Five Ti-Cats Named in TSN Player Poll

One of the few bright spots in an otherwise miserable season continues to get praise heaped onto him. Chris Williams was named the fastest player and the biggest threat to score in TSN's third annual CFL player poll, released earlier today.

Williams finished with 57 per cent of the vote for fastest player and 68 per cent of the vote for biggest threat to score. Williams' blazing speed help him set a CFL single-season record for return touchdowns and he scored 17 total touchdowns in 2012, which set a single-season Tiger-Cat record.

Chevon Walker, Avon Cobourne, Henry Burris and Dave Stala also made the list. Walker finished second to Williams in the fastest player category and second to Nik Lewis in the toughest to bring down category. Cobourne finished behind Dwight Anderson for biggest trash talker, Burris finished fourth for most accurate passer and Stala finished third in the best hands category.

While this does little to take away the sting of last night's season-ending loss to the Argos, it is a little bit of good news on what is an otherwise painful Friday for Tiger-Cat fans.

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.

Mallett Done for the Season

By now we've all heard the news: Martell Mallett is out for the season. Mallett suffered a torn Achilles tendon during the team's morning traning camp session and will miss the entire 2012 season. This is another setback for a player that has had many over the last couple of years. The reason his NFL career never advanced was due to injuries. I hope he has a speedy recovery and can show in 2013 why he was so sought after.

But Mallett's injury means the team needs a new starter at running back. But just who might that new starter be? As much as I have liked Chevon Walker, I must eliminate him before we get started. He has looked great in camp, but his zero games of CFL experience is not something I think the team will comfortable with. I think if given a shot, he could be the next DeAndra' Cobb (but better), but with this being a veteran-laden team, I think they'll want a proven rusher in the backfield. So with that said, here are a few candidates for the job.

Maybe the most obvious candidate, and the one that is probably going to be the most popular, is Avon Cobourne. I know I would welcome him back with open arms. I think he did everything that the team asked of him last year. I was surprised when the team signed Mallet and released Cobourne. I think Cobourne would relish the chance to return to Hamilton and show that he never should have been replaced. The guy plays with a chip on his shoulder at the best of times and having been cut would add even more fuel to his fire. He's probably the guy the fans want, but that doesn't mean the team does.

The guy the team may want is Joffrey Reynolds. His connections to both Henry Burris and George Cortez from their days in Calgary make him an attractice option. He looks more on the decline than Cobourne – who, in my opinion, does not look even close to done – but perhaps getting back into a system that he's had success in would be the magic elixir to ward off Father Time.

Wes Cates, who has already received a phone call, is another guy that could take Mallett's place. He had some good years in Saskatchewan, and would make for a fine replacements. I don't know how likely it is that Cates would sign and, out of the three big-name veterans available, I'd rank him as the one with the longest odds of becoming a Tiger-Cat.

Another possible scenario sees the Cats wait it out and see what running backs get cut. I bring this up as a possibility, but it has less of a chance of happening of any possible outcome. I just don't see the team waiting that long to pick someone up. It is still early in camp, so there is plenty of time for a new guy to learn the system before the season starts. I would be stunned if the team waited until after camp and after the preseason to pick Mallett's replacement.

I have to think Obie, Cortez and the entire football ops staff are going over everything deciding what to do. I think the replacement will be signed sooner rather than later, perhaps as early as tomorrow morning. No matter what the team does, they will do it quickly.

Training Camp Preview: Special Teams

With training camp about to start (rookies report today, veterans on June 3rd) it's time to look at each position group as we head into the 2012 season. Today, we end the series by looking at special teams.

Whether it was Justin Medlock last season or Marcus Thigpen the season before, the Ti-Cats have been blessed with some amazing special teams play the last couple of seasons. But both of those players are gone; Medlock signed with the Carolina Panthers and Thigpen used the option-year window in his contract to sign with the Miami Dolphins. Replacing the two of them won't be easy, but it must be done.

On the kicking front, the Cats will have a two-man battle between Luca Congi and Josh Maveety. Australian Josh Bartel was brought in as a punter, but I don't think his job is secure by any means. It's always nice to have one player do both jobs to free up another roster space, so if Congi or Maveety impresses enough on both ends, the Cats will go with one kicker. But if Bartel is head and shoulders above the rest, the fact that he counts as a non-import is a huge plus.

At returner, there are no clubhouse leaders, but the team has more than a few options. A couple of guys who are in the mix are rookies Chevon Walker and Chris Duvalt. Both possess tremendous speed, which is an obvious asset in the return game. Terry Grant is another guy who could contribute at returner, but the gruesome leg injury he suffered in Montreal last season is not fully healed, so he will not be ready for the start of the season. The team signed Deon Murphy to compete for a spot at kick returner as well. And watch out for Sam Giguère. He has experience returning kicks and punts, and should the team wish to ease him back into the Canadian game after four years away, they could do so by using him as their returnman at the start of the season.

The final area, and often the most underreported area of any football team, is the kick coverage unit. The Tiger-Cats coverage unit has been superb the past couple of seasons, and with the return of ace special teamer Ike Brown, expect that unit to continue to excel.

There are a lot of question marks surrounding Hamilton's special teams this year, and training camp is going to decide a lot of battles. There will be a lot of new faces on special teams in 2012.