Cats Have Options in Wake of Watt, Gaydosh Injuries

Tuesday will not go down as a banner day for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The team lost defensive tackle Linden Gaydosh and receiver Spencer Watt for the season with a pair of Achilles' injuries.

Losing quality, National players is never a good thing, but Watt's injury is definitely more harmful to the Cats going forward. While Gaydosh is a good, young player, Hamilton employs about 637 Canadian defensive linemen, so finding someone to fill in for the former No. 1 overall pick won't be difficult. But it is Watt's injury that truly presents a conundrum for the Tabbies.

Watt was signed away from the Argos during free agency to replace Sam Giguère, who signed with Montreal. Watt was going to be a starter, paired with Andy Fantuz as one of Hamilton's two National receivers, but with the Simon Fraser product being lost for the entire 2015 season, the Ti-Cats will be forced to reconfigure things to reach the ratio minimum of seven National starters. It is safe to say that Fantuz, Peter Dyakowski and Mike Filer will start on offence, and that Ted Laurent, Courtney Stephen and Craig Butler will do the same on defense. That leaves one spot open, so what can the Ti-Cats do to make up for the loss of Watt?

(1) Start two Canadian defensive tackles

Seeing as Hamilton employs a ridiculous number of Canadians along the defensive line, perhaps the best place to begin is by starting Canadians at both interior defensive lineman positions. Brian Bulcke was a starter before being lost to injury last year, so it would be well and good for the Cats to simply just reinstall him next to Laurent and not worry. The problem there is that Bryan Hall played tremendously all last season, and really stepped up when Bulcke went down. So to allow Hall to be part of the rotation, but not the starter, means that the Cats would have to make changes elsewhere on the defence. Perhaps bringing in Frédéric Plesius when Hall comes in for Bulcke or Laurent.

While this is less than ideal, this is probably the safest route Hamilton can go. Bulcke is a proven commodity and should be a starter; Laurent is the defending East Division Most Outstanding Canadian. Both are starting-calibre players, and this might be the easiest change for Hamilton to make.

(2) Rejig the offensive line

In addition to point No. 1, this is also an easy path for the Ti-Cats to take. The Cats had to do a bit of ration gymnastics last year because of Peter Dyakowski's injury in the 101st Grey Cup, but Canada's Smartest Person returned late last year and looks to be ready to resume his old role at guard. The Cats started two Nationals along the line, so with Dyakowski back they can start three and problem solved, right?

Not so fast. Last year, after a disastrous Week 1 outing against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Ti-Cats made changes to their offensive line, one such move saw Brian Simmons move from tackle to guard. Simmons was named a division All-Star, should have been named a league All-Star and probably should have been the East Division nominee for Most Outstanding Lineman. CFL teams rarely start International interior offensive linemen, but rarely are they as talented as Simmons.

Sure, the team could move Simmons back to tackle, as he was excellent in the role as well, but that would then mean displacing one of the two man-mountains the team employs at tackle, Jake Olson (6'8", 315 lbs) or Joel Figueroa (6'6", 320 lbs.). While I am not as high on Olson as some, the former Central Michigan Chippewa did enough to warrant a second season to prove himself.

While I think replacing Olson with Simmons would work out just fine, I really do not like the idea of moving Simmons from guard back to tackle. This, however, might be the move the team has to make.

(3) Draft, and start, a rookie receiver

Many say that this year's draft is one of the most talented in years. One of the areas of strength is at the receiver position. LeMar Durant, Nic Demski and Addison Richards are all considered to be bright prospects and some even think they could start in Year 1. While drafting a receiver should be something Hamilton does, especially considering star slotback Andy Fantuz is in the final year of his contract, starting a rookie wideout is usually not a terribly good idea.

I don't think it is ridiculous to say that the aforementioned Fantuz was probably the most "pro-ready" receiver to come out of college but even he wasn't entirely ready to make significant contributions his rookie season. His 30 catches for 408 yards and three touchdowns didn't really wow anybody, and while Durant, Demski and Richards are enticing prospects, none of them are on the same level as Fantuz was coming out of Western.

While drafting one of the top receiver prospects is a solid idea on its own, it is not a good idea to expect one of them to come in and replace Watt in the starting lineup Week 1.

(4) Move Anthony Woodson to WR

This move might seem farfetched, but hear me out. The team signed Woodson to be a solid special teams contributor and a valuable Canadian asset, but it was unlikely that he was expected to see much time on offense, especially at running back (he was, in no way, jumping C.J. Gable, Nic Grigsby or Mossis Madu on the depth chart).

But during this week's mini-camp, Woodson has been working a bit at receiver and slotback. He also played a little there last year in Toronto after Andre Durie was injured. This means Woodson is not entirely unfamiliar with playing multiple receiver positions, so he could be a stop gap solution for the Ti-Cats in the wake of Watt's injury.

This is far from an ideal solution, but running backs have been converted into receivers in the past and had success. Durie might be the best example, but his current Argo teammate Anthony Coombs is making the transition and, going back a bit, former Tiger-Cat Archie Amerson became a darn good receiver after making the switch.

And Hamilton might consider this move to find a way to get Woodson onto the field, into the offense and replace Watt.

Hamilton is in a really unenviable position right now, trying to find a way to replace players who, especially in Watt's case, were going to be major contributors this season. Hopefully both will make a speedy recovery and we will see them in black and gold next year.

Hage's Season is Over

For the second consecutive season, Marwan Hage's season is over due to injury. Hage will miss the final eight games of the regular season and any playoff contests due to a triceps injury that will require surgery. Last year, Hage missed everything after Labour Day due to a knee injury.

Now some might begin to wonder whether this is the end for Hage, but I think that is a tad premature. Two season-ending injuries in back-to-back seasons is worrisome, but Hage had never been seriously injured prior to last season, so this isn't the case of an injury-prone player breaking down even more. Hage is also just 31 years old, so even with the injury he could still have four or five more years of top-end production left in him. I don't think this is the last we've seen of Hage in a Tiger-Cat uniform.

I wish him a full and speedy recovery, and look forward to many more years of Hage pancaking opponents while wearing the Black & Gold.

Hage Done For the Season

It looks like the season is over for Marwan Hage.

The Tiger-Cats All-Star Centre has been sideline with a knee injury since early September, and the last game he played in was on Labour Day. It looks like that injury will keep him in street clothes for the remainder of the season.

This is a tough loss for the Cats. Hage was having his typical excellent season before the injury. Now it's Mark Dewit's job for the rest of the year. Dewit has played pretty well since taking over for Hage, but it's hard for anyone to replace an All-Star calibre player like Hage.

I wish Hage a speedy recovery.

Bruce Out

Ti-Cat Receiver Arland Bruce III will not be playing in tomorrow's game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders due to a knee injury.

Some professional rumourmongers are saying it is more than just an injury.

There are even some amateur rumourmongers who are saying that Bruce is about to be traded.

I buy the doghouse rumour more than I do the he's-getting-traded one. Bruce was outspoken last week about the play of the team. He didn't say anything that wasn't true, but he also has been playing long enough to know that his words would be taken in, twisted and spit back out.

In what is 100% opinion, I think Bruce will sit out this week and be back in the lineup for next week's game against BC. My belief lies in the fact that Marcel Bellefeuille has spoken highly of Bruce all week, and Bellefeuille is not the type of guy to do one thing after saying another.

Also, Bruce participated in the Ti-Cats' walkthrough, and if he wasn't going to be a part of the team anymore, that never would have happened; he would have been as far away from the team as possible. For anyone comparing this to what happened in Toronto two years ago is jumping to such a ridiculous conclusion that they will probably hurt their knees when they land.

To put it plainly, I don't think Bruce is going anywhere. I reserve the right to change that opinion; but as I sit here now, Bruce is, and will be, a Tiger-Cat for a long time.

Bo Smith, Matt Kirk Not Ready For Camp

Both Bo Smith and Matt Kirk will begin Training Camp on injured reserve, as neither is ready to come back from injuries that ended their 2010 campaigns.

Kirk suffered a foot injury last season and has been slow to recover. He is a very important cog in the defensive front seven, especially because he's a Canadian.

Smith ruptured his Achilles tendon last year after returning to the Ti-Cats following a stint with the NFL's New York Jets. I have been very critical of Smith in the past, but was pleasantly surprised with his play last season. It seemed his time with the Jets was time well spent. Smith came back a much better player. He had turned into a reliable and solid contributor, and I was unhappy to see him go down.

It is unknown when either player will return to the field. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but unfortunately that doesn't seem likely.

Ti-Cat Tidbits

No one big story today, but a few little ones courtesy of a couple of sources.

First, as I wrote on Sunday, Bo Smith is done for the season. Also done for the year is Matt Kirk with an ankle injury, and Matt Carter may be out for the remainder of the year with a foot injury. Add in Arland Bruce's no-show due to a hamstring injury the last two weeks and the Cats are starting to get hit with injuries at the worst possible time.

Secondly, Jason Shivers is looking like the guy who will replace Bo Smith in the lineup for the Cats. Shivers's return pushes Geoff Tisdale back to corner, while Shivers takes the Inside Halfback spot.

Finally, TSN released the results of a player poll taken on a number of subjects, and Tiger-Cat QB Kevin Glenn was voted the most underrated player in the league. Glenn garnered 17.1% of the vote. TSN did not release who any of the runners up were.

I am not surprised that Glenn would be named most underrated. He was unceremoniously dumped by Winnipeg following the 2008 season. He came to Hamilton as a backup in 2009, and did not gain the starting job until late in the 2009 season. Since then, Glenn has been masterful, breaking Tiger-Cat single-season records in 2010. Glenn is probably the most underappreciated player in the CFL, but there is no doubt that a Grey Cup ring would change all that.

Bo Smith Done For the Season

As reported by Drew Edwards, Bo Smith is done for the season with a torn Achilles.

I don't think it is news when I say that I have been critical of Bo Smith since last season.

That said, I have been extremely happy with Smith's performance since returning from the Jets. His coverage skills still need some work, but his tackling has improved immensely. His loss will be felt, and losing players at this point in the season is never a good thing.

Here's to a speedy recovery for Bo. I hope he can come back next season and pick up where he left off this season.

ABIII, Hebert Won't Meet the Stamps

It's official. Arland Bruce III will miss tomorrow's game against the Calgary Stampeders.

Head Coach Marcel Bellefeuille said that "there are more significant games down the road" and that it would be wiser to take the cautious route with Bruce.

This leaves Kevin Glenn without the CFL's leading Receiver heading into a game in Calgary where a win will secure a home playoff game for the Tiger-Cats.

The recently signed Kyries Hebert will also miss tomorrow's game in Calgary. Not to diminish what Hebert brings to the table, but his loss is not as significant as Bruce's.

Not having Bruce will make it very difficult for the Tiger-Cats to win. Just like last week, someone is going to have to step up and try to fill the void that ABIII left. Chris Bauman did it last week, so maybe he'll do it again. Or maybe it will be someone else. We're going to find out in about 24 hours.

Taking the cautious approach with both players is smart and appropriate. These guys will be needed for the playoffs, so it is better to be without them now than in two weeks' time. As they say, better safe than sorry.

Buck Pierce Out (UPDATED)

It looks like that injury is a little more serious than first thought, as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced today that Buck Pierce will miss this week's game against the Edmonton Eskimos.

Pierce was injured in the 3rd quarter of the game on Friday. He was tackled by Ti-Cat Defensive Lineman Demonte Bolden, who landed very awkwardly on Pierce's leg.

I never, ever like to see players get injured, but Pierce's injury is a good thing for Hamilton. Pierce, who was acquired in the off-season from BC, had been playing great football in the first two games and looked to be a real difference maker for the Bombers. He looked especially good against Hamilton in Week 1 and won Player of the Week for his performance in a losing effort against Toronto in Week 2.

Without Pierce, the QB spot is now handed over to Steven Jyles, who was acquired this past off-season from Saskatchewan. Jyles, who came in for Pierce on Friday, looked decent, but not spectacular.

This isn't the first time that Pierce will miss a game because of injury. He was let go by the Lions because of his history of injury problems.

The Bombers have dropped two in a row, including the beating they took at the hands of the Ti-Cats in Week 3. If Winnipeg is to remain a competitive force, they need Buck Pierce.

UPDATE: According to TSN, Buck Pierce will miss 2-4 weeks with a sprained knee.

Cats Add O-Lineman, Lose Schmidt

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced today that they have signed Offensive Lineman Belton Johnson, while simultaneously announcing that Tight End/Fullback Steve Schmidt has been placed on the nine-game injured list.

I don't really know anything about Johnson. I believe he was the player that was reported to be signed during that crazy, and completely erroneous, story about Quinton Porter being released after the first pre-season game.

Johnson is going to start off on the practice roster, and it would be my guess that he'll be groomed to be Jason Jimenez's backup, once Jimenez returns from his injury.

Tough break for Schmidt. While he had yet to contribute on the stat sheet, he had played pretty well in limited duty. Maybe this paves the way for the return of 2010 draft pick Sam Fournier? We'll have to wait and see.

Jimenez Out

It looks like new Offensive Tackle Jason Jimenez will be out for at least the season opener at Winnipeg on July 2nd. Apparently, Jimenez injured his knee in yesterday's 38-20 pre-season win over Winnipeg.

Jimenez was one of the big gets of the past off-season. He brings a lot of nastiness to the field when he plays. For the team, and Jimenez's sake, I hope this is only a minor injury.

It will be interesting to see what the Cats do to replace Jimenez. Maybe Rottier, maybe a player cut from another team, maybe a trade (that about covers it all, right?). The route the Ti-Cats take will likely be a tip as to how long Jimenez might be out.