Two straight listless performances and the Ti-Cats now sit at 0-2 for the second consecutive year. Not a darn thing clicked for Hamilton against Edmonton: the Offense was putrid; the Defense was ineffective; the Special Teams were dreadful. This was just a bad game by everyone. Not a single thing went right; not a single player played well.
Positives
Um... um... Moving on. Seriously, if anyone can think of even one positive from this game, feel free to say it, because I can't think of one.
Negatives
Can I just say, "Everything," and be done with it?
Is it just me or does Marcus Thigpen not seem like the same player he was last year? He seems very tentative when returning kicks, and he no longer seems like the threat he was last season. I don't know what it is, but he's lost something.
Either the Offensive Line can't block long enough or the Receivers can't get open soon enough, because Kevin Glenn had no time at all tonight.
Perhaps the Defense should worry less about juggling and concentrate on tackling because no one seems to be able to wrap anyone up. It was brutal. I haven't seen that poor a tackling performance in I don't know how long.
If there was ever a way to show you don't belong, Chris Williams showed it tonight. He dropped a pass that hit him right in the hands, and he lost a fumble during a key moment of the game. That was Williams's first game, and it could very well be his last. That is not how you show the coaching staff that you should be on the roster.
Speaking of the coaching staff, they weren't up to snuff either. As big of a fan as I am of Khari Jones, the Offense just isn't working. A mere 26 points in two weeks is just not good enough. Heck, that would barely be good enough per game let alone over two weeks.
On the defensive side, the pressure-style scheme that Corey Chamblin wants to run is going to continue to be a problem, because far too often the constant blitzing leads to big plays because the Secondary just isn't very good.
Then we have the head man himself, and while I hate to say this so early in the season, is it possible that the team has tuned out Marcel Bellefeuille? Could the benching of Glenn last week have been the catalyst for his demise? A second straight year of mediocre early-season results has to fall on somebody, and that somebody might be Bellefeuille. I'm not saying that the organization should fire him tomorrow, but if the Cats can't get out of this funk, someone will have to pay the price.
Final Thoughts
There really are no words that can adequately describe the performance of this team against Edmonton and so far this season. It almost seems like the players don't care. For a team as talented as this to put up two stinkers like this is unacceptable and unfathomable.
There is something very wrong with this team, but I can't quite figure out what it is. The talent is here; that's undeniable. These players know what it takes to win, as there are multiple Grey Cup champions on the squad. Yet there is something amiss with this football club right now, and if things don't get fixed soon, this season could be over before it really had a chance to begin.
I'll give the D benefit of the doubt. Kept the Eskies within shooting range until late in the game when they were clearly out of gas.
ReplyDeleteFacing the opposition more than 36 minutes will do that.
Ray was flushed out quite often but not corralled - 1 sack for their efforts and far too many completions, but that's vintage Ray. If you do not get to him, he will get to his receivers.
Offense... would really like to see evidence of "great practices" in a game situation. And some blocking from the offensive line - Glenn was battling not only a new scheme and receivers who still have issues holding onto a ball, but an Esk front 7 who were getting in his face all night.