Hamilton Tigercats

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have not been a CFL tower of strength in the recent past, but 2009 looks like it could be the beginning of a strong program that will bring respectability to a club that hasn't had much to cheer about for a while.

The Tiger-Cats have added QB Kevin Glenn, WR Dave Stala, OL Dan Goodspeed and LB Otis Floyd to name a few. Plus drafting OL Simeon Rottier and WR/FB Darcy Brown in the first round of this year’s entry draft. Then finally adding OL Zac Carlson in the Supplemental Draft. These are great additions, but can they make the Tiger-Cats a winning team again?

Except for the years from 1996-1999 when Hamilton went the Grey Cup twice and won once, the Ti-Cats have only had two winning seasons since 1992. In fact, the Ti-Cats have only averaged 6.4 wins a season over that time period. That includes '96-'99. Without those seasons that number drops to five wins a season.

It's not that the Hamilton Brass haven't tried. After recording only one win in 2003, Greg Marshall was brought in to right the ship. He brought consistency and led Hamilton to a 9-8-1 record his first season giving Ti-Cat fans a glimpse of hope.

After that, winning has been a bonus, but not an expectation. In the last four years, Hamilton has consistently gotten worse with a total of 15 wins.

There is one big question that remains: Why can't they win? They've had great players, good coaches, but still couldn't win on a regular basis.

The first player that was brought in to save the club was hometown boy Jesse Lumsden. He was the Golden Boy from Canadian University Ball that wasn't given a real chance in the NFL, and made his trek back to Canada. In the half season he enjoyed, he was explosive, powerful, and was everything he was expected to be and more. Fans were overjoyed!

Lumsden continued dominance on the field when he was able to stay ON the field. Injuries have plagued Lumsden, and unless he can stay healthy will not be the impact player any team needs him to be.

While Lumsden was the Running Back of the Future, Hamilton picked up former CFL MVP, Casey Printers. Many in the CFL, and especially in Hamilton, thought Printers could bring some wins. The astronomical $500,000 a year contract Hamilton paid for Printers showed trust that he could help. That wasn’t the case, and Printers did not hold up to his part of the bargain.

There were many good players that have come through Steeltown that couldn’t bring wins at the level fans should expect. So what’s been the problem? How is it that these new players will become the team that wins in Hamilton again?

If you look at the team that won the Grey Cup in 1999, you see a very solid team overall, and a very talented coach in Ron Lancaster. It was Danny Mac at Quarterback, with Darren Flutie catching passes. Joe Montord was taking down Quarterbacks at a record pace. The only thing the Tiger-Cats havebeen missing over the last 15 years was a solid Offensive Line.

In the last, Hamilton has used average Offensive Linemen, choosing to spend their money on star players rather than solidify their workhorses. This is partly due to the fact that Danny McManus was winning and never got sacked. It boosted the stats of the O-Line, making them look better than they were. Danny Mac was known for his quick release, and didn’t need much time to get the ball to his receivers.

Since then the Ti-Cats have had one consistent weakness that has never been addressed...until now.

Kevin Glenn is a great addition, but there have been other quarterbacks. Otis Floyd is a solid linebacker, but there havebeen good linebackers. The only area that hasn’t been strong in many years is the Offensive Line. The addition of OL Dan Goodspeed was the first sign the Ti-Cats realized their area of weakness and are now addressing it.

Hamilton gave up OL prospect Jordan Rempel to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in return for Goodspeed, which made some people question giving up the future in Rempel for an O-Lineman who may only have a few years left. However Goodspeed is an All-Star who will make the Ti-Cats instantly better. Plus, with the O-Linemen picked up in the Entry and Supplemental Drafts, the Ti-Cats have seriously solidified that position.

Even without Casey Printers or without Jesse Lumsden, Hamilton has strengthened their core, which will in turn make the whole team better for years to come.

Second version of my 2009 CFL Mock Draft. For those of you who want to see it here is the first version.

Round One

1. Hamilton Tiger-Cats: OL Simeon Rottier, Alberta

2. Toronto Argonauts: WR Matt Carter, Acadia

3. Hamilton Tiger-Cats: DE Etienne Legare, Laval

4. BC Lions: OL Matt Morencie, Windsor

5. BC Lions: S Eric Fraser, Central Michigan

6. BC Lions: OL Bill McGrath, Indiana State

7. Montreal Alouettes: OL Steve Myddleton, St. Francis Xavier

8. Calgary Stampeders: OT Dylan Steenbergen, Calgary

Round Two

9. Saskatchewan Roughriders: LB James Yurichuk, Bishop's

10. Toronto Argonauts: DL Dee Stirling, Queen's

11. Edmonton Eskimos: DB Ryan Hinds, New Hampshire

12. Edmonton Eskimos: TE Martin Bedard, UConn

13. BC Lions: LB Michael Cornell, Ottawa

14. Montreal Alouettes: DB Anthony Lucka, McGill

15. Montreal Alouettes: DE Osie Ukwuoma, Queen's

16. Calgary Stampeders: DB Tang Bacheyie, Kansas

Round Three

17. Hamilton Tiger-Cats: DB Jim Allin, Queen's

18. Toronto Argonauts: DB Matt Morris, Toronto

19. Winnipeg Blue Bombers: FB Peter Quinney, Wilfrid Laurier

20. Edmonton Eskimos: WR Matt Lambros, Liberty

21. BC Lions: DL Scott McCuaig, UBC

22. Saskatchewan Roughriders: DL Jon Pierre-Etienne, Montreal

23. Montreal Alouettes: LB Tristan Black, Wayne State

24. Calgary Stampeders: G Mike Morris, UBC

Round Four

25. Montreal Alouettes: WR Spencer Armstrong, Air Force

26. Toronto Argonauts: SB Scott McHenry, Saskatchewan

27. Winnipeg Blue Bombers: C Louis David-Gagne, Laval

28. Calgary Stampeders: FB Eric Lee, Weber State

29. BC Lions: OL Vicent Turgeron, Laval

30. Calgary Stampeders: LB Thaine Carter, Queen's

31. Montreal Alouettes: DE Mathieu Brossard, Montreal

32. Calgary Stampeders: WR Darcy Brown, St. Mary's

Okay the 2009 CFL Draft will be held May 2 and since that's only like a week away I figured I'd released my the first version of my official mock draft.

1. Hamilton Tiger-Cats

After addressing the offensive line need part of the way by adding all-star Dan Goodspeed I think the Tiger-Cats go for a game breaker and add ex-Bishop's Gaiters running back Jamall Lee to replaced Jesse Lumsden who was lost in free agency to the Edmonton Eskimos.

2. Toronto Argonauts

With Lee of the board, the Argos head for their second option slotback Matt Carter, he should bring what Toronto needs since he's arguably the best receiver in the draft.

3. Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Before the Goodspeed trade most people were projecting offensive lineman Simeon Rottier to go first but after that trade, Rottier falls to third and the TiCats add the much needed offensive lineman.

4. BC Lions

The Lions have three picks in a row and I believe that they answer their offensive line need after losing Rob Murphy to Toronto as a free agent. With the fourth pick Scott Myddelton comes off the board.

5. BC Lions

Osie Ukwuoma will probably be added here to add defensive line depth, and to provide ample time for a possible trade with the Blue Bombers.

6. BC Lions

Now I'm thinking this pick will get traded to Winnipeg and whether it does or doesn't, Matt Morencie another offensive lineman will likely be the pick.

7. Montreal Alouettes

The Alouettes have no true holes so they opt to go with depth and will take ex-Laval defensive lineman Étienne Légaré.

8. Calgary Stampeders

Calgary Dinos offensive lineman Dylan Steenbergen is the likely pick here because not only is he talented but he's a local kid.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders, pulled off a three team trade yesterday.

Originally, the Blue Bombers sent All-Star offensive lineman Dan Goodspeed, the negotiation rights to running back Tyler Roehl (a fifth round pick in this years draft) and then a fifth rounder in 2011 or 2012 to Saskatchewan.

In return, the Bombers received offensive lineman Jean Francois Morin-Roberge, wide receiver Adarius Bowman, defensive back Brady Browne (a sixth round pick in 2010) and fifth rounder in 2012 from the Roughriders.

After acquiring Goodspeed, Saskatchewan turned around and sent him along, with a fifth rounder this year, to Hamilton for an offensive lineman, and the Tiger-Cats' second round pick this year.

Analysis:

Winnipeg

On a day where they lost their force on the offensive line, the Bombers came out pretty well. A lot of picks are coming their way, along with talented players from the 2007 Grey Cup Champs, make this a pretty even deal for Winnipeg.

Saskatchewan

I have the belief that Saskatchewan got ripped off in this deal since the only player who is already under contract that they received is Rempel. Not to knock Rempel, he's a solid player, but not nearly worth what they gave up in the three way deal as a whole.

In total, the Roughriders gave up three players (four if you count Goodspeed) and three draft picks.

Hamilton

It's never a bad day when you get all-star in both 2007 and 2008. However, the second round pick (9th overall), could have come in handy to the rebuilding Tiger-Cats.

It appears that the Bombers may have been able to find a dance partner when it comes to dealing former MVP quarterback Kevin Glenn, as the Hamilton Ti-Cats have expressed interest, but talks of a deal are as a standstill as of now.  The big speed bump appears to be a $50,000 bonus that Glenn is due to receive on March 1, a sum which the Ti-Cats do not want to have to pay.

There is to be some restructuring of Glenn's contract reportedly as he awaits his almost certain exit out of Winnipeg.

While the ongoing process of getting rid of Glenn has no doubt been a trying time for him, he remains upbeat that things will turn out. ''It's not really that frustrating because this stuff is part of the game,'' Glenn told the Free Press. ''What's hard is not knowing where you're going to be playing. I don't know that right now and won't know until (Winnipeg and Hamilton) make a decision. But what can I do about it but wait and see?''

On the other end, coach Mike Kelly admitted that there has not been much interest for Glenn but still wants to make sure he gets a fair shake.  "I don't want to string Kevin along; that's not my intention at all,'' Kelly told the Free Press. ''We want to do right by the kid. But we also want to make sure we make the right business decision, and things don't always move along as rapidly as people would like them to.'' 

So Glenn patiently awaits his uncertain future in hopes that he can rejuvenate his career elsewhere.  Should a deal fall through, Glenn will most likely be replaced; however, should that occur, what team if any picks him up would be very much up in the air.

It makes the most sense for him to be traded to Hamilton, as young quarterback Quinton Porter appears to be the franchise player for the Tiger-Cats, and this move would enable them to release Casey Printers and free up a ton of salary cap space.  Wherever he ends up, Glenn will have his work cut out if he wants to return to his MVP form of 2007.

After facing and conquering his biggest challenge five years ago, CFL legend Ron Lancaster is once again in the battle of his life.  It was announced earlier this week that the Hall of Fame quarterback has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

While the news may be devastating to most, the little general remains optimistic. In a statement made earlier he said, "The goal is to get this taken care of and move forward just like I did five years ago. We will approach this the same way, and I thank you all in advance for your kindness as I am on my path to recovery." 

This news is a terrible blow to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, both on and off the field.  GM Bob O'Billovich shared his views on this tough situation. "When you think of guys like Ron, you really think of the CFL. He's synonymous with the Canadian Football League and vice versa. So this is not good news, and I'm just hoping he'll be able to overcome it again.

"This is a sad thing to hear right now, but I know Ron has always been a really upbeat guy, and he's always dealt with situations in a positive way."

The news of Lancaster's illness has shaken the entire CFL.  Ron Lancaster has dedicated his life to the Canadian Football League as a player, a coach, a GM, and now as senior adviser to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. 

The one thing Lancaster has on his side which has stayed with him throughout his life is his refuse-to-lose attitude.

Whether it was putting up record breaking numbers as a quarterback (throwing for a career 50,535 yards and 333 touchdowns) en route to a Grey Cup in '66, or an impressive 142 regular season games as a head coach (winning two Grey Cups), Ron Lancaster is a proven winner.

He will need that same winning attitude to fight through this cancer once again.  A class act and one of the greatest individuals the CFL has ever seen, every CFL fan will be praying for a speedy and healthy recovery for Ron Lancaster. 

In the 2007 season, the Hamilton Tigercats were 3-15. In 2006, 4-14. In 2005, 5-13.Unfortunately for the Ti-Cats, it seems that their 2008 season may be just as bad as the past three after a 23-point loss to the Montreal Alouettes, who were 8-10 last year.

The kickoff went to the Alouettes, and immediately KR Jason Armstead returned the opening kickoff 26 yards. On the next play, Hamilton Tigercats Jykine Bradley would have a huge tackle on Al's WR Danny Desriveaux, who was injured on the play.

The Al's would get back at the Ti-Cats 3 plays later, when WR Kerry Watkins caught a pass from Calvillo, and then spun around a defender and gained 35 yards on the play. The Alouettes would end up with a field goal on the opening drive, and the score was 3-0 in favor of Montreal.

After a 4-yard run on second down by the Hamilton Tigercats QB Carey Printers, the Ti-cats were looking to convert on a 3rd and inches. However, Jesse Lumsden was unable to convert, and the ball was turned over on downs to the Montreal Alouettes. The Al's would come out with a 9-yard TD pass, making it 10-0 for Montreal.

Montreal would score 2 more field goals, making the score 16-0, but the Tigercats would respond with a field goal of their own, making the score 16-3 at halftime.

With 4:59 left in the third quarter, Anthony Calvillo would make his day. Anthony Calvillo passed Danny McManus in passing yards, ranking 2nd on the all time list. Calvillo passed him in style, making a 32-yard pass to Jason Armstead, who had to spin around some players to move up to the 32, and on the next play, Calvillo would cap off the drive with a 32 yard TD pass to WR Kerry Watkins, making the score 23-3 for the Al's.

There was a big play in the fourth quarter with a 29-yard pass to Danny Desriveaux. This series was capped of a 3-yard TD run by Avon Colbourne.

However, folks, the Hamilton Tigercats fans would get something to cheer about. After receiving the hand off from QB Casey Printers, RB Tre Smith would run 75 yards for a touchdown. The games final score was 33-10 for the Alouettes, with their new Head Coach Mark Trestman winning his firts CFL game with the Alouettes.

This game, however, all goes to Montreal Alouettes QB Anthony Calvillo in my mind. Calvillo moved up to second place in most passing yards. Although he is still over 20,000 yards away from former Toronto Argonauts QB Damon Allen, this is still quite an accomplishment.

Overall, I think the Ti-Cats' poor quality of play left their home crowd of 20,589 wondering if this would be a repeat of the past three years (the total record of the three years is 12-42).

Mark Trestman's first game as Alouettes head coach was a success, and the players gave their new leader a good old Gatorade dumping as a congratulations for his first CFL win.

"It is undeniable that this is my first win as a head coach," Trestman said. "But at the end of the day, we have a long season. It was a good start. But we have a long, long way to go." said Trestman, who has quite a NFL-filled history.

Trestman was chosen over several candidates, including Edmonton Eskimos head coach Tom Higgins. Alouettes fans will be hoping that every game ends the same as this last game, and that they can improve this season with a new coaching staff.

Player of the Game: This goes out to Anthony Calvillo, who moved up on the passing yard list into second place. There's still a long way to go Calvillo, but you've clinched the second place spot. Congratulations Calvillo, this game was yours.

Sources: youtube.com

If you haven't yet bought your plasma HDTV, you might want to do it before tomorrow night.  Why, you ask?  That's when the 2008 CFL season kicks off with the Montreal Alouettes marching into Ivor Wynne Stadium to take on the Hamilton Tiger Cats at 7 PM ET.

Just to let you know, the game will be on TSN HD.

After the match at Ivor Wynne, the scene shifts to the second part of the opening night double header in Calgary where the BC Lions play the Stampeders at 9 PM ET.

Finishing out Week 1 of CFL play are the Toronto Argonauts playing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Canad Inns Stadium while the Edmonton Eskimos march into Regina to take on the defending Grey Cup Champion Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Yet this will be an entirely different Roughrider squad that took home the Grey Cup last season.  With the loss of QB Kerry Joseph, the Riders are looking to Marcus Crandell to lead the offensive charge.

Compared to many seasons previous, the 2008 CFL season boasts many top name quarterbacks that could help the league's overall scoring to go up during the 2008 campaign.  With veterans Anthony Calvillo and Ricky Ray back, along with Winnipeg's Kevin Glenn and Toronto's two-pronged QB attack with Michael Bishop and Kerry Joseph, the CFL could be looking at an offensive outburst this season.

Despite many proven quarterbacks playing, the BC Lions hopes rest on the arm of Buck Pierce.  After passing Jarius Jackson on the depth chart list during training camp and the pre-season, Pierce has earned the recognition of legendary head coach Wally Buono after the departure of Dave Dickenson.

The kicking drama in Winnipeg continues to grow with the injury to punter Duncan O'Mahony.  While getting up in the middle of the night in his house, O'Mahony stubbed his toe and broke it.  Rookie Alexis Serna will take the role of both punter and field goal kicker against Toronto on Friday.

To get more info on the going-ons in the CFL, check out Kelly Bundle's "CFL Quick Fix".

For CFL This Week, I'm Matt Eichel

Sources:

www.cfl.ca

www.bluebombers.com

www.riderville.ca

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that preseason games are a waste of time.

Preseason games are a great way to separate the players in your training camp that you want to keep and the players that you want to release. It is great to view other team's backup players, and check potential threats if a starter is injured in the regular season.

What I am trying to say is—don't predict a team's season by their preseason games. As I said earlier, most CFL teams are playing their backups, trying to decide how the team roster will be filled, and the placing of players on the depth chart. Starters are starting games, but not usually finishing them.

For example, in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' first preseason game against the Hamilton Tigercats, seven quarterbacks in total played during the course of the game—three for the Bombers and four for the Tigercats. Teams are checking out all players to separate the best from the rest.

Therefore, don't trust the scores of the preseason. For example, the Tigercats beat the Bombers 12-10. However, it is being predicted that Bombers are Grey Cup favorites, and Tigercats are looking to have a last place finish again, even though they acquired QB Casey Printers.

So, you make the final decision about preseason games. If your team is scouting backup players to fill a position or deciding who should start and who should be a backup, then don't trust the preseason scores to predict your teams success this year.

However, if your team keeps your starters out all game and loses, I would be worried, because all the other teams are using backups. If your starters can't beat the backups, how can they beat the starters?

-Chris Allen

Sources: bleacherreport.com (CFL Preseason: Hamilton 12, Winnipeg 10 by Matt Eichel)

Get your season tickets, grab your beers, and hold on to your hats crazy Riders fans because the 2008 CFL Season is about to get interesting.

Already, many have made their picks on the outcome of the coming CFL season as has BR CFL Columnist TJ Zwarych in his 2008 CFL breakdown.

As expected, pre-season action has been lackluster but only to provide coaches and upper management with the views they want of their prospective teams coming into this season.

In Montreal, Alouettes GM Jim Popp announced a coaching change last December bringing in Marc Trestman as head coach.  Trestman's resume is impressive, including many stops in the NFL as offensive/quarterback coach with the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, San Fransisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins from 1985-2004.

The hiring of Trestman is in the hopes that the Alouettes can rise to the top of the East Division after a sudden drop from their perennial first place finishes, which included a 2002 Grey Cup victory.

In Toronto, with the departure of former head coach Michael "Pinball" Clemons, Rich Stubler steps into the role of Argos coach.  Stubler inherits an offensively potent team that just got a little more potent with the arrival of 2007 CFL Player of the Year QB Kerry Joseph from the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Along with QB Michael Bishop, the Argos are poised to be one of the top teams in the East.

After the release of K Troy Westwood, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers seem to have solved their kicker situation after signing K Duncan O'Mahony.  Along with rookies Alexis Serna and Brian Monroe, the Bombers have a healthy group of talented kickers vying for the top job as CFL BR Reporter Chris Allen explains the Bombers kicking situation.

In BC, after the departure of QB Dave Dickenson to Calgary, Wally Buono's Lions are set in the QB position with both Jarius Jackson and Buck Pierce vying for top spot.  With great wide receivers such as Geroy Simon, the Lions are a potent threat in any situation.

After an impressive finish with a Grey Cup victory last season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are feeling the pangs of the salary cap, having lost star QB Kerry Joseph and having to rebuild only a year after winning it all.  Most of their defensive line still remains intact, yet the Riders are predicted to fall in the standings this coming season.  TJ Zwarych has more on the Riders upcoming season.

In Hamilton, there is not much hope from many that the Tigercats will do much more than they have for the last few seasons, even with QB Casey Printers at the helm.  Hopefully, head coach Charlie Taaffe will be able to rebuild the Tigercats back into perennial competitors.

Finally, in Alberta, both the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos are in the middle of the pack.  In Edmonton, head coach Danny Maciocia hopes to repeat with Ricky Ray at the helm of their 2005 Grey Cup championship.  Along with WR Keith Stokes now in the Eskies lineup, the Esks are looking to make some noise in the West.

In Calgary, there are always rumblings that the Stampeders are due for a breakout season.  Without a Grey Cup championship since 2001 (third longest drought besides Hamilton [1999] and Winnipeg [1990]), the Stampeders with QB Henry Burris are looking for answers are more than a few mediocre seasons.  With outstanding wide receivers such as Jermaine Copeland and Ryan Thelwell, the Stamps are poised to take a run at first spot in the West.

For the CFL This Week, I'm Matt Eichel.

Sources:

www.cfl.ca

www.tsn.ca/cfl