowns and 598 yards receiving with five touchdowns.
The tailback stable is rounded out with Lindsey Lamar, Tavoy Moore, Isi Sofele and Mossis Madu.
Lamar and Moore have one year of CFL experience under their belts, primarily as factors in the return game. In the backfield, Lamar gained 99 yards on 17 carries along with 37 yards with a touchdown on six catches. Moore was responsible for 17 yards on three carries and 92 yards on eight catches.
Paving the way for the tailbacks will be the fullbacks.
Sophomore C.O. Prime comes into training camp continuing his conversion from defence to offence, suiting up at fullback after spending his rookie season with the linebackers.
2013 draft pick Isaac Dell will also be looking to earn a spot as a fullback. He brings a knack for catching the ball out of the backfield with 66 receptions for 707 yards over five seasons at Laurier.
At receiver, the team boasts one of the most talented corps in the league.
Returning is Bakari Grant, the team’s leading receiver in 2013 with 69 catches for 947 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Canadian Andy Fantuz and Greg Ellingson were not far behind his pace, putting up 65 catches for 896 yards with three touchdowns and 52 grabs for 800 yards plus eight touchdowns respectively.
Veteran Cary Koch, who signed as a free agent in February after two seasons in Edmonton, brings a new dimension to the offence while Samuel Giguere, Luke Tasker and Brandon Banks have shown the ability to make plays when it matters.
Joining the vets are a deep pool of talented but unproven pass-catchers, like Brandon Collins, LaMark Brown, Rashad Evans, Matt Coates, Giovanni Aprile, Jahmeek Taylor, Kelvin Bolden and Quincy McDuffie.
The offensive line will have a much different look this season.
The interior line will likely feature a trio of Canadians at centre, left and right guards.
Veterans Greg Wojt, the team’s reigning Most Outstanding Lineman, free agent acquisition Steve Myddelton and Tim O’Neill have an edge in experience but will be challenged by a promising group of youngsters line Mike Filer, Joel Reinders, Landon Rice and Carson Rockhill.
At tackle, Brian Simmons, Joel Figueroa and Marc Dile are back, and joined by newcomers Dominic Alford and Justin Anderson.
DEFENCE
The defence seems to get better as the season progressed in 2013 and enters 2014 as a much more stable unit than the group that kicked off last year’s camp.
Brandon Boudreaux, a 2013 CFL East Division All-Star, Brian Bulcke, who was named the team’s Most Outstanding Canadian and Defensive Player of the Year, defensive end Eric Norwood and defensive tackle Torrey Davis will look to renew their starting roles.
The scouting department has brought in a talented group to challenge the incumbents, with new import players like Myles Wade, Brandon Thurmond, Antonio Coleman and Bryan Hall in the mix, along with returning members of last year’s squad like Sam Scott and Terrence Moore.
Hasan Hazime, Arnaud Gascon-Nadon, Marc-Antoine Fortin and Martin Pesek will look to inject some Canadian content into the defensive line rotation.
The secondary shows tremendous potential, with prized free agent acquisition Craig Butler patrolling the middle at safety and strengthening the team’s Canadian content.
With Butler in the fold, last year’s starting safety Courtney Stephen will shift to field corner after posting 35 tackles in his rookie campaign.
Delvin Breaux will attempt to lock down his spot at boundary corner following a promising rookie campaign. Brandon Stewart, another free agent signee, is expected to be a versatile weapon in the secondary.
Erik Harris, Evan McCollough, Neil King, James Rogers, and Harold Mutobola are back with newcomers Michael Coe, Mike Daly, Korey Lindsey, Kyle Miller, Michael Ricks and Damien Jackson battling as well.
The linebacking crew might be the team’s most talented position group.
The big news on Friday was the re-singing of Simoni Lawrence, who enjoyed a breakout campaign as one of the Ticats most effective defenders in 2013.
Rico Murray also put together an impressive debut season last year, starring at multiple spots, but may be most comfortable at the strongside linebacker position.
After missing most of the 2013 season due to injury, Marcellus Bowman enters camp healthy and ready to contribute, while free agent acquisition Abraham Kromah will be someone to keep an eye on at Ron Joyce Stadium.
The linebackers also boast a contingent of impressive Canadians with last year’s East Division Most Outstanding Special Teams Player Marc Beswick, ultra-effective Frederic Plesius, first-round draft pick Beau Landry as well as Christopher Johnson, Martin Pesek and Pawel Kruba
David Caldwell and Kendrick Causey round out the linebacking corps, bringing impressive pedigrees to McMaster University.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Of the team’s units, the special teams have undergone the biggest off-season makeover for the Tiger-Cats.
It all begins with the kicking duties, where TigerTown’s new kicker is actually a familiar name.
Justin Medlock signed with the Ticats for the second time in his career in January, and is expected to handle kickoffs, field goals, extra points and punts.
The veteran kicker spent the last two seasons in NFL after a monumental initial tour of duty in Hamilton. In 2011, he set a team record by connecting on 49 of 55 field goals, good for a 89.1% field goal percentage.
His return gave the team the ability to be expendable with their kicking situation compared to last season.
Brett Lauther, who finished 6/10 on field goals in 2013, returns after making his CFL debut last season.
With the kicking responsibilities appearing settled, the question mark for special teams is in the return game.
Battling for the 2014 return job will a litany of shifty and speedy candidates. The competition for the kick returning role will definitely be one to keep an eye on.
With Kevin Scott moving on to Ottawa, Marc-Antoine Fortin appears to be the front-runner to take over long-snapping duties.
