The Ticats have now listed their depth chart against the Alouettes for tomorrow's game. Noteworthy is that Canadian slotback Andy Fantuz is listed as a starter as is import defensive end Eric Norwood.
A bit of a difference on the offensive line from last week. Import Howard is in at the important left tackle position for Figueroa. Import Lewis is the right tackle. The Canadian interior is the 2015 usual, with Dyakowski and Bomben as the guards and Filer as the centre.
At wide receiver, both are imports, Underwood and Collins who wasn't in last week. No Bakari Grant. Slots are imports Sinkfield and Tasker plus Fantuz.
Running back is Ford, with non-import Prime as the fullback. Matthews is the quarterback with Harris backing up. That's four Canadian offensive starters.
Defensive ends are imports Hickman and the aforementioned Norwood, with import Hall and non-import Laurent in the middle.
Linebackers are the usual imports, Lawrence, Reed and Harris.
Corners are the import Carter and non-import Stephen. Half-backs are the non-imports Stewart and Davis, with the Canadian Butler as the safety.
That's three defensive Canadian starters.
Showing posts with label montreal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label montreal. Show all posts
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Weather Forecast for 2013 CFL Eastern Semi-Final in Guelph
In Guelph tomorrow, the high is 7 and the low is 0 and the precipitation forecast is rain. So cold rain, but not really cold rain (or freezing rain). Some pundits have predicted cold weather would benefit Montreal because I suppose of Hamilton's poor running game versus their strong passing game. However Henry Burris having played in Calgary for years has significantly more cold weather experience than Troy Smith (who played at Ohio State University and not much at all in the NFL). Smith's completion percentage so far in the CFL has not been anything to write home about and I can't imagine cold rain will improve on it.
In terms of the running game, if the Cats decide to run, they may go with Jerimiah Masoli at quarterback and run the wildcat again which worked against Montreal in the last game.
In terms of the running game, if the Cats decide to run, they may go with Jerimiah Masoli at quarterback and run the wildcat again which worked against Montreal in the last game.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Hamilton Beats Montreal in Guelph, Locks Up A Home Playoff Game
Yesterday in Guelph was pretty satisfying. Things were looking grim and then Banks returns Whyte's missed field goal for a TD and suddenly the cold weather and rain didn't matter any more.
The Cats sucked pretty hard in the first half, only scoring three points and it looked like a repeat of last week. Fortunately the Cats got a couple of turnovers deep in their own territory to stop the Alouettes from totally running away from it in the first half.
In the second half, the Cats played way better than the Als, outscoring them 24 to 8 on the way to the victory.
One oddity in the game was the Cats use of all three quarterbacks throughout the game. Masoli got a lot of touches and had the only TD pass. All season the Cats have put in LeFevour for a few plays that are mostly runs and while he had a few touches, Masoli seems to have leapfrogged him. Burris didn't have a great day when he had the ball, just an OK one, going 16 for 23 for 163 yards with a pick. That's only 7.1 yards per attempt, which is bad, but in both games Cat receivers had very low YAC yards, whereas Montreal tended to have a ton of them.
The weird thing about the backup quarterback running plays was how effective they were versus how uneffective the regular running backs were rushing. The Cats seemed to have no problem with Masoli getting over five yards per rush, while Gable had 2 rushes for -1 yards. But it worked, so I'm not complaining. I'm not a television commentator who is tied into conventional wisdom. Try new things on offence, if they work great.
Troy Smith had a better game in some ways this week than last week and ended up losing. He did have two picks versus 2 TDs, but he had 340 yards passing. His passing percentage was better than last week's at 59%, but that's still pretty mediocre. Over two games, that's around 55% which is pretty much Michael Bishop territory. I saw on Sportscentre that Chris Schultz was complaining about how Smith's last five passes were all incompletes, so maybe the media love in is over.
Most importantly, the Cats got their home playoff game in Guelph (and the Guelph and Guelph University get the publicity for a home playoff game) and proved last week was somewhat of an aberration. I'll be most curious next week to see what the Cats do quarterback wise. I assume Burris will get some significant reps in the first half and then the backups will play a lot. Winnipeg played Toronto relatively tough for the last two weeks so who knows how that game will go. I would like a regular season winning record, but not at the cost of injuries.
The Cats sucked pretty hard in the first half, only scoring three points and it looked like a repeat of last week. Fortunately the Cats got a couple of turnovers deep in their own territory to stop the Alouettes from totally running away from it in the first half.
In the second half, the Cats played way better than the Als, outscoring them 24 to 8 on the way to the victory.
One oddity in the game was the Cats use of all three quarterbacks throughout the game. Masoli got a lot of touches and had the only TD pass. All season the Cats have put in LeFevour for a few plays that are mostly runs and while he had a few touches, Masoli seems to have leapfrogged him. Burris didn't have a great day when he had the ball, just an OK one, going 16 for 23 for 163 yards with a pick. That's only 7.1 yards per attempt, which is bad, but in both games Cat receivers had very low YAC yards, whereas Montreal tended to have a ton of them.
The weird thing about the backup quarterback running plays was how effective they were versus how uneffective the regular running backs were rushing. The Cats seemed to have no problem with Masoli getting over five yards per rush, while Gable had 2 rushes for -1 yards. But it worked, so I'm not complaining. I'm not a television commentator who is tied into conventional wisdom. Try new things on offence, if they work great.
Troy Smith had a better game in some ways this week than last week and ended up losing. He did have two picks versus 2 TDs, but he had 340 yards passing. His passing percentage was better than last week's at 59%, but that's still pretty mediocre. Over two games, that's around 55% which is pretty much Michael Bishop territory. I saw on Sportscentre that Chris Schultz was complaining about how Smith's last five passes were all incompletes, so maybe the media love in is over.
Most importantly, the Cats got their home playoff game in Guelph (and the Guelph and Guelph University get the publicity for a home playoff game) and proved last week was somewhat of an aberration. I'll be most curious next week to see what the Cats do quarterback wise. I assume Burris will get some significant reps in the first half and then the backups will play a lot. Winnipeg played Toronto relatively tough for the last two weeks so who knows how that game will go. I would like a regular season winning record, but not at the cost of injuries.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Ticats at Alouettes Blowout Aftermath
Well that was ugly. I certainly thought Montreal had a chance, being at home and having an excellent defence. I didn't expect that blowout.
Montreal got ahead early and continued rolling throughout the first quarter. They benefited from some penalty calls that kept drives alive or gave good field position. Mainly the Montreal defence was the reason. Constantly blitzing, the Cats didn't have an answer in the first half (nor much of one in the second half either, although when LeFevour was in they were more effective). The Cats were sacked five times total in the game even though it seemed like it was more.
One could blame the line, but the pressure came from Montreal sending extra defenders, so some of the issue was not getting the ball away quickly. Having both Ellingson and Tasker injured was unfortunate as both are good for getting open inside and catching balls in tight coverage. Hopefully one of them is back next week. Having Simmons back from injury at tackle would help as well.
Montreal also had excellent tackling. The Cats had virtually no yards after first contact, while the Alouettes had a decent amount. Similarly on special teams, the Cats had little in the way of return yards, while Montreal had some decent returns, including some instances where the returner really should have been tackled.
One bright spot is that the Alouettes quarterback Troy Smith wasn't actually very good. He had 247 yards on 17 passes versus 35 attempts. Generally teams don't win very many games when the quarterback had less than a 50% completion. That didn't stop TSN commentators Chris Cuthbert and Glenn Suitor from coverage of Smith bordering on fellatio. I expect that from Rod Black, but generally CFL fans aren't stupid, you tell us once he won a Heismann and we will remember it. Smith did have three TDs versus no picks, but he had numerous passes that while hard thrown were no where near catchable. So that's a positive for the Cats at least for next week.
I'm assuming that Kent Austin will have the team fired up for next week at least and also will have looked at the tape and found some ways to adjust. The Cats really need to win this.
Montreal got ahead early and continued rolling throughout the first quarter. They benefited from some penalty calls that kept drives alive or gave good field position. Mainly the Montreal defence was the reason. Constantly blitzing, the Cats didn't have an answer in the first half (nor much of one in the second half either, although when LeFevour was in they were more effective). The Cats were sacked five times total in the game even though it seemed like it was more.
One could blame the line, but the pressure came from Montreal sending extra defenders, so some of the issue was not getting the ball away quickly. Having both Ellingson and Tasker injured was unfortunate as both are good for getting open inside and catching balls in tight coverage. Hopefully one of them is back next week. Having Simmons back from injury at tackle would help as well.
Montreal also had excellent tackling. The Cats had virtually no yards after first contact, while the Alouettes had a decent amount. Similarly on special teams, the Cats had little in the way of return yards, while Montreal had some decent returns, including some instances where the returner really should have been tackled.
One bright spot is that the Alouettes quarterback Troy Smith wasn't actually very good. He had 247 yards on 17 passes versus 35 attempts. Generally teams don't win very many games when the quarterback had less than a 50% completion. That didn't stop TSN commentators Chris Cuthbert and Glenn Suitor from coverage of Smith bordering on fellatio. I expect that from Rod Black, but generally CFL fans aren't stupid, you tell us once he won a Heismann and we will remember it. Smith did have three TDs versus no picks, but he had numerous passes that while hard thrown were no where near catchable. So that's a positive for the Cats at least for next week.
I'm assuming that Kent Austin will have the team fired up for next week at least and also will have looked at the tape and found some ways to adjust. The Cats really need to win this.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Ticats at Alouettes, Half-Time
Uh, well that sucked. Montreal benefited from some penalties early (Ticats can be called for facemasks, Montreal not so much), but the Cats have played poorly and the Montreal defence has been great.
The game is probably too far gone, so the Cats might as well put Lefevour in for the second half to get some experience. I don't really blame Burris much as he was under a ton of pressure. What he could have done to help was make some runs rather than always going for a pass.
The commentators are saying that Troy Smith has looked good, but he's made enough terrible passes that really he hasn't played well. The Montreal defence is why this game isn't close.
Not having Tasker or Ellingson hurts as both of them seemed to be able to get open early inside, which really could have helped Burris.
Sometimes games get away from you. Too bad the Cats will lose their chance (pretty much) to host the East final.
The game is probably too far gone, so the Cats might as well put Lefevour in for the second half to get some experience. I don't really blame Burris much as he was under a ton of pressure. What he could have done to help was make some runs rather than always going for a pass.
The commentators are saying that Troy Smith has looked good, but he's made enough terrible passes that really he hasn't played well. The Montreal defence is why this game isn't close.
Not having Tasker or Ellingson hurts as both of them seemed to be able to get open early inside, which really could have helped Burris.
Sometimes games get away from you. Too bad the Cats will lose their chance (pretty much) to host the East final.
Preview: Hamilton Ticats at Montreal Alouettes, October 20th 2013
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.
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.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Anthony Calvillo on the Nine Game Disabled List
The Montreal Alouettes have placed Anthony Calvillo on the nine game disabled list. Obviously Calvillo's concussion must be pretty serious for this move to be made. Calvillo could come back for the playoffs after the nine games, as well teams can take two players off the nine game list per year early(as the Cats did with Dave Stala). Putting Calvillo on the nine game list has the effect that his salary for those nine games doesn't count towards the salary cap. Calvillo's salary is by far the highest on Montreal so not having to count half of it would be significant, and likely more than $200,000 if he stayed on the list for the entire nine games.
This benefits the Tiger-Cats because the Alouettes are forced to go with backup quarterbacks for the rest of the season. Sure Montreal beat Toronto last week, but that was a battle of backups with Ricky Ray gone. Montreal will have a tougher time beating Calgary, Saskatchewan and BC with a backup. Their defence does appear to be excellent this year so the Cats will have play well themselves to place above Montreal.
Weirdly with Cavillo and Ray both out, the Cats have a legitimate chance at first in the East. Which would mean a home playoff game in the 13,000 University of Guelph stadium.
This benefits the Tiger-Cats because the Alouettes are forced to go with backup quarterbacks for the rest of the season. Sure Montreal beat Toronto last week, but that was a battle of backups with Ricky Ray gone. Montreal will have a tougher time beating Calgary, Saskatchewan and BC with a backup. Their defence does appear to be excellent this year so the Cats will have play well themselves to place above Montreal.
Weirdly with Cavillo and Ray both out, the Cats have a legitimate chance at first in the East. Which would mean a home playoff game in the 13,000 University of Guelph stadium.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
2013 CFL Predictions Week 7
Toronto at Montreal
I'm not sure who's starting for Toronto, although considering the job the backup Collaros did, I'm not sure it matters. Montreal is at home and maybe they have some momentum from ditching their coach and installing GM Jim Popp as the new coach, but I'm going to pick Toronto. They just seem like a better team.
Argos 29 Alouettes 19
Saskatchewan at Calgary
This one is interesting and I'm assuming the Bo Levi Mitchell starts, although I'm not sure of that either. I'm not sure if Durrant starts for Saskatchewan, but I'm guessing he will after a week off. Calgary is at home, but I'm sure there will be a lot of Rider fans in attendance, so that won't be as big a factor as usual. I'm going to go out on a limb though and say that the Riders lose their first game of the season. It has to happen sometime. The Riders aren't that great, more of a factor how poor some of the teams seem this year (especially offenses).
Stampeders 28 Riders 26
I'm not sure who's starting for Toronto, although considering the job the backup Collaros did, I'm not sure it matters. Montreal is at home and maybe they have some momentum from ditching their coach and installing GM Jim Popp as the new coach, but I'm going to pick Toronto. They just seem like a better team.
Argos 29 Alouettes 19
Saskatchewan at Calgary
This one is interesting and I'm assuming the Bo Levi Mitchell starts, although I'm not sure of that either. I'm not sure if Durrant starts for Saskatchewan, but I'm guessing he will after a week off. Calgary is at home, but I'm sure there will be a lot of Rider fans in attendance, so that won't be as big a factor as usual. I'm going to go out on a limb though and say that the Riders lose their first game of the season. It has to happen sometime. The Riders aren't that great, more of a factor how poor some of the teams seem this year (especially offenses).
Stampeders 28 Riders 26
Friday, August 3, 2012
CFL Predictions 2012 Week 6
Montreal at Winnipeg
Battle of the losing record teams! I assume the Bombers are going with Brink at quarterback, but I don't know that for sure. The Alouettes will obviously go with Calvillo who is a little beat up of late. Montreal is favoured by two on the road, which is basically damning with faint praise. Basically one team has a good offense and a bad defence and vice versa for the other. When that's the case, I'll go with the home team.
Bombers 24 Alouettes 23
BC at Toronto
The Argos now have a competent offense with Ricky Ray at the controls. Certainly not awe inspiring, but Ray is quite capable of burning a secondary if given a chance. The Lions have a ton of talent but have been inconsistent so far this year. Coming off a solid victory last week the Lions are favoured by a mere field goal on the road. I'm not sure if the Argos can contain the Lion offense enough to get by with their offense. Lions.
Lions 31 Team Suck 28
Battle of the losing record teams! I assume the Bombers are going with Brink at quarterback, but I don't know that for sure. The Alouettes will obviously go with Calvillo who is a little beat up of late. Montreal is favoured by two on the road, which is basically damning with faint praise. Basically one team has a good offense and a bad defence and vice versa for the other. When that's the case, I'll go with the home team.
Bombers 24 Alouettes 23
BC at Toronto
The Argos now have a competent offense with Ricky Ray at the controls. Certainly not awe inspiring, but Ray is quite capable of burning a secondary if given a chance. The Lions have a ton of talent but have been inconsistent so far this year. Coming off a solid victory last week the Lions are favoured by a mere field goal on the road. I'm not sure if the Argos can contain the Lion offense enough to get by with their offense. Lions.
Lions 31 Team Suck 28
Monday, January 9, 2012
January Power Rankings (Extremely Arbitrary)
Who says you can't have CFL power rankings in January? There's been coaching changes and quarterback flips galore, so there's enough info to base a half-assed ranking system.
1. BC Lions
I was tempted to have the Grey Cup champs lower, with some players leaving for the NFL, but they still have quarterback Travis Lulay and some decent young Canadian offensive talent (i.e. Andrew Harris). Wally Buono is now concentrating on the GM's role, but I don't think that hurts.
2. Montreal Alouettes
Still have Anthony Calvillo who is still consistent compared to the usual flock of mediocre to shitty quarterbacks most CFL teams have to deal with (why hello Cleo Lemon). Probably will lose some players to free agency, but most of them don't seem to do a lot after leaving Montreal. GM Jim Popp always seems to find some diamonds in the rough when training camp rolls around. Montreal could be in tougher this year in the East, but there's no guarantee any of the other teams will necessarily kick ass. So pretty safe to say Montreal will be decent, until Calvillo finally explodes.
3. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Sure this is a bit of a homer pick, but after the first two, things become interchangeable. Burris to me is mostly meh, but having George Cortez as the new coach should get the most out of him and maybe something out of Quinton Porter too. Secondary is still weak and the defensive line could get worse if Justin Hickman leaves for the NFL or another CFL team. Maybe they shouldn't be this high. Linebackers are still good, although I've been wondering if they're a bit overrated. Still assuming that kicker Justin Hickman is back too. If he's not, ouch. I still remember Sandro DeAngelis.
4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Didn't really want them this high, mainly because of the strong statistical possibility of quarterback Buck Pierce getting injured in any game, but he made it to the Grey Cup this year, so what do I know? Well maybe that we'll be reading an article in the Globe and Mail in 15 years about how Pierce has the intellectual capacity of a lobotomy patient, but that doesn't affect this month's power rankings. The Bombers still have a good defence and continuity with the head coach and defensive co-ordinator and that will win you at least a few games.
5. Calgary Stampeders
Not a massive fan of new starting quarterback Drew Tate. I don't think he's bad, but I'm not convinced he's the second coming of Doug Flutie either. If he struggles, the Stamps are in trouble. Hufnagle is a good coach, so that counts for something.
6. Edmonton Eskimos
Pretty much the same deal as Calgary. I don't think Steven Jyles is bad, but I would hardly guarantee an MVP season out of him next year. How Jerome Messam comes back from a late season knee injury will be important too. Edmonton last year without Messam would have been pretty smelly. Fred Stamps is still great.
7. Toronto Argonauts
The Double Blue are clearly better after getting Ricky Ray, however the Argos had crappy receivers last year and I'm not convinced that the Argos will have better receivers next year (unless they sign Andy Fantuz somehow). Ray struggled last year when Fred Stamps was injured so don't expect miracles out of him. The Argos still have a decent defence and pretty good special teams. Could get into the playoffs, although that's not saying much in the CFL. Not sure if Cory Boyd is used up either.
8. Saskatchewan Roughriders
There probably will be some regression to the mean this year for the Riders, but why the Riders would be good this year with Durant as quarterback while they were crap last year hasn't really been answered. If Andy Fantuz comes back and fellow non-import receiver Rob Bagg can come back from injury, the Riders can start three non-import receivers including Chris Getzlaf and gain the benefits from starting more imports elsewhere. If Fantuz signs elsewhere look for mass suicides in Saskatchewan.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Ticats Junior Cheerleaders, Alouettes at Ticats
Here's a photo of the Ticats junior cheerleaders, standing beside the endzone. I felt a bit like a Vladimir Nabokov character, but a decent shot nonetheless.
Ticat Cheerleaders, Alouettes at Ticats
Here's a photo of the Ticats cheerleaders in action against the Alouettes in 2011.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
CFL 2011 Attendance Analysis, League and Team Averages
A bit late, but here's the average attendances for each CFL team in 2011:
1. Edmonton 34625 (35035)
2. Calgary 30601 (30795)
3. Saskatchewan 30021 (30048)
4. BC 29725 (24327)
5. Winnipeg 29559 (26083)
6. Montreal 24058 (25012)
7. Hamilton 23676 (23890)
8. Toronto 20018 (22069)
Note stats on best road drawing teams are in this post.
The 2010 attendances are in parentheses. Only BC and Winnipeg showed increases with every other team having lower attendance. The order was pretty similar to, but BC was able to move ahead of Winnipeg and Montreal. Montreal had some games that did not sellout for once.
Overall, the average CFL attendance for a game was 24,698 a minor increase compared to the 24,140 of 2010. Maybe the league can get over 25,000 average attendance next year.
BC had a bit of a weird year for attendance. Still playing at Empire Field earlier in the season, the Lions reopened BC Place with 50,213 attendees against the Eskimos, the highest attended game of the CFL regular season.
Saskatchewan being the worst team this year didn't make a big difference in their own attendance, but hurt other teams (especially Calgary and Edmonton) when the Riders were their opponents. Hear's hoping for at least a 500 team for the Riders next year, as it's good for the CFL. The Riders should also consider trying to boost the capacity of Moasaic Field a bit more. I know it's already been juiced a bit, but if you have the worst record in the league and it doesn't do anything to your attendance, you can afford a couple of extra thousand seats.
Hamilton was slightly lower, but that included their home game in Moncton which dragged down the average attendance. However the Cats only had to sell tickets for eight home games in their own market. The Cats were also hurt by not having the Argos as an opponent on Labour Day as the Alouettes only drew 26,964. Hopefully in the last year in the old Ivor Wynne, the Cats can get a good number for attendance, including a game with the Argos back for Labour Day. Maybe they can pass the Alouettes in 2012 for average attendance.
Toronto was hurt by their sucky performance. With them hosting the Grey Cup next year, there's nowhere for the Argos to go but up.
Here's some analysis for last year's CFL attendance (2010).
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Ticats Finally Win! 52 to 44 in OT
Good day to take the over. I was a little shaken after the Cats had the time count violation at the end and then the missed field goal. However the Cats came back in overtime to finally win a playoff game and do it on the road and stop the two time defending Grey Cup champs.
Glenn was only 23 for 32 for 275 yards with a TD and a pick, but he certainly played well and the Cats had a good running game. Cobourne had 97 yards and Thigpen had 56 yards rushing. Grant had six catches for 99 yards and a TD with some good blocks as well. Williams had 6 catches for 65 yards.
On to Winnipeg with some momentum. Picking Johnson over Baggs this week worked out, hopefully cornerback Ryan Hinds comes back and we get Baggs playing with something to prove.
Glenn was only 23 for 32 for 275 yards with a TD and a pick, but he certainly played well and the Cats had a good running game. Cobourne had 97 yards and Thigpen had 56 yards rushing. Grant had six catches for 99 yards and a TD with some good blocks as well. Williams had 6 catches for 65 yards.
On to Winnipeg with some momentum. Picking Johnson over Baggs this week worked out, hopefully cornerback Ryan Hinds comes back and we get Baggs playing with something to prove.
Ticats Up 24 to 16 at Half-Time
Putting in Johnson at linebacker instead of Stevie Baggs is looking like a good decision by Bellefeuille, with Johnson having a long interception return leading to a TD by Stala complete with F-bomb.
Nice passing by Glenn, nice catches by Stala and Bakari Grant and a nice run by Marcus Thigpen.
Defence looking good, with excellent pressure on Calvillo, and consequently multiple sacks and multiple turnovers.
Nice passing by Glenn, nice catches by Stala and Bakari Grant and a nice run by Marcus Thigpen.
Defence looking good, with excellent pressure on Calvillo, and consequently multiple sacks and multiple turnovers.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Ticats Get Asses Handed to them in Montreal, Lose 43 to 13
Well that was disappointing. After last week's shellacking against the Alouettes in Hamilton, Montreal turned things around and whipped Hamilton in Montreal. Lots of blame to go around, both the offense and defence were poor. Glenn had a poor performance going 13 and 30 for 151 yards, no picks though. Glenn was under a lot of pressure though so it wasn't all on him. Cobourne only had five rushes for two yards, so the offensive line was terrible. I'm not sure if the missing Marwan Hage at centre made that much of a difference, but a terrible effort anyways.
Notable defensive miscues included Markeith Knowlton failing to make a tackle, which would have been a sure third down and allowing a TD instead. Minimal pressure from the defensive line.
Medlock had a good day including a 57 yarder. I'm not sure if that's a Ticat record, but it was a long field goal.
Hamilton also lost the penalty battle and couldn't buy a pass interference against them to save their lives.
Hopefully the Ticats can regroup against Edmonton at Ivor Wynne this week.
Notable defensive miscues included Markeith Knowlton failing to make a tackle, which would have been a sure third down and allowing a TD instead. Minimal pressure from the defensive line.
Medlock had a good day including a 57 yarder. I'm not sure if that's a Ticat record, but it was a long field goal.
Hamilton also lost the penalty battle and couldn't buy a pass interference against them to save their lives.
Hopefully the Ticats can regroup against Edmonton at Ivor Wynne this week.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Labour Day Attendance
I haven't heard much about what the attendance is expected to be in today's game against Montreal. Not having Toronto definitely hurts, although they are so poor this year one wonders how many Argos fans would make the journey down to Ivor Wynne. The Ticats have a good opponent in Montreal, with a lot on the line in the game. The weather is looking mediocre, which will likely keep some away. I'll predict 28 thousand and change. Not a sellout, but a decent crowd. The atmosphere won't really be the same without the Argos though. The league needs this game to go back to the Argos versus Ticats.
Maurice Mann could be back today after his bizarre locker room foot injury. That should help with the Cat offence, but he could be pretty rusty. Also Mann is a decent player, but hardly the second coming of Tommy Joe Coffey. Sometimes absence builds up a player more than is warranted.
The Cats need a good start against Montreal. Calvillo is good and clinical enough that when he gets ahead the Alouette offence is unstoppable. The Cats need to keep it close and keep up the pressure on Calvillo every play.
Friday, August 26, 2011
CFL Predictions, Week 9, 2011
Hamilton at Winnipeg
Certainly an interesting game, whether you're a fan of either team. Both have winning records, however the Bombers have only a single loss. Buck Pierce is healthy going into the game and coming off a bye week, which is good for Winnipeg, although whether he plays the full game is an unknown. Winnipeg has a great defence, especially the line and the secondary. Hamilton has a good defensive line and Kevin Glenn is enough of a veteran to not be overwhelmed and make stupid mistakes. Glenn may well suffer a few sacks, but the presence of Avon Cobourne should take some pressure off.
Probably how the game goes will depend on how Hamilton's defence does against Winnipeg's offence. The Hamilton defence has had some great games and some mediocre ones. If the line can't get any pressure on Pierce, or allows him to run for too many first downs, the Ticats will lose.
The most relevant stats for which team will win are the respective home and away records. The Bombers are 3 and 1 at home, the Ticats a mere 1 and 2 away. The Bombers are favoured by three, I'll pick against the Cats and a few extra points. I'm not always a homer.
Swaggerville People 29, Linux People 24
Montreal at Calgary,
Another game with teams with winning records with both teams being 5 and 2. Montreal has looked strong, although not the juggernaut of last year. Calgary hasn't looked that great despite being 5 and 2. The Stamps are at home, which should count for something, although bizarrely they have a 1 and 2 record there. Montreal has a 2 and 1 record on the road and is favoured by 1. Calgary could prove they are a great team and the favourite in the West with the Eskimos recent implosion, but I'm doubting it. The Alouettes win, as they so often annoyingly do.
Canadiens People 33, Chuckwagon People 26
Friday, July 29, 2011
Ticats Beat Montreal, 34 to 26
Awesome victory at home for the Cats against Montreal. Glenn had a decent game going 20 for 36 for 295 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Dave Stala had his best game of the year by far, with five catches for 107 yards and two TDs and probably a good shot for Canadian player of the week. Cobourne was OK rushing, with 15 carries for 67 yards. Williams had four catches for 54 yards. Bruce was playing for a whiel there, then he wasn't. I have no idea what the story is there. Porter even chipped in, with a nice 4 yard TD run to the weak side (which I predicted) with a bit of showboating thrown in.
The defence needs to be saluted. Calvillo had 356 yards, but was only 23 for 45 (Michal Bishop type numbers) with a TD. Whitaker ran seven times but for only 30 yards.
Penalties went both ways, but I think the Cats benefitted the most, with a number of facemask calls going their way.
All in all, a most enjoyable game, especially with the Cats beating the Alouettes at home in a game that means something
Crowd seemed decent, but I didn't hear the number.
The defence needs to be saluted. Calvillo had 356 yards, but was only 23 for 45 (Michal Bishop type numbers) with a TD. Whitaker ran seven times but for only 30 yards.
Penalties went both ways, but I think the Cats benefitted the most, with a number of facemask calls going their way.
All in all, a most enjoyable game, especially with the Cats beating the Alouettes at home in a game that means something
Crowd seemed decent, but I didn't hear the number.
Alouettes at Ticats Game Day
Same offensive line as last week, imports Simmons and Jimenez as the tackles, with Dyakowski and Rottier as the guards. Hage still the centre.
Bakari Grant gets a start at wide receiver, along with Arland Bruce. Wunderkind Chris Williams and non-import Dave Stala are listed as the slots. No love for Marquay McDaniel as he, Thigpen, Carter and McKay are listed as backup slots or receivers.
Glenn starts at quarterback, Cobourne as running back and non-import Brown at fullback when they use one (hint almost never apart from short running plays to pick up a few yards). So that's five Canadian starters on offense.
Medlock kicks and punts.
Front seven is again the same. Baggs and Hickman are the ends, with Smith and non-import Steele in the middle.
Knowlton, Williams and Johnson are still the linebackers.
Non-import Hinds and Young are the corners, with Thomas and Smith as the half-backs and Shivers as the safety. That's two non-import starters on defence and seven total, the bare minimum.
The Alouettes go with an all-Canadian offensive line. Bourke and Perrett are the tackles, with Woodruff and Flory as the guards and Broduer-Jourdain in the centre.
Bratton and Watkins are the receivers. Richardson and Green are the slots. Calvillo is back at quarterback after being injured last week and Whitaker starts at running back. Non-import Carter is the starting fullback. That's six total Canadian starters on the offense.
On defence, Stewart and Bowman are the ends. Non-import and former Ticat Bekasiak and Wilson are the tackles.
At linebacker, outside it's Cox and Guzman with non-import Emry in the middle.
At corner, it's Estelle and Dix. Parker and Anderson are the halfbacks. Burlingtonian and obviously non-import Crawford is the safety. That's three starting non-imports on defence and nine total, two more than the minimum. Safe to say the Cats have worse Canadian talent than Montreal.
Whyte kicks and punts.
Bakari Grant gets a start at wide receiver, along with Arland Bruce. Wunderkind Chris Williams and non-import Dave Stala are listed as the slots. No love for Marquay McDaniel as he, Thigpen, Carter and McKay are listed as backup slots or receivers.
Glenn starts at quarterback, Cobourne as running back and non-import Brown at fullback when they use one (hint almost never apart from short running plays to pick up a few yards). So that's five Canadian starters on offense.
Medlock kicks and punts.
Front seven is again the same. Baggs and Hickman are the ends, with Smith and non-import Steele in the middle.
Knowlton, Williams and Johnson are still the linebackers.
Non-import Hinds and Young are the corners, with Thomas and Smith as the half-backs and Shivers as the safety. That's two non-import starters on defence and seven total, the bare minimum.
The Alouettes go with an all-Canadian offensive line. Bourke and Perrett are the tackles, with Woodruff and Flory as the guards and Broduer-Jourdain in the centre.
Bratton and Watkins are the receivers. Richardson and Green are the slots. Calvillo is back at quarterback after being injured last week and Whitaker starts at running back. Non-import Carter is the starting fullback. That's six total Canadian starters on the offense.
On defence, Stewart and Bowman are the ends. Non-import and former Ticat Bekasiak and Wilson are the tackles.
At linebacker, outside it's Cox and Guzman with non-import Emry in the middle.
At corner, it's Estelle and Dix. Parker and Anderson are the halfbacks. Burlingtonian and obviously non-import Crawford is the safety. That's three starting non-imports on defence and nine total, two more than the minimum. Safe to say the Cats have worse Canadian talent than Montreal.
Whyte kicks and punts.
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