Ryan McCullough/Ticats.ca
Last week we looked at 21 questions heading into Ticats’ camp. Well, training camp has arrived and the intrigue in the Hammer hasn’t dissipated.
From the competition at kicker to a larger role for developmental quarterback Everett Golson, here are some observations from the first few days on the field:
The kicking battle
Sergio Castillo will be the Ticats kicker. It’s just a gut feeling.
Unless someone else dives into the fray, I’ve seen enough from Castillo in the early days of camp to feel that he has the best consistency and top end at multiple kicking disciplines which is what Kent Austin repeatedly says he is searching for.
Ryan Hawkins and Craig Peterson just don’t look the part right now. Hawkins really struggled during the punt session of day two to the point where Peterson was giving him pointers on how to not over rotate his hips leading to sliced kicks.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of this story is that I don’t think Castillo is blowing anyone away, but he is the best available option as it stands.
Ryan Hawkins (left) and Sergio Castillo (right) kick during practice this week in Hamilton (Ryan McCullough/Ticats.ca)
Castillo can take a little longer than preferred to get the ball out on punting situations which is worrisome due to the Ticats’ inability to protect the punter last season, but it’s the reality of the current situation.
Again, games matter more than practices, especially in the pressure-driven position of kicker and Peterson or Hawkins could easily prove themselves when it matters most but my gut says Castillo.
Olson-less O-line
It turns out the final CFL game for Jake Olson will be the afternoon against Edmonton in 2015 that both he and Zach Collaros headed to the tunnel with what would become season-ending and franchise-altering injuries into 2016.
Olson retired Sunday opening the door wider than ever for a new name to become a starter at the Ticats’ right tackle spot. Brian Simmons was moved to Montreal in the off-season and Jeremy Lewis was shown the door, meaning a variety of young players have been given a chance with first-year Jordan Swindel from Kentucky being given the vast majority of first-team reps.
He really doesn’t look out of place which should comfort fans of the Black and Gold everywhere with bigger battles to be fought soon.
One has to wonder the dire straight Hamilton coaches and management would be in if Xavier Fulton had not been not acquired to anchor the left tackle position midway through last season.
It’s alive
Back in April mini-camp, the Tiger-Cats debuted a rolling tackling donut. When we asked about it, Kent Austin said it was the next wave of football practice evolution due to shorter practices with less hitting while teams still need to practice tackling fundamentals to encourage good habits.
The next step in that process is the remote controlled mobile tackling dummy.
First off, just let me say the eight-year-old trapped inside of me finds this to be the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time. For some reason when you put an object we all understand – a tackling bag – on wheels, players revert to a Christmas morning-like mood where they can’t wait to play with their new toy.
That creates energy at practice which is a welcome injection to the six month grind, but also creates a situation where coaches have to constantly remind players to use good technical tackling skills in order to teach keeping the head out of tackles while striking a moving target.
The elusive tackling dummy has been a hot topic this week at Ticats practice (Ryan McCullough/Ticats.ca)
Perhaps the best use of the yet-to-be-named mobile tackling dummy – which is dressed in a mixture of Eskimos and Riders green – is during pass rush one-on-one drills.
In a game, quarterbacks are taught to deepen the pocket with their drop back and then step forward in the pocket as they find their target. Since football began, tackling dummies have been stationary, unlike any quarterback ever.
The Ticats are using the remote control to move the dummy slightly back as the pass rush drill begins and forwards in the pocket to shorten the edge as the linebacker or defensive end gets close.
It’s a really great use of technology to simulate live game tendencies without having a quarterback get his arm hit in practice.
The old ball coach
Last year, former Arkansas and Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt visited Ticats training camp as a guest of Kent Austin. This year, long-time bench boss at several levels, including the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Oilers, Jerry Glanville made an appearance.
Jerry was the defensive coordinator for the Hawaii Warriors in 2006 when now-Ticats defensive coordinator Jeff Reinebold was the defensive line coach.
I can’t tell you how long I’ve laughed at the verbal jousts between Brett Favre and Glanville caught by NFL films during Favre’s rookie season in Atlanta, so to meet the man was a pleasure and he couldn’t have been nicer.
I chatted with Jerry after practice about how he would defend a CFL offence. He admitted for the first day or so of CFL camp involvement he just couldn’t wrap his concepts around the game and said he believes the CFL style of offence to be among the most difficult to stop.
Hear from @Ticats guest coach Jerry Glanville as I spoke with him earlier today at training camp NEXT @TSN1150.
📻: https://t.co/gxpEMaP9hV pic.twitter.com/KPcEFUXQUk
— 🇨🇦 Marsh 🏈 (@TSN_Marsh) May 29, 2017
I asked the obligatory Vince Young question since Jerry has no doubt taken flyers on players nobody else would during his time in the NFL. Jerry’s response was exactly what you would expect from a smooth talking 75-year-old football lifer.
“It never hurts to see what’s in the tank. If you’ve never been knocked down and ground up you’ve never played football. It doesn’t matter what’s ahead or behind you. All that matters is what is inside you. If he has it within him to fight back I’m all for it”.
Running back hands? RUNNING BACK HANDS!
For the last couple of seasons, the Ticats have pieced together running backs whose skills added together create a poor man’s C.J. Gable. When Gable has gone down to injury, the team has found a Ray Holley who can catch out of the backfield but not run between the tackles or a Micheal Ford who can run through a wall but had suspect hands.
That problem appears, for now, to have been alleviated by a really nice off-season addition in Alex Green from Hawaii. Green showed well in mini-camp and has shown the ability to pass protect through the first two practices but what separates him from the remaining field is his combination of size, speed and natural hands.
He doesn’t fight the football and despite not running great routes, Green can separate with quickness and catch from many body angles. I like him a lot and expect the Ticats do too.
Offensive philosophy
Having Zach back and a more experienced Jeremiah Masoli are clearly the main components of the Tiger-Cats quarterback story in 2017 but something else has caught my eye at camp.
With Jeff Mathews gone to Toronto in free agency and Jacory Harris exiting to compete for the Alouettes’ backup role, young Everett Golson of Notre Dame and Florida State fame is the assumed third strong developmental quarterback. That in itself is not the headline, though. The way he is being used is.
Golson has been the only passer to operate exclusively from empty back field sets and is using the hurry up offence at a higher rate than Collaros or Masoli as well.
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The Ticats are clearly trying to make Everett feel at home with things he has done before, which is identical to the run heavy package they installed for Masoli a couple years ago. Since that time, Masoli has blossomed into a more complete player and passer due to opportunity and a longer leash as he became more responsible with the ball. I wonder how much action Golson will see this seals and if he will earn a longer or shorter leash with that empty set showing off his strong arm and ability to create.
As an aside, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks quarterback Micheal Knevel of Brantford, Ont. is in camp with Hamilton. His size is special, and especially noticeable when standing alongside pro football giants. He could be in the discussion for the Hec Creighton this season if Laurier head coach Micheal Faulds has his way.
Coaching flexibility
One has to think that when Kent Austin was deciding on his next defensive coordinator, the idea of keeping it in-house with a coach deeply knowledgeable about special teams played into the consideration.
On Monday, the Ticats ran a special teams session where new coordinator Dennis McKnight vocalized his intentions at one end of the field while Reinebold worked his craft at the other end of the field.
Hamilton essentially has two special teams coordinators on the field at all times and that session was one of the crisper, well-run special teams segments of a practice I’ve ever seen. This becomes all that much more important with a short training camp, the need to evaluate players quickly and the importance of special teams on all players – national or international – to play meaningful snaps.
Long-time CFL coach Jeff Reinebold has made the move from special teams to defence (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Where will the national catches come from?
With Andy Fantuz assumed to be down and out for large part of the season and Spencer Watt being cut, one of the biggest questions coming into camp was who would assume a national receiver role. From the first snap of training camp it’s been 2016 18th overall pick Mike Jones, who has elected to wear No. 12 this season.
Jones was smooth in his limited rookie role last season and Watt wasn’t asked to catch a multitude of balls in an offence where Tasker, Owens and Fantuz did the majority of work. It’s Jones’ job to lose and barring injury I think he starts there in Week 1 against Toronto.
Student and teacher
Despite putting Kay Okafor to a variety of places in my CFL.ca mock drafts in the off-season, I did believe the best possible location situationally for the young Nigerian-born mountain of a man was Hamilton.
I based that assessment singularly on knowing the coaching style of Ticats defensive line coach Dennis McPhee, who combines the technical skill-teaching required by the raw Okafor with a human element few coaches can translate to coach-player connection.
At least twice a day I’ve noticed the former X-men coach McPhee take the now-St. FX grad Okafor to the side and give him individual coaching.
My favourite moment from camp so far was watching Okafor get blown off the ball by the starting offensive line only to get immediately removed from the competitive team period where McPhee pulled him over, said a couple words then proceeded to send Okafor directly back into the fray a play later, yelling “you’re only as good as what you put on film, go get your job back” as the rookie re-joined the defence.
Learning on the job
Another rookie Sean Thomas-Erlington from the Montreal Carabins has been learning by fire over the first couple days. In a pass rush drill Sunday, McMaster grad and recently-acquired linebacker Nick Shortill twisted the young running back in circles which caused a small part of my 2014 Vanier Cup loser soul to smile — but the real trial by fire came the following day.
The Tiger-Cats had Everett Golson in at quarterback with Thomas-Erlington in a competitive 12-on-12 team period. It was a placation pass but don’t tell CFL rookie from Kansas State Ryan Mueller that. He jacked up Thomas-Erlington with the largest-magnitude hit seen at camp. Sean picked him self up quickly and headed back to the huddle but before he could get there, Offensive Coordinator Stefan Ptaszek ran to the line, grabbed a football, yelled for a hurry-up play and called an inside run for his national backfield rookie. Thomas-Erlington answered the bell and hit it inside with speed.
Best on best
In training camp, I feel there are two types of matchups. Guys trying to make the team and those who are firmly planted on the team but looking to compete at the highest level possible.
For my money the best matchup of starters through two days has been Brian Tyms and Abdul Kanneh.
Kanneh came over from Ottawa as the prized free agency pickup of the team while Tyms blossomed at the end of 2016. The two were on a collision course to battle for the right to attend the Grey Cup in the Eastern Final before Edmonton spoiled the party, but they’re making up for lost time early in camp.
Abdul Kanneh made his debut wearing Ticats colours this week at McMaster (Ryan McCullough/Ticats.ca)
Science rules!
The Tiger-Cats have dramatically changed their training camp schedule this season after a couple of years of disappointing injuries early in camp. The players are now on the field in pads for two days before taking a recovery day where they complete yoga, lifts, a short run and dive into the film room.
The study of body analytics created this change and it was notable after Monday mornings first session to hear Kent Austin yell for all players wearing the player analytics technology to take them off in order to recharge before the second session. Just another reminder that the Tiger-Cats training camp is more scientific this season than ever before
What’s next?
The Ticats are back on field in pads on Thursday before taking their scheduled recovery day Friday and turning their attention to the first pre-season game in Ottawa next Thursday.
