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.

Ti-Cats Sign Simmons, Smith

Less than 24 hours until the madness that is free agency is set to begin, the Ti-Cats inked deals with two key veteran players. Offensive tackle Brian Simmons and defensive back Bo Smith will both be returning to the Ti-Cats after signing contract extensions that will keep them in Black & Gold through the 2015 season.

Simmons has spent the last two years with the Cats and has become one of the team's best offensive lineman. Last year was a banner year for the former Oklahoma Sooner, giving up just one sack and getting called for just three penalties all season. Simmons's signing means the Cats will bring back all five starting offensive linemen from last year. With the recent addition of Greg Wojt and the numerous youngsters coming to camp, the Ti-Cats have an embarrassment of riches along the offensive line.

Smith was a guy that I was very hard on just a few years ago, but I have since changed my opinion completely on him. Ever since he returned from a tryout with the New York Jets, Smith has been one of Hamilton's best defensive backs. I have grown to really like Smith and feel he has the talent to be one of the league's best. Smith will be a key component of a rebuilt secondary and his experience will be invaluable.

With Smith and Simmons both re-signed, that leaves only Yannick Carter, Jonathan Hood, Chris Rwabukamba and Marcell Young left unsigned.

Hamilton's Pending Free Agents

The CFL released their list of potential 2013 free agents and the Tiger-Cats have 14 players eligible to hit the open market this winter. There are some key names among the players whose contracts expire this February and more than a few that the team would be wise to ink to new deals.

The player I think the Ti-Cats need to go hardest after is offensive lineman Brian Simmons. Simmons was a guy that didn't get much ink in 2012 and that is a good thing. Simmons was probably Hamilton's best offensive lineman. He gave up just one sack and committed a ridiculously low three penalties all season. For a 10-year veteran that is good; for a second-year player guy, that is phenomenal. Simmons was great for Hamilton in 2012 and unless he is playing for an NFL team, Simmons better be in Hamilton next year.

After Simmons, the team needs to get Marwan Hage and Peter Dyakowski to agree to new deals. Both players had their 2012 seasons cut short due to injury, the second straight year that has happened for Hage, but both can still be solid contributors and provide a veteran presence along the offensive line. Dyakowski was a divisional all-star for the first time in his career and Hage can still dominate when healthy. Getting both players back should be high on Hamilton's priority list.

The change that people were calling for in the secondary could happen as there are five defensive backs whose contracts are set to expire. Bo Smith, Carlos Thomas, Marcell Young, Geoff Tisdale and Chris Rwabukamba could all be playing elsewhere next season. I doubt the team will be able to re-sign them all, but one or two of them should be back next year. Smith has turned into one of the better cover guys since his return from an NFL tryout a few years ago. Both Young and Thomas have shown flashes of excellent play and each could be major contributors if they could stay healthy (both players spent time on the nine-game injured list last season). Rwabukamba is a young Canadian corner who started a few games for the Ti-Cats last season. Tisdale, who was reacquired from Calgary last summer is probably not going to be brought back.

The team also has a number of non-imports free to test the market. Yannick Carter, Jonathan Hood, Eddie Steele and Daryl Stephenson have all contributed over the years, with Hood and Carter playing key roles on special teams, Steele providing solid depth on the defensive line, and Stephenson providing solid blocking and becoming more and more involved in the offense. Though none of them are game-changing players, they all fill a role. It will be interesting to see which players the team tries to bring back and which they let walk.

A tough call the team will have to make involves what to do with Terry Grant. Grant looked great in limited action in 2011 before suffering a catastrophic injury in a late-season game in Montreal. Grant spent the entire 2012 season on the injured list. The team is loaded at running even if Avon Cobourne doesn't return (though I think he should). Chevon Walker looked good in spurts and Martell Mallett is expected to be back next season, so there just may not be any room for Grant. It will be a curious situation to watch.

And lastly, we have Quinton Porter. Porter saw extremely limited action in 2012 (just one pass attempt and eight rushing attempts for the entire season) and I have to think he is headed elsewhere for 2013. If Porter does sign somewhere else, that leaves the Ti-Cats with just two quarterbacks on the roster: Henry Burris and Dan LeFevour. That means the team will have to bring another quarterback in. Could a possible 2012 Hec Creighton award winner and 2011 Vanier Cup champion be headed Hamilton's way? I'm sure plenty of fans would be happy to see Porter moved out in favour of McMaster's Kyle Quinlan. But whether it's Quinlan or not, the Ti-Cats will bring in a quarterback or two to compete for the No. 3 spot in training camp if Porter does not get re-signed.

Training Camp Preview: Offensive Line

With training camp about to start (rookies report on May 30th, veterans on June 3rd) it's time to look at each position group as we head into the 2012 season. Today, it's the offensive line.

With all the splashy acquisitions the team has made over the off-season, one area that still seems to concern many is the offensive line. Some of that has to do with injuries, but some of it has to do with concerns that the talent the team still doesn't have the players it needs.

I don't agree with the latter assessment. I think a line made up of Marwan Hage, Peter Dyakowski, Tim O'Neill, Belton Johnson and Brian Simmons, with Pascal Baillargeon and Cody Husbands as the top backups, is a strong one. It is definitely one that can get the job done. Since the team made few moves in the off-season to address the offensive line, they must feel they have the right mix of players.

Injuries, however, are always a concern. The team will enter the season with Hage attempting to come back from a knee injury that sidelined him after Labour Day and Dyakowski nursing some injuries. The word is that Hage is on schedule to return on time and the Dyakowski injury has gone mostly unreported, so it would seem injury concerns as they stand right now might be a tad overblown.

In any event, the offensive line will be worth watching at training camp and during the early portions of the season. The belief here is that there is enough talent up front for the team to be successful. I understand that not everyone sees it that way, but with a different offense and a lot of different players around them, the offensive line could be a pleasant surprise this season.