What I Learned From the Preseason and Training Camp

I don't like drawing too many conclusions (some conclusions, but not too many) based on what I saw during the preseason – I have lost count of how many times guys looked like all stars in the preseason and then flamed out in the regular season – but there is a reason for the preseason and there is no fun in saying, "Wait until the regular season starts." This was also the first training camp that I was able to attend. While I didn't make it out to every practice, I made it to more than my fair share. So with that said, here are a few things that I learned over the past three weeks.

Henry Burris still has plenty of game left

I will wait until after Labour Day to pen my mea culpa article on Henry Burris, but from the looks of it I was way off when I said that Burris was done. He has looked magnificent during the preseason and seems ready to take back his spot atop the quarterbacking mountain. I don't care what resident Winnipeg loud mouth Jovon Johnson has to say, Burris has looked mighty impressive in his three quarters at the helm of the Tiger-Cat offense.

Chevon Walker could start

As happy as I am to have Avon Cobourne back, and as bummed as I was that Martell Mallett got injured, the most impressive running back I've seen has been Chevon Walker. He has speed to spare and hits the hole with amazing burst. If Cobourne goes down at some point this season, the team's running game will be in good hands with Walker.

Josh Bartel is good, but still a work in progress

I have been impressed a lot by what I saw out of Josh Bartel, especially when it came to the distance he got on his punts. The guy has a big leg. That said, part of me wonders if his leg is too strong. I know that sounds silly (borderline stupid even) but in the game against Winnipeg he kicked his punts so far that the Winnipeg kick returners were able to field them with almost no one within 10 yards on them. I have seen him kick in practice and he gets good hang time, but he needs to do that consistently if his powerful league is to be an asset. I'd rather the team get 40 yard punts and two yard returns as opposed to 55 yard punts with 25 yard returns. Bartel is new to football, so hopefully he can master this as time goes on.

The lines still need work

Injuries have made it difficult to judge the offensive and defensive lines, but they still don't look like dominant units. Now, I don't believe they have to dominate in order for the team to be successful, but they need to be solid. I thought the offensive line did a good job against the Argos, but not against the Bombers. The running lanes and pass protection that were present in the Argo game were not there in the Bomber game. With the defensive line, I found the opposite. They were nearly invisible against the Argos, but played very well against Bombers. I think if both units are 100 per cent healthy, the lines should be fine. But both still need to be better.

George Cortez is the right guy for this team

I was a fan of Marcel Bellefeuille's and thought that he could lead the Tiger-Cats to a championship. I don't subscribe to the theory that he was too soften spoken or too passive to be successful. If you don't think an even-keeled coach can win a championship, see Tony Dungy. But I also was not unhappy to see George Cortez hired as his replacement. It could just be a case of the team needing a new voice to get them over the hump – the Tom Higgins-to-John Hufnagel change in Calgary back in 2008 parallels nicely with this one – and I can't think of a better man than Cortez to be that voice. I've have been very impressed with how he's handled himself and the team during practices. He lets his coaches coach and only intervenes when he has to intervene. I never saw Bellefeuille run a practice, so I can't comment on the differences, but I like what I have seen from Cortez on the practice field. He is the right man at the right time for this team.

Preview: Tiger-Cats at Blue Bombers

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The Ti-Cats have a lot of roster questions still left unanswered and the performances of players in tonight's game could have a big impact on who is still around after final cuts are made. Like last week, I'm going to name a few players (or position groups) that people should keep an eye on.

Just like last week, the defensive line is an area that's worth monitoring. One player in particular to keep a watchful eye on is Brandon Boudreaux. Boudreaux had a pretty good game last week against Toronto, and another solid outing could find him not just on the roster, but in the mix as a possible starter. Boudreaux could be the next unknown – like Khari Long, Garrett McIntrye and Justin Hickman – to emerge as a solid contributor along the Tiger-Cats' defensive line.

A player I have noticed that is having a quietly good camp is defensive back Marcell Young. Young looks like a lock to start in the secondary, and with good reason. Watch him carefully as he matches up with the Winnipeg receivers. He's a player that could take a big step up in his second year.

Another defensive back worth keeping an eye on is Hamilton-born Matt Bucknor. Bucknor, like Young, has had a solid camp and is making a real push to make the 46-man roster. A strong showing tonight could solidify his position with the team.

And last, but certainly not least, is Avon Cobourne. We all know what Cobourne is capable of, and his spot on the roster is secure, but it will still be interesting to see him back on the field in his Black & Gold duds.

We Tiger-Cat fans are lucky as this is the only Week 2 preseason contest that will be aired on TSN (TSN2, to be exact). The fun starts at 8:00PM.

Preview: Argonauts at Tiger-Cats

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Since this is a preseason game, I'm going to take a little different path with this preview. I did write a more traditonal preview article, if that is something you'd like to read, but what I'm going to do here is highlight some players (not obvious players, like Henry Burris or Sam Giguère) I think fans might want to keep an eye on.

Probably the unknown player that has impressed me the most is receiver Chris Duvalt. Every training camp session I've attended has featured at least one great play by the Illinois alum. I am really looking forward to seeing what he can do going up against players that aren't on his own team.

Everything I just said about Chris Duvalt applies to the next person to keep an eye on, receiver Onrea Jones. Jones has been seeing time with the first-team offense during practice and has not looked out of place with the veterans he's been out there with. Seeing what he can do against another team's secondary will be interesting.

Chevon Walker is the third rookie that has impressed during training camp. He is in a fight with James Berezik (who is also a guy worth keeping an eye on) for the backup running back job behind Avon Cobourne, but Walker seems to have a leg up in that competiton. He is also in the mix at kick and punt returner with a host of others. If he proves to be valuable on special teams, his chances of sticking with the team increase substantially.

The battle for the team's No. 3 quarterback spot was Tate Forcier's to lose until Dan LeFevour was brought in. LeFevour now looks like the front runner for the job and Forcier will have to impress against the Argos to get himself back in the competition. Neither will see meaningful reps, but they have a chance to impress in the little time they will see on the field.

Not so much a player, but seeing how the defensive line plays, including what players make up the starting unit, is definitely worth watching. There has been a lot of turnover in that unit from last season, so it is worth keeping a keen eye on how well the unit plays.

Sure, it might only be the preseason, but that doesn't mean the game isn't important. The result matters little, but seeing players in action against an opposing team will help the Ti-Cat brain trust decide who to keep and who to let go.

Hamilton 57, Montreal 20

No, that score is not a typo. The Cats really did beat the Als by 37 in each team's final preseason matchup. Before we all go planning the parade route, remember that this was a preseason game. While I am as excited as anyone to see the Cats thump the Als, I'm not going to go overboard. But while there are a couple of areas that still need to be addressed, there was a lot to like tonight's performance.

Positives
There are many places I could start, but I'm going to kick things off by heaping a world of praise onto Quinton Porter. He played magnificently! He had a command of the Offense the likes of which I haven't seen from him in his entire time with the Cats. He played superbly and looks poised to become the player we all hoped he would be. Kudos to Quinton on a stellar performance.

The entire running game was like a breath of fresh air. All the Running Backs hit the hole hard. There was very little hesitation from any of them. It was awesome to see Cobourne in his new threads. He is going to be a difference maker for this team. I also think Terry Grant won the battle with Glenn Milner. Grant was phenomenal tonight, and I would be stunned if he wasn't named to the squad – with Milner probably going on the Practice Roster – when final cuts are made this week. Great job by all of them, but especially Grant and Cobourne.

The return game looks to be deadly again. Not only did Marcus Thigpen take one to the house on a kickoff, but newcomer Chris Williams took a punt all the way home as well. If those two line up on kickoffs together, it will truly be a pick-your-poison scenario for the opposing team.

I have to give major kudos to both Bakari Grant and Aaron Kelly. Both players, vying for a position in the stacked Hamilton receiving corps, played extremely well. Bakari Grant laid out for a catch near the end of the game that showed just how much he wants to make this team.

Eric Wilbur and Justin Medlock are not making it easy. Wilbur did miss a chip-shot 21-yard field goal tonight, but he also made a 49-yard field goal as well. Medlock went a perfect four-for-four, with a long of 34 yards. It was a fairly even performance from both men. It is going to be hard to choose one.

I liked the focus that seemed to be put on stripping the football. Two fumble recoveries not long after one another – one on Special Teams and one on Defense – is a good sign. Creating turnovers and cashing in on them is key. When you win the turnover battle, you usually win the game. The emphasis that seems to have been put on stripping the football can only help the Cats.

Negatives
The interior of the Defensive Line is worrisome. The Als, on many occasions, ran up the gut almost at will. If that trend continues, the Cats could be very susceptible to power running and quite vulnerable during those tough, grind-it-out type games. Hopefully this gets straightened out sooner rather than later.

The Secondary played well, but it is still very clearly a work in progress. I liked what I saw out of rookie Chris Rwambukamba, but I also believe he sustained an injury tonight. I hope it is not too serious, as he has been one of the bright spots of an otherwise suspect Secondary.

Final Thoughts
Tonight's win will mean nothing if the Cats don't win on Canada Day. It was nice to get a very convincing win, but in a week's time, the result won't matter.

But the Offense seems to be in fine form, and this team looks like it will be able to score with anybody in the league. The addition of Avon Cobourne looks to have added that special element that was missing the last couple of years.

It was fun to be at Ivor Wynne again, and witnessing a butt-kicking extravaganza, even if it was only the preseason, was fun nonetheless. Preseason or not, it is rare to see one team score 57 points on another. While it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, it is still mighty impressive. It was fun to be on the winning side of a whooping like that. Hopefully the confidence that the team gained from pounding the Als will carry over into next week when the results mean something.

Tonight was a very nice way to end the preseason. Now, let's get ready for Canada Day.

Toronto 31, Hamilton 12

It's hard to take a win or loss in the preseason too seriously, but there were some things that were really good about this game and some things that were not so good. Like every game that the Cats play in Toronto, I was in attendance and got to witness things first hand. I am by no means an expert, but my take might be different than someone who just listened to the game on the radio. I'm not saying that I'm right and everyone else is wrong, but here is what I liked and didn't like from this week's game.

Positives
First and foremost, the biggest positive is that football is back. I don't think anyone will disagree with me on that one.

In my game preview I wrote about some position battles that I would be looking at, one of which was Running Back. Glenn Milner and Terry Grant are in a battle to see who will back up Avon Cobourne; today, both men made the choice that much more difficult. If I had to choose one based on today's performance, I'd probably go with Grant. Both players performed very well, and Milner was just a hair beneath Grant today. I don't envy the coaching staff when they decide who to keep.

Another area I covered was the competition between Eric Wilbur and Justin Medlock. I think, barring something big in the next game on Wednesday, Medlock will get the spot. Both played well, but Wilbur barely outperformed Medlock on punts – Wilbur shanked one, but then had an absolute beaut – so while I like Wilbur immensely, I suspect that Medlock will be the guy.

While he only saw very limited action, I really liked what I saw out of Quinton Porter. He looked poised, confident and in control as he led the Cats' offense during the first quarter.

Finally, all the talk about Chris Williams being fast were correct. The guy has some serious wheels on him. The team has to find a way to keep him around in some capacity. If Marcus Thigpen gets a greater role on offense, Williams would be more than an adequate replacement in the return game.

Negatives
There are lies, filthy lies and statistics. Statistically, Jason Boltus had a great game with over 280 yards passing, while throwing one touchdown and one interception. However, since I sat at the 35-yard line at the Rogers Centre SkyDome I got to see Boltus's performance first hand. He looked tentative, and his lone interception was a product of his tentativeness. He also gained a lot of his yards in garbage time when the game was well out of reach. His favorite pass seemed to be the dump off, as he rarely tried to stretch the field. Before people pile on, I don't think Boltus was terrible; he did engineer a very nice drive that began on the Cats' seven- or eight-yard line and ended with a touchdown pass to Matt Carter. However, all the chatter about how he should unseat Quinton Porter for the primary backup spot needs to stop.

The Cats' defense showed me nothing all day. They gave up a whopping 536 total yards, and it seemed like everyone forgot how to tackle. The Argos busted many plays because the Cats' defenders simply didn't wrap up. It was a putrid performance, and the defense cannot be pleased one bit.

The main area that did nothing was the Defensive Line and, to a lesser extent, the Linerbackers. There was no pressure on any of the Quarterbacks. They made Cleo Lemon and Dalton Bell look like Damon Allen and Matt Dunigan. I know that the starters didn't play, but if that is the kind of pass rush this team will have during the season, the Cats are in trouble.

Then we have the Secondary. They also did not look good. I don't even know how to put it into words, but guys were getting beat very frequently. It was not the best day for that group. They are still very much a work in progress, and I will have my eyes keenly on them on Wednesday.

Final Thoughts
It was the first preseason game, so no one should panic, even though the Cats got outplayed for most of the game. The Argos played a vast majority of their starters for long stretches of the game – Andre Durie, for instance, was still in the game late in the third quarter – and the only star players that I didn't see were Chad Owens and Cory Boyd. That's not an excuse; I'm just stating facts. The Argos deserve full credit for their effort today. They were clearly the better team.

But there were a lot of bright spots for the Cats as well. The running game looks to be in good hands. If today is any indication of what we will see when Cobourne gets on the field, the rushing attack could be deadly.

The kicking game looks to be in solid hands regardless of who wins the battle. Both Wilbur and Medlock seem more than capable of handling the duties.

That said, there are still areas of concern. Hopefully, these things will be addressed this week in the run up to Wednesday's preseason encounter with the Alouettes.

Irrespective of what happened today, it's just nice to be back talking about and watching football. With the first one in the books, it's a mere 13 days until the games matter. That, my friends, is very exciting.

Hamilton 38, Winnipeg 20

Now that is more like it. What a game. I'm not going to go crazy about it since it was only a pre-season contest, but there are a lot of positives to be taken from this week's game at Ivor Wynne against Winnipeg. The score is virtually meaningless, but the play most definitely is not. So let's get it started.

Positives
Kevin Glenn, Dave Stala, Arland Bruce, DeAndra' Cobb, Marquay McDaniel... Heck, pretty much the entire starting offense. The team clicked from the opening whistle until they were replaced by the backups. They started a tad slowly, stalling on the opening drive (and a weird play that got them the ball back; more on that later), but after that it was smooth sailing. Glenn was hitting everyone; the guys were making catch after catch; Cobb proved that last season was no fluke, by reading the holes exceptionally well and hitting them hard! It was just an overall impressive effort by the starters this afternoon.

The defense was stout. They gave up a couple of big plays, but on the whole, this unit from front to back looks scary good. The D-line got tremendous pressure all day, even if the sack totals don't reflect it. An all 'round excellent performance by the Tiger-Cat defense.

Demetris Summers. Once again this guy came up big. Not only in the return game (where he had a nice return) but also in the running game. Any thought of competition with Brian Calhoun is out the window. Summers should be the team's primary backup when the rosters are finalized.

The debate on who should be our Kick Returner is over. Martin Manson was spectacular in the return game. This kid came out today to win the job, and I will be absolutely stunned if he isn't the Kick Returner when the season opens on July 2nd.

Glenn MacKay worked his butt off today. The diving catch he made on a bad Quinton Porter pass was one of the nicest I've ever seen. He came out of nowhere to snag the pass. He caught almost everything thrown his way. I know the competition at WR is fierce, but the Cats have to find a spot for this kid somewhere. He played too hard today not to deserve the right to be on the final roster.

The crowd might have been the most impressive part of today's contest. An announced crowd of almost 20,000 for a pre-season game! It seems as if people have gotten on board with this club, and that can only be a good thing. Here's hoping the crowds continue to swell and we have a near-capacity house for games other than Labour Day. I tip my hat to the fans for showing up in big numbers for a game that means nothing. Way to go, Tigertown!

Negatives
Once again it's the backup QBs. Last week Porter looked good; this week, not so much. He was great in the running game, but his passes seemed erratic. He had a nice TD pass, but on the whole I did not see much from him today.

I can say the exact same for Adam Tafralis. He once again failed to impress me. He was better than last week, and he was also better than Porter, but I still don't understand why people are so enamoured with him. He continues to try to make passes that shouldn't be made. He once again tried to force one into tight coverage; luckily it was only incomplete this week. He also had a couple of under-thrown balls. Right now I am not entirely comfortable with the backup QBs. At least Jason Boltus didn't get a chance to throw up another stinker.

As much as I talked him up when he was signed, I now have to admit I was wrong about Brian Calhoun. He hasn't looked sharp in either game, and with the emergence of Demetris Summers, Calhoun could be in tough for a roster spot.

Another rookie who had a less-than-stellar performance was Punter Justin Palardy. His first punt was atrocious, but luckily it was so bad he was able to recover it for a Tiger-Cat first down. While an admittedly exciting play, it's still not the stuff you want to see out of your Punter.

Marquay McDaniel showed a nice case of what looked like gator arms on what should have been a first-quarter TD. He redeemed himself nicely later in the game with a beautiful one-handed catch and a TD catch, but I'm hoping that play doesn't happen when the regular season starts. My buddy Richard seemed to think that since it was a pre-season game, McDaniel didn't go all out for it. I hope his assessment is correct.

Final Thoughts
It's hard to take too much away from the game this afternoon. The Bombers did play some of their starters, but three of their starting Defensive Linemen did not dress, so the Tiger-Cat offense may not be as strong as they looked today.

That said, this is still a team that I am very excited about. I didn't get too low after the loss to Toronto last week, and I won't get too high about the win this week. What is important is seeing how the team is coming together. The continuity from last season to this season really shows. The first-quarter pass from Glenn to Stala (where Glenn threw it a good two seconds before Stala even turned around) shows how in-sync these guys are.

Even if this game meant nothing in the standings, it's always nice to get a win, especially in front of the home crowd.

One Last Thing
After being called a "moron" last week for even suggesting that replay challenges were allowed in the pre-season, Head Coach Marcel Bellefeuille once again asked for a challenge on a second-quarter call. Unfortunately, the referee's mic was not working, but it seemed from the motions the ref was making that the challenge wasn't granted because the catch was deemed a push-out, which I assume is unchallengeable, not because replay challenges are not allowed in the pre-season. I would also like to add that if challenges aren't allowed in the pre-season, (a) why would the coaches carry the challenge flags, and (b) why would Coach Bellefeuille attempt a challenge a week after being "told" they weren't allowed? I know this is hardly concrete proof, but it's the best I can do with the evidence I have.

Player of the Game (Offense): Glenn MacKay
Player of the Game (Defense): Ike Brown

Welcome Home

In just a few hours the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will hit the field at Ivor Wynne Stadium for the first time since November. I, for one, am stoked beyond belief to be returning to Ivor Wynne; I doubt I'm the only one.

Despite it being only the pre-season, it's always special watching a game at Ivor Wynne. There is no other place like it. For me, it is the best place to watch a game, bar none. There is just something so Hamilton about Ivor Wynne. It ain't pretty, but it gets the job done, and we all love it regardless of its shortcomings.

This day will be extra special for me as it will be the first home game I attend as a season-ticket holder. Two friends (shout out to Richard and Sarah!) will also be attending with me in their first foray as season-ticketers. Like last week, we won't have a full complement, but the regulars from 2009 (Adam, Pops) will, as always, be there, sitting in what are now our regular seats. No more sneaking into them like last season.

With it being Father's Day, the Ti-Cats had a promotion that with every $75+ purchase at the Tigertown Store, you would receive two free tickets to the game on Sunday. I, being a merchandise fiend, took full advantage of this. I picked up a new jersey because, well, I'm an idiot and three of 'em clearly wasn't enough. More importantly, I also got the two free tickets. I will be using those two tickets to take to my Dad and brother (who will soon, himself, be a Dad to a little boy) to tomorrow's game.

On the actual topic of the game, if Coach Bellefeuille is to be believed, it is likely that the starters will see significant action, perhaps as much as two quarters' worth of playing time. That was significantly more than I expected, but is a welcome piece of news nonetheless.

One player who won't be suiting up is Maurice Mann. Mann was nicked up at practice last week, and as a precaution the team has decided not to dress one of their biggest off-season acquisitions. We'll have to wait a little longer to see the Mann-Bruce combo that every Cat fan seems to be dying to see.

With this being a home game, I should have my thoughts about the game up earlier than last week. Not sure if I'll have pictures, because my cameraman (camerawoman actually) won't be attending this game, but I'll see what I can do. I don't think anyone comes on here for the pictures, anyway. Also, maybe I'll get lucky and have only one person call me a moron after I post my opinion on this week's game. I've got my fingers crossed on that one.

So game time is almost here; are you as excited as I am?

Preview: Blue Bombers (1-0) at Tiger-Cats (0-1)

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To take anything meaningful away from a pre-season game is foolhardy. Wins and losses don't mean a thing, and at the end of the season no one is going to remember what happened in the pre-season.

That said, there is a reason that the pre-season exists: for talent evaluation and getting rid of rust. Last week the Blue Bombers and Tiger-Cats took two separate approaches to their pre-season games.

The Bombers played a large number of their projected starters. They did not play everyone, but key players like QB Buck Pierce and RB Fred Reid saw action. The Bombers laid a beat down on the defending Grey Cup Champion Alouettes to the tune of 34-10. The Als left many of their starters at home for this contest, but with Winnipeg having a lot of turnover in the off-season, the chance to jell quickly was important.

The Tiger-Cats took a similar approach to the Als, resting a plethora of offensive skill players as well as the entire Linebacking corps. The fact that the Cats were defeated 13-10 by the Argonauts holds little value going forward.

The tilt between the Bombers and Ti-Cats this week (Sunday at 1:00PM at Ivor Wynne Stadium) is the first of five meetings that will occur between now and August 13th. These two teams will be intimately familiar with one another before the summer is over.

The Cats that sat last week are expected to see some action tomorrow. I'm unsure of what the Bombers are planning on doing, but with these two teams playing each other so many times over the first half of the season, I would hazard a guess that even if many of the starters play for Winnipeg, they probably won't play long.

After last week's offensive debacle in Toronto, I'm curious to see if the offense will be more fluid and crisp with the regular starters in there. I'm also still waiting to see which player will separate himself from the pack to become the team's primary Kick and Punt Returner. It would seem that Demetris Summers has the upper hand, but his lack of breakaway speed worries me slightly. I'm hoping that we can see more out of Damon McDaniel, who could replace his brother Marquay as the team's return man.

This week's game will be broadcast live on Cable 14 here in Hamilton, and as always AM900 CHML will have radio coverage.

While the game itself is virtually meaningless, it'll be nice to be back at the ol' girl on Balsam and Beechwood for Tiger-Cat football. I was there for the season-ticket pick-up party, but that wasn't the same. It'll be a game day, and game day is always a special day.

Toronto 13, Hamilton 10

The first pre-season game is in the books, and it wasn't pretty. I was in attendance and got a first-hand view of the action. There were some positives and some negatives. The Cats lost, but in the pre-season, that doesn't really mean much. Player evaluation is what matters most, and while it is hardly my decision who gets cut, here's what I saw:

Positives
Demetris Summers looked very good. Summers shook off an early fumble and performed very well. His 77-yard kickoff return was the highlight of the day for the Cats. He also busted a couple of runs for significant gains. Summers may have been the best offensive player for the Cats this afternoon.

Quinton Porter also looked very good. He completed five of seven passes and drove the field rather easily against the Argos starters. However, just like last season, he was unable to punch the team in for a major, settling for a field goal during his time in the game.

On defense, Khari Long looked unstoppable. Three big sacks and pressure applied by him almost every time he was on the field. A great overall game from Long. The rest of the defense held up for most of the game, allowing only four field goals. The team had two interceptions and played quite well for the majority of the game.

There were two things I was really looking forward to seeing. One: who the Kick Returner was going to be; two: how Punter Justin Palardy would play. As I said earlier, Summers had the best return, but Reggie Fish also looked good on the opening return. He was injured a little later and didn't return to the game, but I will be interested to see what he does in next week's game against Winnipeg. Palardy started off great. He hit some beautiful kicks, but later in the game his kicks became wobbly. On the whole, I think Palardy played well.

The kick coverage will be much improved this year, based on today's game. The Argos never really had a chance to break one long, and the players seemed to always be in the right place.

Negatives
The offense could never really get the ball going once Porter left the game. Both Adam Tafralis and Jason Boltus looked unimpressive. Neither could get any offensive momentum. Tafralis also nearly got WR Adam Nicolson killed on a completely indefensible pass that went in between FOUR Argonaut defenders. Nicolson left the game after that and didn't return. That is the type of pass that a QB cannot, under any circumstances, try to make. Nothing good would have come from it. It was a bad choice on Tafralis's part to throw that pass.

Boltus did absolutely nothing in that game that made me think he will be any type of QB for the Tabbies. His timing was off, his decision-making was questionable, and he just seemed slow in all aspects of the game. I would be surprised if he remained with the team after final cuts.

Brian Calhoun, a player I had very high hopes for, did not look impressive at all. He seemed tentative in hitting the holes and looked confused out there. He was stuffed on a third-and-short and never seemed to develop any rhythm. He did score the game's only TD, but overall I was not impressed with what Calhoun did. One area that he did very well in was pass blocking. One or two times he flipped the rushing Linebacker. I hold out hope that he'll play better against Winnipeg. After this game, Demetris Summers definitely has the edge for the backup Running Back spot.

Final Thoughts
It's hard to judge a team based on an exhibition game. I think when the top players that dressed were in, the Cats looked good. The defense was ferocious, and the offense moved the ball with relative ease. When the backups came in, the game changed. The team didn't have much of a rhythm throughout the game, but whatever rhythm was there disappeared.

It was nice to finally get the season underway. With this one out of the way, it's home for the first time since the loss in the East Division Semi-Final next Sunday against Winnipeg. I suspect that some of the starters who sat out today's game will see some action next week to please the Ivor Wynne faithful, even if only for a series or two.

On a personal level, I got to meet Tiger-Cat legend Danny McManus prior to the game today. The group of people I went with scoured the area around the Rogers Centre SkyDome for sausages and hot dogs prior to the game. We found a place on Front Street, and on our return to the stadium Danny Mac walked out... also looking for a hot dog. We spoke for a couple of seconds, at which time he said he had only one question, "Where did you guys get the hot dogs?" Why am I not surprised that Danny McManus would want some street meat before the game?

Player of the Game (Offense): Demetris Summers
Player of the Game (Defense): Khari Long

Preview: Tiger-Cats (0-0) at Argonauts (0-0)

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Finally, after seven long months, the CFL is back. For the first time since the crushing defeat at the hands of the BC Lions in the East Division Semi-Final, our Hamilton Tiger-Cats will take the field, albeit in pre-season action, against the Toronto Argonauts.

Plenty of the Cats' regular starters will not dress for tomorrow's game, most notably QB Kevin Glenn; RB DeAndra' Cobb; WRs Arland Bruce III, Marquay McDaniel and Dave Stala; and all three starting LBs, Markeith Knowlton, Jamall Johnson and Otis Floyd. Resting these players will give us, and the coaching staff, a chance to see what some of the younger players can do in an in-game setting.

I'm most interested in seeing which players will be tried out at Kick Returner. This is the one glaring weakness of the 2010 team, and I'll be watching to see who, if anyone, distinguishes themselves from the rest of the group and seizes the position. As CFL fans know, a good Kick Returner is essential to success.

The game will not be broadcast on TV, but you can follow the action by listening to CHML on the radio. I will be at the game watching with my own two eyes. I'll post my review of the game shortly after I return home. Look for it sometime around dinnertime tomorrow night.

One Week

In exactly one week I will be sitting in the friendly confines of the Rogers Centre SkyDome with the fine folk that I will attend most every Tiger-Cat game with in 2010 (Richard, Adam, Pops, Emily), watching the Hamilton Tiger-Cats play for the first time since November. I know it's only a pre-season matchup with the Argonauts, but I'm excited that the CFL is back!

In honour of the season beginning, I have decided that this week will be Tiger-Cats Week. What I will be doing is sporting only Tiger-Cats apparel (t-shirts, jerseys, hats) during the week. I will wear a different Ti-Cat emblazoned article of clothing every day, culminating on Sunday when I will wear my Otis Floyd away jersey to a game. I said last season that if Floyd was re-signed, that I'd have his jersey made up. Back in March, I did just that.

I will admit that since I spend four days a week in Toronto, some of this idea came to mind as a way to try to annoy as many Torontonians as possible. I've been booed at the Rogers Centre SkyDome, heckled at Cats-Argos games and had many a sideways glance shot my way for wearing the Black & Gold while riding the subway. Sometimes it's a lot of fun playing the bad guy.

One week everyone, one short week.

Schedule Change

For some reason the CFL or the Ti-Cats or the Argos have changed the date of the pre-season game between the two teams that will take place at the Rogers Centre SkyDome.

Originally the game was to be played on Tuesday, June 15th at 7:30PM. The game is now scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 13th at 1:00PM.

I do not know why the game was changed, but there you have it. So for anyone who was planning on heading to the Rogers Centre SkyDome for the game, like I was, this information should be valuable.

It also means that we get Ti-Cats football two days earlier than expected. Gotta love that.