The Canadian Press
HAMILTON — June Jones has made himself known for breaking down the season into thirds and treating each with its own set of goals. Now, with just four games remaining in the Ticats regular season schedule, Jones knows exactly what the Tiger-Cats are needing to do to ensure they enter the playoffs sitting where they want to be.
“There’s a lot of ‘ifs’ in there,” Jones said on Tuesday. “2-2 might get us to where we want. 3-1 might get us to where we want. We know that 4-0 will get us to where we want to be.”
Hamilton currently sits second in the East with an equal 7-7 record, one game back from the Ottawa REDBLACKS, who they’ll be facing in a back-to-back series over Week 19 and 20.
RELATED
» Buy Tickets: Tiger-Cats at Argonauts
» O’Leary: 5 trades that make sense prior to the deadline
» Playoff Scenarios: Lots to settle in the Wild West in Week 18
The Ticats have been on an up and down journey this season, especially as they’ve fallen victim to what appears to be a league-wide concern of teams losing many of their top receivers to injury.
“I just want to see us keep getting better – playing with confidence, playing like we belong,” Jones said on what he hopes to see out of his team in the final four games of the season. “The confidence level is growing with the guys. Unfortunately, now it’s the fourth receiver (Terrence Toliver is currently under protocol for the second time this season.) we’ve lost. But guy’s are stepping up and it’s the next guy up. Other guys have opportunities to make a name for themselves”
The Ticats are focused on this week first, however, preparing for a Friday tilt against the Argonauts in Toronto.
It hasn’t been uncommon to hear Jones addressing each game as their ‘toughest game’ leading up to it, so it was certainly no surprise this week as the tension builds up as we inch closer to the conclusion of the regular season.
“Toronto is going to be the toughest game for us this year, and so we just treat it like that and we go.”
Yes, the Argonauts have been eliminated from the post-season, however, Jones is insisting his squad not to take them lightly on Friday.
“They’re professionals,” Jones said. “They won it last year so they’ve been there before. So they’re not going to do anything but play their hardest, and play they’re best. Marc (Trestman) will have them ready.”
Hamilton will also have to deal with the adjustment in their game plan since last taking on Toronto now with James Franklin at the helm of the Double Blue’s offence. Franklin came in for the relief of McLeod Bethel-Thompson last week against Lions, throwing for just over 100 yards and passing for two touchdowns.
“I’ve seen the quarterback, who I think will play, play with a lot of confidence in the second half from starting earlier in the year. He’ll play his best game,” Jones said on what he expects to see from Franklin on Friday.
On the flip side, the Ticats have leaned on the growing consistency of their quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who currently ranks second in the league in passing yards (4,286) and third in the league for touchdowns (21).
“I fell like he’s understanding… the offence knows it better and better all the time,” Jones said. “I wish we had all the guys healthy because I really think he’d be something else right now too because we’re relying on a lot of decisions by receivers as they’re running upfield, and sometimes when you’re playing other guys they don’t see it the same way as a Jalen saw it, or Jeremiah saw it.”
That all being said, Jones left us all with one optimistic comment on his quarterback.
“If he plays the way he should in the last four (games) and into the playoffs, I don’t see how he won’t be player of the year.”
