Burris Wins POTW Award

The week of hollow victories continues. First, it was the Ti-Cats claiming the first pick in the 2013 CFL Draft and now it is Henry Burris being named the offensive player of the week for Week 19.

This is the fourth time that Burris won the award in 2012. He was named player of the week following a 360-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Montreal Alouettes in July, a 356-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Saskatchewan Roughriders a week later and a 326-yard, five-touchdown performance against the Alouettes in September.

Burris had a marvellous first season with the Ti-Cats, and finished the season leading the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns, quarterback rating, attempts and completions. He broke the team record for passing yards, set by Danny McManus in 1999, and touchdowns, set by Kevin Glenn in 2010. But he also led all quarterbacks in interceptions and fumbles. So it wasn't all good for Burris this season.

But all of Burris' gaudy stats mean little in the wake of a 6-12 season that has the Tiger-Cats not playing in the postseason for the first time since 2008. And that lack of postseason action is what makes it tough to celebrate what Burris did, both this week and during the season. It is almost unfathomable to think that Burris could have the season he had and the team could win just six games. But that's life sometimes and the Ti-Cats will have the next seven months to regroup and figure out how to make the best of what will be an odd, and probably tough, 2013 season.

Surprise! Burris Named Player of the Week

It was never in doubt, but Henry Burris has officially been named the offensive player of the week for his great outing against the Montreal Alouettes last Friday.

Burris carved up the Montreal defense like it was a perfectly cooked Thanksgiving turkey. He was 28 for 32 for 326 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. He was the best player on the field on Friday night and was a slam dunk for this award.

But this performance isn't a one-off either. Back in July, Burris went 27 for 30 for 360 yards and four touchdowns. He was named player of the week for that game as well.

So in two home games against the Als, Burris has gone 55 for 62 for 686 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. He has thrown two more touchdowns than he has incompletions in two games against the Als at Ivor Wynne. I can't recall a player having that stellar an outing twice in one season, let alone against the same team.

Burris is the league leader in passer rating at 108.1 and in touchdown passes with 32. Those 32 TD tosses leave him one shy of Kevin Glenn's team record set in 2010. He has just four games with less than two touchdown passes, so it is highly likely that Burris sets a new Tiger-Cat single-season record this Friday in Edmonton. He is also second in the league in passing yards with 3,846, trailing only Anthony Calvillo and his 3,908 yards.

This is the third time Burris has been named the league's offensive player of the week this season. He was also July's offensive player of the month.

Campbell Named Defensive Player of the Week

No sirs and madams, that is not a typo; a Hamilton Tiger-Cat player has been named the top defensive player.

OK, OK, that line would have made more sense had the Ti-Cats not thoroughly dismantled the Eskimos to the tune of 51-8, but given the angst over the defense since the season started, it is a minor miracle that any Tiger-Cat player would garner an award on that side of the ball. Oh, and the player who won the award was linebacker Brock Campbell.

Campbell was one of a number of Tiger-Cat players who had great games against Edmonton. Campbell finished with a game-high seven tackles and one sack, the first of his CFL career. This was just Campbell's third start and he has filled in admirably for the irreplaceable Markeith Knowlton. Campbell has not looked out of place in his first few games in the CFL playing one of the toughest positions on the defense.

I am surprised that Campbell's win wasn't accompanied by any other Tiger-Cat award winners, and I am also surprised that Campbell won the award himself. He had a great game and is a deserving winner, but I thought Dee Webb would have been a tremendous choice as well. Webb had the huge momentum-shifting blocked field goal that led to a touchdown and the interception return for a touchdown. While the blocked kick occurred on special teams, I thought combining the two could have been enough to warrant giving Webb the award for top defensive player. Chad Owens has won offensive player of the week based on combined yardage (see Labour Day 2012 and his 400-plus combined yards), so Webb winning defensive player could have happened.

And if defensive player was out of the question, Webb could have been named special teams player of the week. And if not Webb, then Bakari Grant for his big return touchdown was pretty deserving. Not taking anything away from what Tim Brown did, but there was really only one truly extraordinary special teams play and it didn't occur at BC Place.

I also thought that Henry Burris and his 418 passing yards would have been enough to see him named the week's top offensive player, but BC's Travis Lulay took that award home. Lulay went 24 for 40 for 390 yards, two touchdowns and one interception; Burris went 23 for 33 for 418 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Maybe I'm biased, but Burris had more yards, more touchdowns (though he also had more interceptions), a better completion percentage and a better passer rating. Lulay had 42 rushing yards on two carries, but I still think Burris should have been the winner.

In any event, it was a great weekend for the Tiger-Cats and I'm glad at least one player was recognized for the team's overall great performance.

Williams Wins Again, a Trade and All-Time Coaches

A lot of news from the last couple of days that I need to catch up on, so here it goes.

Chris Williams has once again been named the Special Teams Player of the Week. What more can be said about Williams at this point that hasn't already been said countless times? I've already said he's going to be named the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player at the year-end awards ceremony and I also think he is a legitimate shot to win the top award, Most Outstanding Player, as well. If he keeps winning these awards, and this is the third straight week in which he has, I don't know what I am going to say about him. I am seriously running out of ways to say "he is awesome."

The Cats made a deal yesterday with Calgary for defensive linemen Torrey Davis. Davis is a mountain of a man and could be just what the team needs in the middle of their defensive line. Davis and Robert Rose could form a pretty formidable defensive tackle combination for the Tabbies. Davis won't play this week against Toronto, so we will have to wait until the following Saturday against Edmonton to see what he can do.

Finally, the Ti-Cats unveiled the head coach nominees for the all-time team. Five coaches are up for one spot: Al Bruno, Ron Lancaster, Ralph Sazio, Jim Trimble and Carl Voyles. I remember both Bruno and Lancaster, and I remember them fondly, but the pick here has to be Sazio. He won three Grey Cups in four appearances and won 10 playoff games in his five years as Hamilton's head coach. No other Tiger-Cat coach can match that, and while I am sure there are still some people angry over his defection to the Argos, he is pretty much universally considered the greatest coach in Tiger-Cat history.

Kick Returners Galore

It was a good week to be a kick returner or former kick returner for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Kick returners have dominated Tiger-Cat news the last couple of days.

For starters, Chris Williams has once again be named the Special Teams Player of the Week. This is the third time this season that Williams has been named the top special teams player. He won his first award following his two-return-touchdown performance against the Argos in Week 3 and again for his exploits against the Blue Bombers in Week 8. Williams was also named the top special teamer for the month of July and I expect him to be named that again for the month of August. I think whoever engraves the year-end awards might want to start working on the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player trophy because barring something drastic, I don't see how Williams doesn't take the award home.

As far as former kick returners are concerned, the Ti-Cats unveiled the list of the kick returners up for the all-time team. Four players are up for the team – Rufus Crawford, Garney Henley, Earl Winfield and Wally Zatylny – but Winfield is going to be the one how wins. The guy is the best returner this team has ever seen (well, at least until this season) and he is pretty much a shoe-in for this spot. That's not disrespect to the other three players, but let's not get too cute with this one. Winfield is the pick.

Players of the Week and All-Time DBs

A couple of Tiger-Cat tidbits from today.

First, Henry Burris and Andy Fantuz have been named Players of the Week. Burris was named the league's top offensive player for his masterful performance against the Alouettes. A 90 per cent completion rate is unheard of, especially when you do it by throwing 30 passes. Fantuz was named the top Canadian after picking up 135 yards on eight catches and scoring one touchdown. It really looks like these two are developing some chemistry, and the offense as a whole is starting click like many thought they would in the preseason.

The other piece of news is that the Cats have unveiled the names of the defensive backs up for the all-time team. There are 13 players listed and fans will have to pick the five best. That will not be an easy task. I look at the list and see at least eight players that I would consider casting my vote for, and I have to get that number down to five. I can only imagine what older fans think when they look at the list. I think the only harder choices that fans are going to have will come when the list of receivers is released.

Special Teams Galore; TJ Harris Goes Green

A few Tiger-Cat related stories from a very hot Tuesday in the Hammer. Two of them are abotu special teams and one of them is about a former player finding a new home.

The big news of the day was Chris Williams being named the CFL's Special Teams Player of the Week after his brilliant performance in Saturday's win over the Argos. There was no doubt that Williams would take home the honours this week. Everyone knows what Williams did on Saturday, but in case anyone lives under a rock, the 2011 top rookie ran back a punt 89 yards for a touchdown and then followed that up by returning a missed field goal 119 yards for a score. It was a game for the ages from Williams and he was deservedly named the Special Teams Player of the Week because of it.

Sticking with special teams, the Tiger-Cats revealed the players who are up for the all-time team at kicker and punter. There are five nominees at each position, with both Paul Osbaldiston and Bernie Ruoff eligible to be voted as both the punter and the kicker. The players are, at kicker, Tommy Joe Coffey, Ian Sunter, Don Sutherin, and Ozzie and Ruoff; at punter, it is Ozzy, Ruoff, Ken Clark, Cam Fraser and Joe Zuger. My vote is going to Ozzie at kicker and Ruoff at punter. Ozzie is a shoe-in at kicker, but the race for punter will be tougher. Ozzie might win that one too, but they split the kicking duties up, so my hope is that two different players make the team.

And lastly, former Tiger-Cat Terence Jeffers-Harris has landed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I had high hopes for Jeffers-Harris when he was brought in. I think he has the potential to be a great player and I was disappointed when he was cut at the end of training camp. Now he will have a chance to showcase that talent in Saskatchewan.

Johnson, Thigpen Named Players of the Week

After Sunday's thrilling 52-44 overtime shootout win over the Montreal Alouettes, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats had two players honoured with Player of the Week recognition.

Jamall Johnson was named the Defensive Player of the Week. Johnson had a monster performance in his return from injury. Johnson had six tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception. Johnson's play directly resulted in 10 Hamilton points.

Marcus Thigpen was named the Special Teams Player of the Week. Thigpen provided great field position for the Tiger-Cat Offense all day Sunday, finishing the game with 171 kickoff return yards on seven returns.

Congratulations to both players.

Medlock Named Special Teams Player of the Week

After going seven for seven on Saturday, Justin Medlock has deservedly been named the Special Teams Player of the Week. This is the second time that Medlock has won the award, the other coming in Week 3.

Now the attention turns to Medlock's year-end candidacy. There have been three outstanding Special Teams players this year: Medlock, Sean Whyte (Montreal) and Paul McCallum (BC).

They all stand up very well with one another. They are one, two and three in most categories, like percentage and points.

Where Medlock stands out is in distance. His average kick is from 37.7 yards, which is six yards higher than McCallum, and nearly eight yards higher than Whyte. Medlock also has the longest kick of the year (57 yards) and has made more 50-yard-plus kicks than the other two combined.

It will be a tight race, but it is not out of the realm of possibility to see Justin Medlock take home the Special Teams Player of the Year award. We'll have to wait and see.

Thipgen Named Special Teams Player of the Week

For the first time since Week 4 a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats has been named one of the Players of the Week. In this case, it was Marcus Thigpen being named the Special Teams Player of the Week.

Thigpen won the award based on his electrifying 118-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown. It was Thigpen's first return touchdown of the season and came when the Tiger-Cats have expanded his role on Offense.

On the offensive front, an argument could be made that Thigpen deserved the Offensive Player of the Week award as well. It went to Brandon Whitaker, who had a monster game and deserved the recognition, but the case for Thigpen being a double winner isn't far-fetched.

In any event, Thigpen did deserve to win Special Teams Player of the Week, and congratulations to him on that.

Stala Named Canadian Player of the Week

After a 107-yard, two-TD performance in Friday's win over the Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats Receiver Dave Stala has been named the CFL's Canadian Player of the Week.

Stala is on pace for 936 yards, which would be the third-highest total of his career. He is also one touchdown away from tying his single-season high of six, set just last season.

Stala has been one of the Tiger-Cats' most consistent Receivers in 2011, and his big performance against Montreal was his best outing of the season. While I am no Nostradamus, I feel confident in predicting that this will not be Stala's only Player of the Week award.

Medlock Named Special Teams Player of the Week

For the first time this season a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats has been named one of the CFL's Players of the Week, as Justin Medlock has been named the Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 3.

Medlock, who was acquired via trade in the off-season, was four-for-four on field goals in Saturday's win against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Medlock has been Mr. Automatic in 2011, which is a drastic departure from last season, when Sandro DeAngelis was about as reliable as the Hamilton public transit system. It is such a breath of fresh air to have a guy like Medlock on the team. There are no worries with him. Everyone, from the players to the coaching staff to the fans, just trusts that he will make his kicks.

Congratulations to Justin Medlock on a well-deserved award.

Three Out of Four Ain't Bad

Damn you, Chad Owens. Leave it to an Argo to screw everything up.

Three Tiger-Cats snagged Player of the Week awards for Week 17.

Kevin Glenn was named the Offensive Player of the Week, becoming the only player this year to win that award three times. Glenn was masterful in the Tiger-Cats' destruction of the Montreal Alouettes. Glenn finished the night, which ended early for him, 21 for 32 with 371 yards passing and two touchdowns. The second TD pass tied Glenn with Danny McManus for the most single-season TD passes by a Hamilton Tiger-Cat.

Stevie Baggs once again lived up to his "Shakespeare" moniker and grabbed his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Week award. Baggs has been unstoppable since arriving in Steeltown. In Week 17 he had another fumble recovery for a touchdown – taking this one back 80 yards – and followed it up on the next series by intercepting Anthony Calvillo. All Stevie does is make big plays.

Chris Bauman – the much maligned Chris Bauman – snagged the Canadian Player of the Week award. Bauman played magnificently when called upon to replace the irreplaceable Arland Bruce. Bauman finished the night with 116 yards on five catches, two of which went for touchdowns. Perhaps this is finally the start of something big for Chris Bauman.

Fitting way to cap off a great week for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Baggs Wins Defensive Player of the Week

This news should come as no surprise: Stevie Baggs has been named the Defensive Player of the Week for Week 16.

Baggs had a monster game in Toronto last Friday: seven tackles, two sacks and a Special Teams tackle. Baggs was unstoppable against the Argonauts.

Since joining the Tiger-Cats in late September, Baggs has steadily improved every week. It is going to be a real treat to see what he will be able to accomplish in 2011 when he really knows the defensive schemes.

Still think it was a bad signing, Perry Lefko?

Knowlton Named Defensive Player of the Week

After a stellar performance on Saturday night, Markeith Knowlton has been named the CFL's Defensive Player of the Week for Week 12.

The man known as The Monster had an absolutely phenomenal game, recording three tackles, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. His interception off Casey Printers helped spark the Tiger-Cats' comeback.

This is the first Defensive Player of the Week award for Knowlton, who was named Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 10 after blocking a punt and recovering it for a touchdown. An all-around great performance that deserved to be recognized.

Glenn, Knowlton, Stala Named Players of the Week

It was damn near a sweep for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as three of the four weekly awards went to members of the team. Kevin Glenn, Markeith Knowlton and Dave Stala were all rewarded for their great weeks in Week 10.

Kevin Glenn was named Offensive Player of the Week. Glenn picked apart the Argos with brutal efficiency, completing over 80% of his passes for over 300 yards and a TD. It was a virtuoso performance for Glenn, and the second time this season he has won the Offensive Player of the Week award. He is the only player in the CFL to have won the award more than once in 2010.

Markeith Knowlton was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for his big punt block and TD that helped give the Cats a 20-6 lead going into halftime. It was his second blocked kick of the year.

Dave Stala was named the Canadian Player of the Week for picking up 90 yards receiving and scoring the "nail in the coffin" TD in the second half. This is the third time this season that Stala has won the award for Canadian Player of the Week.

Matt Kirk Named Week's Top Canadian

Another week, another Player of the Week award for a Tiger-Cat. This week, it's Matt Kirk who gets the honour of being named the Canadian of the Week.

Kirk, who was thrust into the starting lineup when injuries forced some Defensive Linemen to miss Friday's game, recorded two sacks and three tackles in Hamilton's 39-38 win over Winnipeg.

Kirk is the second Tiger-Cat to win Top Canadian (Dave Stala has already won the award twice this season), and he becomes the fifth different Tiger-Cat to win a Player of the Week award. Kirk joins Kevin Glenn (Offensive, Week 3), Arland Bruce (Offensive, Week 5), Dave Stala (Canadian, Week 3 and Week 6) and Marcus Thigpen (Special Teams, Week 1).

Kirk is a high-effort player who never seems to give up on a play. It's hard not to like a guy like Matt Kirk. It's good to see a guy like Kirk come in, have an impact and get rewarded for it. Hopefully he can keep it up for the remainder of the season.

Dave Stala Wins Canadian of the Week Award

For the second time this season, Dave Stala has been recognized as the CFL's top Canadian player.

Dave Stala played a great game last Saturday, hauling in what was the winning TD.

The man that I am beginning to refer to as "Second Down Stala" had one of the biggest catches of the night when he hauled in a 21-yard pass on 2nd and 20. Dave Stala is one of the most fun players to watch.

I'm sorry if this comes off less than happy. Normally I am ecstatic when a Ti-Cat wins an award, but with all the stadium non-sense and the team possibly relocating, I just don't have it in me to be jubilant right now.

Arland Bruce Named Offensive Player of the Week

After his record-tying performance, the man known simply as Mr. Bruce has been rewarded with being named the CFL's Offensive Player of the Week for Week 5.

This should come as no surprise. Arland Bruce played one of the best games a player has ever played. Sixteen receptions. Two hundred and seventy-two yards. Two touchdowns. Simply an amazing performance. So good, in fact, that Bruce doubled or more than doubled all of his season totals.

Bruce joins the list of award winners, which includes Marcus Thigpen (Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 1), Kevin Glenn (Offensive Player of the Week for Week 3) and Dave Stala (Canadian Player of the Week for Week 3).

Congratulations, Arland. Now it's time to go get some wins!

Glenn, Stala Named Players of the Week

Two Tiger-Cats were rewarded for their stellar performances on Friday with Player of the Week honours. Kevin Glenn was named the Offensive Player of the Week, while Dave Stala was named the Canadian Player of the Week.

Glenn was 29 of 36 for 340 yards and 3 TDs, while Stala amassed 124 yards of 9 catches, as both players helped the Ti-Cats earn their first win of the season, a 28-7 rout of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Glenn was absolutely lights out on Friday, completing his first 14 passes and marching the Cats up and down the field almost at will. It was one of the most impressive QB performances I have seen. Glenn has proven that when he is on his game, no one can touch him. His play this past Friday was very reminiscent of Danny McManus in his prime. Just a dominating performance by Glenn.

Stala looked every bit like the go-to WR that he has become for Kevin Glenn. All Dave Stala has done since he came to Hamilton is reel in catch after catch. He has one of the best sets of hands of any player in the CFL. Rarely does Dave Stala drop a pass.

Both players more than deserved their recognition for the great games they played on Friday night.