Preview: Tiger-Cats (5-5) at Lions (3-7)

vs.

I'm not going to make the standard cat joke. No talking about fur flying or any of that jazz. These are two teams that have not met since a fateful day in November of 2009.

Both teams come into this contest on a slight roll. While the Cats did get trounced in their last game against Montreal, they did win their previous four games and still sit in second place in the East. BC, who limped into their bye week at a horrendous 1-7, have won two straight and look to have things back on track.

For the Cats, the trip to Vancouver is always a difficult one. It's never easy for an East team to fly west and get a win against BC, but last year Hamilton went into BC Place and defeated the Lions. This year the game will be played at Empire Field (BC Place is undergoing renovations), and the new stadium could be a wild card in this matchup. One thing is for certain: the Tabbies need to find a way to energize a moribund running game. It was last year, in BC, that DeAndra' Cobb exploded onto the scene. He had his best games against the Lions, so a trip to the West Coast may be just what the doctor ordered.

For the Lions, it is all about continuing what they have been doing since their bye. Casey Printers hasn't had to do it all by himself, which is good. The platoon of RBs that the Leos keep trotting out week after week is as impressive as any in the league. If it's not Jamal Robertson, it's Yonus Davis. If it's not Davis, it's Jamall Lee. If it's not Lee, it's Jerome Messam. It's just impressive the type of production that BC has been getting out of whomever they put behind the QB.

Newly acquired Defensive Lineman Stevie Baggs will not suit up for the Cats this week, so the Lions won't have to worry about him making life miserable for Casey Printers. (Side note: does this mean Baggs will debut against his former team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, in Week 13?)

There isn't much rivalry to speak of between the Lions and Tiger-Cats, but with Printers as the QB and last year's playoff loss still fresh in the minds of fans, the Hamilton faithful have grown to dislike their feline cousins to the west. Damn it, I did make a terrible cat reference.

This is a late kickoff (10PM), but the good folks at AM900 CHML and Y108 will have you covered should you choose to listen on the radio while lying in bed. If, like me, you'll be staying up late to watch, it's TSN or TSN HD for you.