The new Ticat beat writer for the Spec, Drew Edwards, has a blog similar to former beat writer's Ken Peters. It is now included amongst the links. Seems to be of high quality, with a lot of links to articles from across the nation, including one on Jesse Lumsden trying out for our bobsled team, wtf?
Edwards seems a bit more formal than Peters, who I will miss. Peters apparently spent five years on the Ticats beat. That's a pretty crappy five year period in terms of win loss.
Also there's been some rule changes, based partly on the fans' suggestions in the CFL, including kickoffs after safeties from the 20 rather than the 35 and kickoffs after all field goals. Not bad. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the point after eliminated, with only the option for the two point convert. A bit drastic, but probably more exciting.
Showing posts with label Lumsden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lumsden. Show all posts
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Its Raining Running Backs
Well the Cats have signed former Colt and Rider Kenton Keith. According to Perry Lefko of Sportsnet,
Keith will average 175K for 2009 and 2010, plus incentives. I would love to see the particulars of that contract. Considering the Cats probably have some caps space remaining after shipping out Moreno and not receiving a player back, I hope the Cats front loaded his contract and maxed out the cap space this year to leave room for next year. If the Cats release Casey Printers in the offseason and go with Richie Williams and Quinton Porter at QB next year, hopefully we can sign some impact free agents next year, preferably on defence and perhaps a superior offensive lineman.
With regards to how this signing affects Lumsden, Caulley and Smith, that depends on what the Cat braintrust thinks about the future of Lumsden. Keith I think likely has more upside than Caulley, as he's been a decent receiver threat in the past. I love the concept of Lumsden, however the fact that he is often injured would not break me up too much if he left. I would prefer the Cats did not trade him this year and at least made an honest effort to sign him next year. Even with Keith, all running backs get injured (look at Cates for the Riders, Cobourne for Montreal, and Caulley this week for Hamilton). Having Jesse next year as perhaps not the defacto starter might take a little pressure off him and last longer throughout the season. If he is backing up next year, his nonimport status can be useful if a nonimport starter gets injured for a game, as Jesse can start that game. I'll be curious to see if Lumsden can break his rushing total for last year, 743 yards. He's at 586 yards now with six games to go.
Keith will average 175K for 2009 and 2010, plus incentives. I would love to see the particulars of that contract. Considering the Cats probably have some caps space remaining after shipping out Moreno and not receiving a player back, I hope the Cats front loaded his contract and maxed out the cap space this year to leave room for next year. If the Cats release Casey Printers in the offseason and go with Richie Williams and Quinton Porter at QB next year, hopefully we can sign some impact free agents next year, preferably on defence and perhaps a superior offensive lineman.
With regards to how this signing affects Lumsden, Caulley and Smith, that depends on what the Cat braintrust thinks about the future of Lumsden. Keith I think likely has more upside than Caulley, as he's been a decent receiver threat in the past. I love the concept of Lumsden, however the fact that he is often injured would not break me up too much if he left. I would prefer the Cats did not trade him this year and at least made an honest effort to sign him next year. Even with Keith, all running backs get injured (look at Cates for the Riders, Cobourne for Montreal, and Caulley this week for Hamilton). Having Jesse next year as perhaps not the defacto starter might take a little pressure off him and last longer throughout the season. If he is backing up next year, his nonimport status can be useful if a nonimport starter gets injured for a game, as Jesse can start that game. I'll be curious to see if Lumsden can break his rushing total for last year, 743 yards. He's at 586 yards now with six games to go.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Edmonton Eskimos Game, Battle of the Mediocre Football Teams
The Cats are at home versus the Esks with a chance to go 2 and 3. Both are coming off losses with Hamilton the 2 point underdog. So there is definitely a chance for the Cats to win and pick up their second win, in July no less and Edmonton is playing on a short week. Ah, the soft bigotry of low expectations.
Obviously the big story is Jesse Lumsden's return and how that goes. Edmonton's defence is one of the more mediocre thus far (although not as bad as Winnipeg). Edmonton has given up 6.3 yards per rush so far this year, so that bodes well for Lumsden. Hopefully the Cats won't go too crazy this game relying on Lumsden exclusively. Instead they should try to mix in some Smith and have Printers make the odd first down scamper. With Lumsden playing and the import Cavka likely at guard, will that make the O-line effective. Fred Perry, Edmonton's rush end was lost last week with a delightfully gruesome leg injury (which I witnessed at a bar in Pearson's international departures terminal while munching on some surprisingly tasty nachos), so maybe it is time for a dominant offensive performance with Printers having forever to throw and long runs ripped off effortlessly. I'm almost overconfident.
Oh wait, Miles is out with a bad hamstring and erstwhile Catatonia favourite JoJo Walker is apparently in for him (despite being recently released) at slotback. I'm hoping Bauman and Woodcock will have good games, because I don't have a lot of confidence in Hamilton's import receivers. Maybe Mitchell will prove me wrong and score the Ticats first TD through the air.
I'm picking Lumsden on a screen or shovel pass for that illustrious honour.
On defence, well, if the offense can avoid sucking with turnovers and 2 and outs in the first half, they probably won't do too bad. Edmonton has a pretty pass happy offense with some rushing, but the Cats haven't done a bad job stopping the rush this year (although the stats don't really show it). Having Ricky Ray as your QB means you are going to have a lot of passing yards in your game, however it doesn't necessarily mean you are going to win. Last year Ray passed for a ton of yards (which Jason Maass definitely did not do), but the Esks were only marginally better than Hamilton. I'm not exactly sure how that's possible, but I believe it has something to do with a porous defence and falling behind. Hopefully Moreno will have a big game for once this year and the rejigged line with McKay-Loescher not starting (and Clinton Wayne nonimport starting at tackle wtf?) will get at least some pressure. Maybe we'll blitz and not get burned too badly.
This is the first of the blacked out games, which is a grievous mistake in my opinion. What if Hamilton actually does well in this game? Who's going to see it? Interestingly the most watched game so far this year was Toronto at Edmonton on July 10th, with 475,000 viewers.
Unfortunately, I won't be at the game in my usual seat in section 7, but I will attempt to watch it on broadband here in Deutschland. Failing that it is CHML, followed by the replay tomorrow. Go Cats! May the other team have a run of stunning incompetence.
Obviously the big story is Jesse Lumsden's return and how that goes. Edmonton's defence is one of the more mediocre thus far (although not as bad as Winnipeg). Edmonton has given up 6.3 yards per rush so far this year, so that bodes well for Lumsden. Hopefully the Cats won't go too crazy this game relying on Lumsden exclusively. Instead they should try to mix in some Smith and have Printers make the odd first down scamper. With Lumsden playing and the import Cavka likely at guard, will that make the O-line effective. Fred Perry, Edmonton's rush end was lost last week with a delightfully gruesome leg injury (which I witnessed at a bar in Pearson's international departures terminal while munching on some surprisingly tasty nachos), so maybe it is time for a dominant offensive performance with Printers having forever to throw and long runs ripped off effortlessly. I'm almost overconfident.
Oh wait, Miles is out with a bad hamstring and erstwhile Catatonia favourite JoJo Walker is apparently in for him (despite being recently released) at slotback. I'm hoping Bauman and Woodcock will have good games, because I don't have a lot of confidence in Hamilton's import receivers. Maybe Mitchell will prove me wrong and score the Ticats first TD through the air.
I'm picking Lumsden on a screen or shovel pass for that illustrious honour.
On defence, well, if the offense can avoid sucking with turnovers and 2 and outs in the first half, they probably won't do too bad. Edmonton has a pretty pass happy offense with some rushing, but the Cats haven't done a bad job stopping the rush this year (although the stats don't really show it). Having Ricky Ray as your QB means you are going to have a lot of passing yards in your game, however it doesn't necessarily mean you are going to win. Last year Ray passed for a ton of yards (which Jason Maass definitely did not do), but the Esks were only marginally better than Hamilton. I'm not exactly sure how that's possible, but I believe it has something to do with a porous defence and falling behind. Hopefully Moreno will have a big game for once this year and the rejigged line with McKay-Loescher not starting (and Clinton Wayne nonimport starting at tackle wtf?) will get at least some pressure. Maybe we'll blitz and not get burned too badly.
This is the first of the blacked out games, which is a grievous mistake in my opinion. What if Hamilton actually does well in this game? Who's going to see it? Interestingly the most watched game so far this year was Toronto at Edmonton on July 10th, with 475,000 viewers.
Unfortunately, I won't be at the game in my usual seat in section 7, but I will attempt to watch it on broadband here in Deutschland. Failing that it is CHML, followed by the replay tomorrow. Go Cats! May the other team have a run of stunning incompetence.
The Stampeders Game
After a bad loss, I have a hard time getting around to writing a blog post about the game. I justify waiting by thinking it better not to write an angry post right after the game, but to reflect on it for a day or two. Well last week in Calgary, we lost badly 43 to 16 so here is a blog post after a lot of reflection.
I can't seem to track down the liveplay site of the game on www.cfl.com so I'll just have to go by memory and the game stats. Obviously one thing that jumps out at you this game is the bad start with multiple stupid mistakes. Smith juggling the ball, Printers having problems with the ball. Bad starts like this have hampered the Cats in other games, and if we were going to have any chance to win this game, we had to have a good start. Sometimes I wonder, why can't other teams have a bad start against the Cats every once in a while. We still have four games against Winnipeg, this year so maybe it will happen.
Lumsden not being in this game obviously didn't help matters. He hopefully would have been more sure handed then Smith and could have gained a few first downs in the half and slow the game down. Lumsden being in also allows the use of the import Cavka at guard in place of Dyakowski. That obviously helps for the run game, but it probably helps for the pass game too. Sometimes I wonder if Lumsden would be as effective if Dyakowski was in for him. I wonder too about keeping Dyakowski in at guard with Lumsden and substituting Mariuz for an import linebacker. We just picked up Cornelius Anthony who played linebacker for Calgary last year for Defensive Coordinator Denny Creehan, although I don't know how much of an upgrade he would be over Mariuz (although he did have 8 sacks last year).
Offensively, Smith at RB didn't do much, going 32 yards on 9 carries with two fumbles. That's not getting it done, and not the way to impress when you get the start. Printers only ran for 4 times for 12 yards (with a TD) which I don't think is good enough. I like how Printers would rather try and find a guy downfield than run, however a few more runs when there isn't much there for a first down or 7 or 8 yards on first down would help in my opinion. The threat to run also alters the defence, so I would like to see Printers run it approximately 8 times a game (although to be fair, Burris only ran once for one yard and that worked out OK for him). Of course, being down almost the entire game can screw up the game plan. Printers was 17 for 26 for 209 yards, for a 65.4 % completion percentage. Two fumbles and two interceptions don't help. Mitchell and Miles weren't bad receiving, which they should be considering they are imports. Bauman and Woodcock didn't do much this game unfortunately.
Defensively, the Cats couldn't get any pressure on Burris and he picked them apart. The offense in the first half didn't help, with almost no sustained drives. The Cats defence is by no means great, but the only way they are going to do anything is if the offense can win the time of possession battle. Not really much to say here. Hopefully more pressure, maybe some turnovers, in the future, along with a sack or two and some two and outs.
Setta punted magnificently, albeit in some cases wind aided, and he kept the score respectable in the first half. Seems a waste of a great effort, but if everyone else is sucking, what can you do? Hopefully down the line, Setta will contribute to a few wins.
Not much else to say about that game. They probably don't win with Lumsden, unless he has a truly monster game, but it certainly would have been more respectable.
I can't seem to track down the liveplay site of the game on www.cfl.com so I'll just have to go by memory and the game stats. Obviously one thing that jumps out at you this game is the bad start with multiple stupid mistakes. Smith juggling the ball, Printers having problems with the ball. Bad starts like this have hampered the Cats in other games, and if we were going to have any chance to win this game, we had to have a good start. Sometimes I wonder, why can't other teams have a bad start against the Cats every once in a while. We still have four games against Winnipeg, this year so maybe it will happen.
Lumsden not being in this game obviously didn't help matters. He hopefully would have been more sure handed then Smith and could have gained a few first downs in the half and slow the game down. Lumsden being in also allows the use of the import Cavka at guard in place of Dyakowski. That obviously helps for the run game, but it probably helps for the pass game too. Sometimes I wonder if Lumsden would be as effective if Dyakowski was in for him. I wonder too about keeping Dyakowski in at guard with Lumsden and substituting Mariuz for an import linebacker. We just picked up Cornelius Anthony who played linebacker for Calgary last year for Defensive Coordinator Denny Creehan, although I don't know how much of an upgrade he would be over Mariuz (although he did have 8 sacks last year).
Offensively, Smith at RB didn't do much, going 32 yards on 9 carries with two fumbles. That's not getting it done, and not the way to impress when you get the start. Printers only ran for 4 times for 12 yards (with a TD) which I don't think is good enough. I like how Printers would rather try and find a guy downfield than run, however a few more runs when there isn't much there for a first down or 7 or 8 yards on first down would help in my opinion. The threat to run also alters the defence, so I would like to see Printers run it approximately 8 times a game (although to be fair, Burris only ran once for one yard and that worked out OK for him). Of course, being down almost the entire game can screw up the game plan. Printers was 17 for 26 for 209 yards, for a 65.4 % completion percentage. Two fumbles and two interceptions don't help. Mitchell and Miles weren't bad receiving, which they should be considering they are imports. Bauman and Woodcock didn't do much this game unfortunately.
Defensively, the Cats couldn't get any pressure on Burris and he picked them apart. The offense in the first half didn't help, with almost no sustained drives. The Cats defence is by no means great, but the only way they are going to do anything is if the offense can win the time of possession battle. Not really much to say here. Hopefully more pressure, maybe some turnovers, in the future, along with a sack or two and some two and outs.
Setta punted magnificently, albeit in some cases wind aided, and he kept the score respectable in the first half. Seems a waste of a great effort, but if everyone else is sucking, what can you do? Hopefully down the line, Setta will contribute to a few wins.
Not much else to say about that game. They probably don't win with Lumsden, unless he has a truly monster game, but it certainly would have been more respectable.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Last Week's Argo Game
Well it has been almost a week since the magical victory of the Cats over the Argos. I won't say that I was expecting it (considering the Cats were 10.5 point underdogs), but I did think that they had a slight chance (to beat the spread). Winning 32 - 13 sure wasn't what Vegas was expecting.
Before the game, on offence I said the Cats had to have a semblance of a running game, Printers has to have a similar completion percentage as last week, and Printers has to be able to run for some first downs. Considering the Cats ran for over 300 yards, Lumsden picking up 189 himself, obviously they had a running game. Tre Smith also picked up a lot of yards. I noticed that Printers was also able to run, including for two touchdowns. Whether the Cats will be able to do that against the defences of other teams is a question. Printers was 16 of 23 for 171 yards, for a 69.6% completion rate, which was in fact similar to last week. I guess starting three imports on the oline worked for the Cats, although I noticed they switched Peter Dyakowski in at guard when Lumsden went out. Lumsden was impressive not just on his long runs, but also when he was met at the line, he always seemed to grind out a couple of yards or sometimes even five or six. That's so important, as 2nd and 7 allows a lot more possibilities (including the QB legging it) than 2nd and 10. Someday I would like to make a chart of the percentages for making a first down for 2nd and X number of yards, but I'm guessing that would take a lot of effort.
On defence, I said how the Cats would do would depend on how the Argos QB did. Fortunately, Kerry Joseph didn't do a lot, especially in the first half. That might have a bit to do with new Argo receiver Bethel Johnson getting injured early (by his own player if I recall correctly). Johnson is another one of the former NFLers the Argos love so much and apparently really fast. Welcome to the CFL son! I also mentioned that the Cats had to stop 2nd and long (8 or more yards). I tried keeping track for both teams, but it was harder than I thought. However for the first half, the Argos didn't make a first down in any of those situations (the Cats themselves were rarely in 2nd and long situations). So obviously that's the key. Hard to tell how good the Cats defence is based on their last two outings. Moreno played ok from what I saw, but not fantastic.
Other bits, I noticed Jonta Woodard got an illegal formation call against him. Jonta seems to be good for at least one to two drive killing penalties per game. Is that worth giving up an additional sack for an inferior player? Hard calculation to make. Woodcock made at least four good grabs that I saw, often for first downs. Good pickup. Argos coach Stubler was wearing shorts, not really a good look, although I admit I prefer that to some dork on the sidelines with a suit on. Vanderjagt's placekicking was good, but his punting was mediocre. I'm guessing he will flipflop throughout the year.
Finally, as a suggestion for selling more tickets, the Argos and Cats should offer an option for their season ticket holders to receive tickets for the other team's home games against their teams (maybe even including the exhibition games). Just add on $20 or $30 per game onto the original season ticket price and call it the ultimate package or some other marketing jargon. Likely you will get a number of hardcore fans who might end up going that might not have. A bit of extra revenue for the tickets plus the concessions, plus the demand comes from those less likely in some ways to buy a ticket on the spur of the moment. One might as well take advantage of the teams being so close together.
Before the game, on offence I said the Cats had to have a semblance of a running game, Printers has to have a similar completion percentage as last week, and Printers has to be able to run for some first downs. Considering the Cats ran for over 300 yards, Lumsden picking up 189 himself, obviously they had a running game. Tre Smith also picked up a lot of yards. I noticed that Printers was also able to run, including for two touchdowns. Whether the Cats will be able to do that against the defences of other teams is a question. Printers was 16 of 23 for 171 yards, for a 69.6% completion rate, which was in fact similar to last week. I guess starting three imports on the oline worked for the Cats, although I noticed they switched Peter Dyakowski in at guard when Lumsden went out. Lumsden was impressive not just on his long runs, but also when he was met at the line, he always seemed to grind out a couple of yards or sometimes even five or six. That's so important, as 2nd and 7 allows a lot more possibilities (including the QB legging it) than 2nd and 10. Someday I would like to make a chart of the percentages for making a first down for 2nd and X number of yards, but I'm guessing that would take a lot of effort.
On defence, I said how the Cats would do would depend on how the Argos QB did. Fortunately, Kerry Joseph didn't do a lot, especially in the first half. That might have a bit to do with new Argo receiver Bethel Johnson getting injured early (by his own player if I recall correctly). Johnson is another one of the former NFLers the Argos love so much and apparently really fast. Welcome to the CFL son! I also mentioned that the Cats had to stop 2nd and long (8 or more yards). I tried keeping track for both teams, but it was harder than I thought. However for the first half, the Argos didn't make a first down in any of those situations (the Cats themselves were rarely in 2nd and long situations). So obviously that's the key. Hard to tell how good the Cats defence is based on their last two outings. Moreno played ok from what I saw, but not fantastic.
Other bits, I noticed Jonta Woodard got an illegal formation call against him. Jonta seems to be good for at least one to two drive killing penalties per game. Is that worth giving up an additional sack for an inferior player? Hard calculation to make. Woodcock made at least four good grabs that I saw, often for first downs. Good pickup. Argos coach Stubler was wearing shorts, not really a good look, although I admit I prefer that to some dork on the sidelines with a suit on. Vanderjagt's placekicking was good, but his punting was mediocre. I'm guessing he will flipflop throughout the year.
Finally, as a suggestion for selling more tickets, the Argos and Cats should offer an option for their season ticket holders to receive tickets for the other team's home games against their teams (maybe even including the exhibition games). Just add on $20 or $30 per game onto the original season ticket price and call it the ultimate package or some other marketing jargon. Likely you will get a number of hardcore fans who might end up going that might not have. A bit of extra revenue for the tickets plus the concessions, plus the demand comes from those less likely in some ways to buy a ticket on the spur of the moment. One might as well take advantage of the teams being so close together.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Tonight's game
I would have liked to have seen tonight's Argos game in person, however it just didn't work out. So I'll be watching the Cats for the first time on TV this year. It will be interesting to see what the commentators have to say, especially the TSN panel.
First off, last I heard, the Cats were 10.5 point underdogs. If I could chuck all my sentimentality and was just looking to win, I would take the Argos to cover the spread, based on what I saw last week. The Argos have a better defence than Montreal, however their bend not break philosophy may benefit the Cats with some longer, run supported drives in the first half. We can only hope.
Another reason for pessimism, is the Cats Canadian injury problems. With Guard Cedric Gagne-Marcoux (at least I'm pretty sure he's a guard) out for quite a while with a fractured shoulder, the Cats may play an import Guard. Ouch. So that's two Tackles and a Guard as imports. I know having Lumsden as a starter makes you more apt to have another import on the offensive line to boost the run blocking, but that's just sad. DE McKay-Loescher might be out with a bad back, adding even more ratio problems. This is probably why Woodcock is starting, considering the dregs the Cats have for import receivers. Why have a tool like JoJo (are both J's capitalized? if a resume passed by your desk, would he even get a look?) Walker as your fourth receiver? Where's Bauman and why is he injured all the time? I'm guessing Beveridge starts at safety. The Argos are pretty damn lucky to have two starting Canadian linebackers. So anyways, weak Canadian talent. What else is new?
On offense, the Cats have to establish at least a semblance of a running game, and Printers has to have a similar completion percentage. I think he also has to run more than three times this week and take first downs if the Argos are willing to give it to them. Actually go for it on third and one and convert. That's about it.
On defense, I think a lot depends on how the Argo quarterbacks play. I think Joseph presents more of a problem than Bishop because of his running ability. The last few years, the Cats have given up quite the number of QB rushing first downs. I suggest blitzing the odd time with a DB and dropping back an end or a linebacker into coverage on the opposite side. Joseph's throwing ability is not that remarkable, and any chance to rough up 34 year old quarterback, you take it. Bishop will probably play at some point. Bishop generally has a rather feeble completion percentage (52.1 % last year), but kills you with three or four bombs for TDs. The Cats need pressure to force Bishop into bad throws and hopefully interceptions. One last point, the Cats have to stop on second and long (which I define as over and including 2nd and eight). I'll try and keep track tonight of these situations for both the Argos and Cats tonight. Uh, Moreno needs a monster game, preferably with an interception. That's about it.
Frankly, I'll be happy if the Cats beat the spread. Good luck Cats.
First off, last I heard, the Cats were 10.5 point underdogs. If I could chuck all my sentimentality and was just looking to win, I would take the Argos to cover the spread, based on what I saw last week. The Argos have a better defence than Montreal, however their bend not break philosophy may benefit the Cats with some longer, run supported drives in the first half. We can only hope.
Another reason for pessimism, is the Cats Canadian injury problems. With Guard Cedric Gagne-Marcoux (at least I'm pretty sure he's a guard) out for quite a while with a fractured shoulder, the Cats may play an import Guard. Ouch. So that's two Tackles and a Guard as imports. I know having Lumsden as a starter makes you more apt to have another import on the offensive line to boost the run blocking, but that's just sad. DE McKay-Loescher might be out with a bad back, adding even more ratio problems. This is probably why Woodcock is starting, considering the dregs the Cats have for import receivers. Why have a tool like JoJo (are both J's capitalized? if a resume passed by your desk, would he even get a look?) Walker as your fourth receiver? Where's Bauman and why is he injured all the time? I'm guessing Beveridge starts at safety. The Argos are pretty damn lucky to have two starting Canadian linebackers. So anyways, weak Canadian talent. What else is new?
On offense, the Cats have to establish at least a semblance of a running game, and Printers has to have a similar completion percentage. I think he also has to run more than three times this week and take first downs if the Argos are willing to give it to them. Actually go for it on third and one and convert. That's about it.
On defense, I think a lot depends on how the Argo quarterbacks play. I think Joseph presents more of a problem than Bishop because of his running ability. The last few years, the Cats have given up quite the number of QB rushing first downs. I suggest blitzing the odd time with a DB and dropping back an end or a linebacker into coverage on the opposite side. Joseph's throwing ability is not that remarkable, and any chance to rough up 34 year old quarterback, you take it. Bishop will probably play at some point. Bishop generally has a rather feeble completion percentage (52.1 % last year), but kills you with three or four bombs for TDs. The Cats need pressure to force Bishop into bad throws and hopefully interceptions. One last point, the Cats have to stop on second and long (which I define as over and including 2nd and eight). I'll try and keep track tonight of these situations for both the Argos and Cats tonight. Uh, Moreno needs a monster game, preferably with an interception. That's about it.
Frankly, I'll be happy if the Cats beat the spread. Good luck Cats.
Reflections on the previous game
Now that a sufficient amount of time has passed since last week's debacle, I think it is time to reflect a bit. First looking at Printer's stats from last week is a small positive, 15 for 21 (71% completion) for 203 yards. That completion ratio is a big improvement over the Maass era (who had a 59.8 % last year), plus an average of 13.5 yards per completion. Again that is an improvement over the Maass era, where short passes short of the first down marker were the norm. One can argue that as the game got out of hand, the Cats were forced to pass, pumping up the stats, however the completion percentage is still high. One would expect that to go down as desperate passes are attempted.
The Ticats poor performance really stemmed from their problems offensively in the first half. Especially in the first quarter, a dropped pass, a fumble and a failed third down gamble really limited the number of offensive plays that were run. This was partially the offence's fault, however the defence didn't help here either. There were numerous times where the defence had Montreal 2nd and long and failed to stop them. If they had managed to stop them, the Cats offence would have had more chances to get going in the first half, possibly win the battle for field position and keep the game closer. This would have also have allowed for more running from Lumsden in the second half (who only had nine carries for 36 yards). I doubt the Cats would have won, however the game would have been more respectable. If your team can't stop 2nd and long, there's no way you are going to win.
Cavillo played a great game, however it is important to remember that Cavillo will soon be 35. Looking over the rest of the season, it is unlikely that Cavillo won't get injured for a period of time, coinciding with a slew of Montreal losses. Montreal is facing a McManus type situation this year. I'm betting the Cats still have a chance to catch them for third place (although the crossover probably takes the playoff spot).
Finally, third and one. The Cats turned the ball over on downs on a key third down in the first half, on a bungled run play to Lumsden, when the ball was in easy sneak range. If the Cats are going to have any chance to win this year, they will have to be automatic on third and one. Printers is a big guy, so there is no reason not to sneak. This needs to be drilled in practice, so there's no doubt. I like gutsy third and one calls, but the Cats can't afford to fail. Not this year, not with this team.
The Ticats poor performance really stemmed from their problems offensively in the first half. Especially in the first quarter, a dropped pass, a fumble and a failed third down gamble really limited the number of offensive plays that were run. This was partially the offence's fault, however the defence didn't help here either. There were numerous times where the defence had Montreal 2nd and long and failed to stop them. If they had managed to stop them, the Cats offence would have had more chances to get going in the first half, possibly win the battle for field position and keep the game closer. This would have also have allowed for more running from Lumsden in the second half (who only had nine carries for 36 yards). I doubt the Cats would have won, however the game would have been more respectable. If your team can't stop 2nd and long, there's no way you are going to win.
Cavillo played a great game, however it is important to remember that Cavillo will soon be 35. Looking over the rest of the season, it is unlikely that Cavillo won't get injured for a period of time, coinciding with a slew of Montreal losses. Montreal is facing a McManus type situation this year. I'm betting the Cats still have a chance to catch them for third place (although the crossover probably takes the playoff spot).
Finally, third and one. The Cats turned the ball over on downs on a key third down in the first half, on a bungled run play to Lumsden, when the ball was in easy sneak range. If the Cats are going to have any chance to win this year, they will have to be automatic on third and one. Printers is a big guy, so there is no reason not to sneak. This needs to be drilled in practice, so there's no doubt. I like gutsy third and one calls, but the Cats can't afford to fail. Not this year, not with this team.
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