What's interesting about the Ticats lineup this week versus last week? Non-import receiver Samuel Giguere is pencilled in the depth chart. Combine that with the offensive line starting four Canadians (Wojt is still at right tackle and O'Neill is at guard again this week) and I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen on offense.
The Cats have two Canadians starters on defence and need just five on offense for the ratio. With the four on the line and Fantuz, the Cats don't need Giguere for the ratio and indeed Dobson Collins is listed as a starting wide receiver, with Giguere listed behind Fantuz at one of the slot positions. Maybe Giguere will just be eased in and not play a lot of downs. Something to watch for.
Import Onrea Jones is listed as a starting wide receiver and imports Grant and Tasker ("his father played in the NFL!" Rod Black) are listed as two of the other slots. So still no Greg Ellingson. Non-import Delahunt is back at full back after being out with injury for a spell.
In theory with Delahunt in at fullback, the Cats would not even need Fantuz on the field as they could go with Jones, Dobson, Grant and Tasker as the slots and receivers. Something I doubt will happen, plus the Cats almost never use a fullback except for in obvious short running plays, preferring to go with five receivers.
On defence, Johnson looks like he'll be back at middle linebacker. Bulcke at defensive tackle and Stephen at safety are the two starting Canadians on defence. Dee Webb is still injured.
Congi is back at kicker, so hopefully that will placate all the callers on CHML's the Fifth Quarter. Unless he misses some field goals and the whole cycle will begin anew.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Thoughts on the Argos at Ticats Thanksgiving Game
A little late to be talking about Monday's Ticat Argo tilt, but I have some thoughts. First C.J. Gable is turning out to be a great find for the Cats. He had 17 carries for 118 yards, for a solid 6.9 yard average and a TD. In addition he had five catches for 46 yards. Gable has a decent shot at 1,000 yards rushing this year. I'm assuming that Gable signed a two year deal plus a club option year, so potentially the Cats would have him for 2014 and 2015 as well, before he could try the NFL as a free agent. Getting rid of the possibility of option year players to sign with the NFL certainly improves things as a fan.
Luke Tasker had seven catches for 113 yards to lead the Ticats receivers. Ellingson being injured is giving Tasker a chance to make an impression. With Tasker, I wonder if Kent Austin (his coach at Cornell) didn't come back to the CFL to coach, would he have ever had had a chance to make an impression in the CFL? Maybe a team might have invited him to camp, but would they have had any faith in him? Football can be a lucky business and sometimes successful players got their initial chance through luck.
Dobson Collins also had a good game, second in receiving yards with 69 on five catches. With the success the Cats have had with a variety of receivers this year, that speaks well of both Burris, the offensive line and the offensive system.
Fantuz only had two catches for 33 yards. Is his injury still bugging him, or was he just getting a lot of double coverage. Grant only had four catches for 31 yards, so I'm assuming the Argos were putting weaker coverage on Collins and Tasker.
Burris had a great game, with 350 yards passing on 27 completed passes versus 36 attempts. A 75% completion rate is excellent against the Argos defense. One pick versus no TDs, but even Ricky Ray had a pick.
The defence had a good game as well. Bussey, in at linebacker for the injured Jamal Johnson had six tackles. The Cats had two sacks, a pick and a forced fumble which isn't bad.
Overall an excellent game against a tough opponent in a game they needed to win for any hope of home field advantage for the Eastern Final.
Luke Tasker had seven catches for 113 yards to lead the Ticats receivers. Ellingson being injured is giving Tasker a chance to make an impression. With Tasker, I wonder if Kent Austin (his coach at Cornell) didn't come back to the CFL to coach, would he have ever had had a chance to make an impression in the CFL? Maybe a team might have invited him to camp, but would they have had any faith in him? Football can be a lucky business and sometimes successful players got their initial chance through luck.
Dobson Collins also had a good game, second in receiving yards with 69 on five catches. With the success the Cats have had with a variety of receivers this year, that speaks well of both Burris, the offensive line and the offensive system.
Fantuz only had two catches for 33 yards. Is his injury still bugging him, or was he just getting a lot of double coverage. Grant only had four catches for 31 yards, so I'm assuming the Argos were putting weaker coverage on Collins and Tasker.
Burris had a great game, with 350 yards passing on 27 completed passes versus 36 attempts. A 75% completion rate is excellent against the Argos defense. One pick versus no TDs, but even Ricky Ray had a pick.
The defence had a good game as well. Bussey, in at linebacker for the injured Jamal Johnson had six tackles. The Cats had two sacks, a pick and a forced fumble which isn't bad.
Overall an excellent game against a tough opponent in a game they needed to win for any hope of home field advantage for the Eastern Final.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Montreal Alouettes Announce Concussed Anthony Calvillo Is Done for 2013 CFL Season
Sad to hear, although as a Ticat fan I would rather be facing Neiswander
than Calvillo. Is this it for Calvillo? I think there's a decent
possibility it is. Calvillo wasn't that great this year even before he
was injured and next year he'll be a year older and coming off a
concussion ended season. Perhaps more importantly for Montreal, he has a
very high salary and in a league with a low salary cap, that money has
to come from somewhere. Too bad it may end this way, but in professional
sports, the end is rarely pretty.
2013 CFL Predictions Week 17
Calgary at Edmonton
This should be a no brainer game. The Stampeders are the best team in the league and Edmonton is pretty much the worst. Kevin Glenn has been effective after emerging as the starter and Jon Cornish either the best or second best running back in the league depending on whether you're a Rider fan or not. Edmonton has a bad offensive line and a mediocre defense. The Esks have nothing really left to play for except the rivalry, while the Stamps would like to lock down first in the East. The Eskimos will probably play with pride and then lose a close one for yet another moral victory.
Stampeders 37 Eskimos 32
Toronto at Winnipeg
Somewhat shockingly the Bombers are coming off a win and the Argos a loss. In theory the Bombers could still get a playoff spot, but don't have much room for error. The Argos have the inside track on home field advantage in the East and beating Winnipeg this week would certainly help. The Argos had a lot of injuries in their loss to Hamilton last week, however they did have Ricky Ray back at quarterback. Ray looked rusty in the first half, however by the end of the game he piled up some decent stats, without Chad Kackert at running back. The Bombers could win, but two wins in a row is too much to ask this bad team and Toronto will be looking to get back on track after two straight losses and more importantly losing the beloved Harold Ballard Cup to the Ticats.
Argonauts 33 Bombers 24
BC at Saskatchewan
This one is an important game for determining who has home field advantage for the West semi-final (I'm pretty much conceding that the Stamps will host the final). The game is in Saskatchewan, which obviously helps the Riders, plus the flatlanders also have a healthy Kory Sheets. BC still is Lulayless which hurts. DeMarco has been decent so far in relief, but will be hard pressed in Mosaic. Expect the Lions to lose.
Riders 29 Lions 25
Hamilton at Montreal
This one is a bit hard to call. Montreal managed to lose to Winnipeg last week at home, which can't be great for momentum. Plus with the loss, it will be difficult for the Alouettes to catch Hamilton for a home playoff game, despite how much Mark Cohen probably loathes a 13,000 stadium hosting a playoff game. Hamilton can catch Toronto as long as they win one more game than the Argos over the last three games, which won't be easy with the Argos playing two of them against the hapless Bombers. Hamilton is the hotter team, coming off two straight victories, with an offense that is clicking and an improved defence. The Alouettes have the better defence, but with Neiswander in instead of Calvillo, their offense will end up screwing them. Cats win.
Ticats 37 Alouettes 28
This should be a no brainer game. The Stampeders are the best team in the league and Edmonton is pretty much the worst. Kevin Glenn has been effective after emerging as the starter and Jon Cornish either the best or second best running back in the league depending on whether you're a Rider fan or not. Edmonton has a bad offensive line and a mediocre defense. The Esks have nothing really left to play for except the rivalry, while the Stamps would like to lock down first in the East. The Eskimos will probably play with pride and then lose a close one for yet another moral victory.
Stampeders 37 Eskimos 32
Toronto at Winnipeg
Somewhat shockingly the Bombers are coming off a win and the Argos a loss. In theory the Bombers could still get a playoff spot, but don't have much room for error. The Argos have the inside track on home field advantage in the East and beating Winnipeg this week would certainly help. The Argos had a lot of injuries in their loss to Hamilton last week, however they did have Ricky Ray back at quarterback. Ray looked rusty in the first half, however by the end of the game he piled up some decent stats, without Chad Kackert at running back. The Bombers could win, but two wins in a row is too much to ask this bad team and Toronto will be looking to get back on track after two straight losses and more importantly losing the beloved Harold Ballard Cup to the Ticats.
Argonauts 33 Bombers 24
BC at Saskatchewan
This one is an important game for determining who has home field advantage for the West semi-final (I'm pretty much conceding that the Stamps will host the final). The game is in Saskatchewan, which obviously helps the Riders, plus the flatlanders also have a healthy Kory Sheets. BC still is Lulayless which hurts. DeMarco has been decent so far in relief, but will be hard pressed in Mosaic. Expect the Lions to lose.
Riders 29 Lions 25
Hamilton at Montreal
This one is a bit hard to call. Montreal managed to lose to Winnipeg last week at home, which can't be great for momentum. Plus with the loss, it will be difficult for the Alouettes to catch Hamilton for a home playoff game, despite how much Mark Cohen probably loathes a 13,000 stadium hosting a playoff game. Hamilton can catch Toronto as long as they win one more game than the Argos over the last three games, which won't be easy with the Argos playing two of them against the hapless Bombers. Hamilton is the hotter team, coming off two straight victories, with an offense that is clicking and an improved defence. The Alouettes have the better defence, but with Neiswander in instead of Calvillo, their offense will end up screwing them. Cats win.
Ticats 37 Alouettes 28
CFL 2013 Thanksgiving Television Ratings
The Eh Game blog has the Canadian sports television ratings for the past weekend, which includes the Thanksgiving games. The two Thanksgiving games were third and fourth overall, with the Hamilton Toronto game receiving 956,000 viewers making it the top CFL game of the week. Both teams have trouble drawing fans to their stadiums in Southern Ontario, however those teams can do well in the ratings when it is an important game (and when nothing else is on the television due to the holiday). Considering the value of the Argos for television ratings (and maybe the Ticats), the league might want to pony up some cash for a new stadium. The NFL regularly helps out teams with stadium costs.
The 956,000 number on TSN is also respectable compared to the second place Canucks Habs game at 1,374,000, especially considering that more people can watch CBC (potentially without cable) than TSN.
The Eskimos and Riders game had a respectable 778,000 viewers for the earlier Thanksgiving game, for fourth place which actually seems a bit low for a Rider game, although Edmonton is now out of it.
The Bombers and Alouettes was the third ranked CFL game and sixth overall with 686,000. I'm not sure whether this includes RDS or not. The Lions Stamps game was the fourth ranked game and seventh overall with 659,000 viewers.
I'm a little surprised that the NHL has jumped on the Thanksgiving bandwagon with a couple of games featuring Canadian teams, however it is better for the CFL that they haven't. Frankly I'm surprised the league hasn't made two games traditional. Hamilton at Toronto would be a logical one, considering it is after the baseball regular season, plus a Western match up.
The 956,000 number on TSN is also respectable compared to the second place Canucks Habs game at 1,374,000, especially considering that more people can watch CBC (potentially without cable) than TSN.
The Eskimos and Riders game had a respectable 778,000 viewers for the earlier Thanksgiving game, for fourth place which actually seems a bit low for a Rider game, although Edmonton is now out of it.
The Bombers and Alouettes was the third ranked CFL game and sixth overall with 686,000. I'm not sure whether this includes RDS or not. The Lions Stamps game was the fourth ranked game and seventh overall with 659,000 viewers.
I'm a little surprised that the NHL has jumped on the Thanksgiving bandwagon with a couple of games featuring Canadian teams, however it is better for the CFL that they haven't. Frankly I'm surprised the league hasn't made two games traditional. Hamilton at Toronto would be a logical one, considering it is after the baseball regular season, plus a Western match up.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
2013 CFL Power Rankings Week 16
1. Calgary Stampeders
You can't really argue with 12 and 3. They've done it with a combination of different quarterbacks, which even strengthens their power ranking as they are more resilient to the traditional bugaboo of a good football team, starting quarterback injury. They've still been successful without receiver Nik Lewis as well, but having Jon Cornish as your starting running back means the passing game isn't as important. Throw in an excellent front defensive four and you have a team that wins a lot.
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Riders are a far better team now that running back Kory Sheets is healthy. Without him, quarterback Darian Durrant is mediocre, with him, he's significantly better as is the entire team. Sure the Riders barely managed to beat the Eskimos, but good teams are going to win close games occasionally rather than blowing out teams every week. The Riders certainly aren't looking as invincible as earlier in the season.
3. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Cats have won two straight over their arch rivals, the Toronto Argonauts and now have a chance at winning the East overall. The Cats have basically the only elite quarterback who has started all year (sorry Mike Reilly) and so many quality receivers that injuries don't matter. C. J. Gable is emerging as one of the better backs in the CFL and is arguably the best at receiving. The defence is no longer terrible either as they were earlier in the season.
4. Toronto Argonauts
Strangely the Argos were on top of the world, winning four straight on the road against some of the CFL's best teams without starting quarterback Ricky Ray. Then they played two games against the Ticats and lost both. Ricky Ray was back in the last game and was good statwise, but still had a bit of rust. Likely after playing a game, Ray will be better this week, plus the Argos still have a solid defence (although that wasn't evident in the last two games).
5. BC Lions
Uh, is Travis Lulay coming back? DeMarco is OK as a quarterback, but at this point in the season he's not good enough yet to compete with the best teams in the league. Andrew Harris is having a good season, but not as good as last year. The rest of the Lion receivers are kind of meh. The defence is still respectable, but if the Lions want to do anything in the playoffs, Lulay will have to come back and play well.
6. Montreal Alouettes
By losing to the lowly Bombers at home and the Ticats winning, the Alouettes have pretty much crapped the bed at their chance to catch Hamilton and have a home playoff game. Now they have to not totally suck to hold off the semi-surging Blue Bombers for the last playoff spot in the East. Kind of embarrassing, but that's what happens when Anthony Calvillo's head is scrambled.
7. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
With a win, the Bombers are firmly out of the basement of the power rankings. Beating the Alouettes at home almost warrants the Bombers up a further spot, but they've only won three games in 2013, which obviously isn't much. Is Hall the real deal in Winnipeg at the quarterback position? Who knows. However their offense didn't suck enough to trash a good outing by their defence so maybe there's hope for next year.
8. Edmonton Eskimos
The Eskimos lost yet another close game, this one on the road to Saskatchewan. Edmonton has had some moral victories, but not a lot of victories. Will Kavis Reed get the boot at the end of the year? Probably. Will Edmonton lose out the season. Probably.
You can't really argue with 12 and 3. They've done it with a combination of different quarterbacks, which even strengthens their power ranking as they are more resilient to the traditional bugaboo of a good football team, starting quarterback injury. They've still been successful without receiver Nik Lewis as well, but having Jon Cornish as your starting running back means the passing game isn't as important. Throw in an excellent front defensive four and you have a team that wins a lot.
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Riders are a far better team now that running back Kory Sheets is healthy. Without him, quarterback Darian Durrant is mediocre, with him, he's significantly better as is the entire team. Sure the Riders barely managed to beat the Eskimos, but good teams are going to win close games occasionally rather than blowing out teams every week. The Riders certainly aren't looking as invincible as earlier in the season.
3. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Cats have won two straight over their arch rivals, the Toronto Argonauts and now have a chance at winning the East overall. The Cats have basically the only elite quarterback who has started all year (sorry Mike Reilly) and so many quality receivers that injuries don't matter. C. J. Gable is emerging as one of the better backs in the CFL and is arguably the best at receiving. The defence is no longer terrible either as they were earlier in the season.
4. Toronto Argonauts
Strangely the Argos were on top of the world, winning four straight on the road against some of the CFL's best teams without starting quarterback Ricky Ray. Then they played two games against the Ticats and lost both. Ricky Ray was back in the last game and was good statwise, but still had a bit of rust. Likely after playing a game, Ray will be better this week, plus the Argos still have a solid defence (although that wasn't evident in the last two games).
5. BC Lions
Uh, is Travis Lulay coming back? DeMarco is OK as a quarterback, but at this point in the season he's not good enough yet to compete with the best teams in the league. Andrew Harris is having a good season, but not as good as last year. The rest of the Lion receivers are kind of meh. The defence is still respectable, but if the Lions want to do anything in the playoffs, Lulay will have to come back and play well.
6. Montreal Alouettes
By losing to the lowly Bombers at home and the Ticats winning, the Alouettes have pretty much crapped the bed at their chance to catch Hamilton and have a home playoff game. Now they have to not totally suck to hold off the semi-surging Blue Bombers for the last playoff spot in the East. Kind of embarrassing, but that's what happens when Anthony Calvillo's head is scrambled.
7. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
With a win, the Bombers are firmly out of the basement of the power rankings. Beating the Alouettes at home almost warrants the Bombers up a further spot, but they've only won three games in 2013, which obviously isn't much. Is Hall the real deal in Winnipeg at the quarterback position? Who knows. However their offense didn't suck enough to trash a good outing by their defence so maybe there's hope for next year.
8. Edmonton Eskimos
The Eskimos lost yet another close game, this one on the road to Saskatchewan. Edmonton has had some moral victories, but not a lot of victories. Will Kavis Reed get the boot at the end of the year? Probably. Will Edmonton lose out the season. Probably.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Toronto at Hamilton Pre-Game Thoughts
I'm on the way up to Guelph, with seats in the Parkway Nissan box. So go buy a Nissan from them.
Probably the biggest news is that Ricky Ray is starting as the Argos quarterback. He's an upgrade on Collaros last week, however there's probably some rust. Ray generally has a really high completion percentage, with a lot of short passes plus the occasional bomb. The Cats will have to watch for yards after the catch by Andre Durie and Chad Owens. Supposedly Chad Kackert is injured at running back. I doubt that makes much of a difference as whoever replaces him is probably just as good.
For the Cats, Jamal Johnson may be injured which would hurt or he may play. The Cats are again going with non-import Wojt at right tackle with O'Neill taking his usial guard spot. Another week without import Greg Ellingson at receiver. He looked like a lock a few weeks ago for rookie of the year, but if he doesn't play soon that won't happen. Import receivers Collins and Tasker (son of former Buffalo Bill Steve Tasker) are in this week. Still no Samuel Giguerre either.
Having home field advantage should help the Cats this week. Winning this week gives the Cats a slight shot at winning the East, but more importantly gives a big advantage against the Alouettes for a home playoff game.
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