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Ever since moving into Tim Hortons Field, the Ticats have been playing with a steel tough mentality on defence, resurrecting an attitude the team has been known for throughout its history in the Steel City.
Hamilton is coming off their first 4-1 mark in the month of September since 1985 and in those four wins it was largely the defence leading the way. In the victories the Ticats allowed just 12, 3, 23, and 11 points respectively, an average of 16.3 points per contest. Compare those numbers to early in the season when the Tabbies allowed 27 points or more in five of their first seven games – all losses – and it’s easy to see the defensive improvement just based from the scoreboard.
“We’ve matured over the course of the season and are able to finish games now as opposed to letting them slip out of our fingers,” multi-talented defender Rico Murray said. “Our effort and execution has improved.”
And Hamilton has been racking up the statistics as a result. The Ticats forced nine turnovers (five interceptions and four fumble recoveries) in September and recorded 20 sacks in the month.
Defensive end Eric Norwood led the charge towards opposition quarterbacks with six sacks in September and the six-foot-one 252 lbs. pass rusher has a personal four-game sack streak on the go.
“I laid off the chicken shawarma’s and poutine’s and things like that,” Norwood said as he laughed, “and got right.”
No. 40 leads the Ticats with eight sacks and believes the reason for Hamilton getting to the quarterback with increased regularity lately is due to the fact the defensive line is rushing as an entire unit.
“If you have four guys working together collapsing the pocket, running a game or twist, it’s hard to block,” Norwood said. “We’re on the same page on how we want to rush and attack quarterbacks as a group and not individually.”
Murray explained the symbiotic relationship between the defensive line and secondary.
“When they’re getting pressure on quarterbacks it makes our jobs easier in the back end because we don’t have to cover as long and when we’re doing our jobs covering guys it makes it easier for those guys up front to put on more pressure and get coverage sacks.”
Murray leads the Ticats with four interceptions, two coming in September.
“Some of the plays I’ve been able to make this year have come from reaping the benefits of the pass rush,” Murray said.
A large amount of the credit for all the sacks and takeaways can be attributed to the scheme and week-to-week game-planning efforts of defensive coordinator Orlondo Steinauer.
“We won’t tie ourselves to being a zone team, pressure team or man team. We’re going to do what it takes to win that week.”
”Being multiple and versatile is just something that I believe in,” Steinauer explained. “Most coordinators want to have an identity of what they are, but I think you have to be able to be a little bit flexible.”
Murray is a perfect example of the type of defender Steinauer likes to find and utilize in different ways. He has the ability to start at linebacker or any position in the defensive backfield.
“I can be playing one position for two or three weeks and a team will have to game plan for me at a certain position. And then when we change it up and I move to another position, now all those keys that a team might have been studying on me have changed,” Murray explained.
“It makes it a little bit harder for teams to break us down on film. We have a lot of versatile guys who can move around and be just as productive as the player that played the spot the week before,” Murray continued.
It seems as though Hamilton’s adaptable defence has provided headaches for opposing offences, especially of late. And it just might be the unit’s best attribute, but Murray wants the Ticats defence to be tenacious each time out.
“Personally, I believe that our identity on defence is to be the most physical defence we possibly can be,” he said. “If we can get lined up, communicate and do all the simple things that we’ve been working on from day one – be a physical defence and fly around – it’s pretty simple football.”
Steinauer planted the seed for the defensive mentality he wanted to see and he’s currently bearing the fruits of his labour. Versatility and physicality have combined to form a defence that’s shown a new version of Steeltown tough.
