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.

Cats Release Jeffers-Harris

While nothing has been made official, Arash Madani has reported it and Drew Edwards has confirmed it: Terence Jeffers-Harris is no longer a Hamilton Tiger-Cat.

I wish I could say that this comes as a surprise, but it doesn't. That's no offense to Jeffers-Harris, who I am a big fan of, but just based on what I saw during training camp and in the preseason, I felt like this move was coming. From the way things looked at camp, there were four players – Onrea Jones, Aaron Kelly, Chris Duvalt and Jeffers-Harris – battling for two spots. Jones and Kelly were the players that won those spots. Jones spent the majority of training camp working with the first-team offense, so the team must be high on him; Kelly probably separated himself after his performance against Winnipeg (five catches for 53 yards and one touchdown) in the second preseason game. That left Jeffers-Harris and Duvalt, who was one of the nine players released yesterday, as the odd men out.

I really hope Jeffers-Harris catches on with another team as I enjoy watching him play. I think he is a very good receiver that could make another receiving corps better. He's still young and has plenty of talent, so I can't see this being the end for him.

Training Camp Preview: Receivers

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 receivers.

If there is one unit I am most excited to see together, it is without a doubt the Tiger-Cats receiving corps. In my opinion, Hamilton is home to the most talented group of pass catchers in the entire league.

When the season ended, and before Hamilton made any moves, the Ticat receiving corps looked pretty solid. Dave Stala, Chris Williams, Bakari Grant and Aaron Kelly would have made for an excellent top four. Then the Cats brought back Terence Jeffers-Harris and that top four became an even scarier top five. Then they went out and signed two top-flight Canadians in Andy Fantuz and Sam Giguère. Now I look at the receiving corps and see seven players that are worthy of starting spots. Seven. The Ticats will have two players on the bench that could start for almost any other team in the league.

It will be difficult for Henry Burris to keep everyone happy, but this offense with these receivers has the chance to go down as one of the all-time greats in CFL history. We could see three or more players eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. We could see three or more players top 10 touchdowns. The possibilities are endless as to what this receiving corps can do over a full season. I am giddy (yes, giddy) just thinking about it.

My gut tells me the five starters to start the season will be Stala, Fantuz, Williams, Grant and Jeffers-Harris. I think Giguère will need a little time to get his feet wet and I think Kelly will be in tough to jump ahead of Williams, Grant or Jeffers-Harris. The team also has Chris Duvalt and the three receivers they signed earlier this week, Joe Collins, Michael Galatas and Deon Murphy. While all of them are talented and could impress enough to earn a roster spot, they are going to be in very tough.

The Ticat receiving corps is stacked and they are going to present countless matchup nightmares for opposing defenses all season. If everyone plays to their potential, there is no telling what these receivers will be able to accomplish in 2012.

Cats Extend Grant, Re-sign Jeffers-Harris

The Cats announced today that Bakari Grant has signed a contract extension and Terence Jeffer-Harris as inked a new deal. Grant's deal keeps him in Hamilton until 2014 and Harris is being brought back after joining the team's practice roster days before the 2011 East Division Final.

Grant's first season will best be remembered for his performance in the East Division Semi-Final. Grant hauled in seven catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown catch he made was a beautiful over-the-shoulder grab:

Grant also made the key catch in overtime that allowed the Ti-Cats to score on their first possession, which would be the game's final score as the Cats won 52-44. That game was Grant's coming-out party, and hopefully he can build off that success and turn into a big-time Receiver for years to come.

Jeffers-Harris was brought in amid much controversy just days prior to Hamilton's East Division Final game against Jeffers-Harris' former team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It was thought by many (mostly Winnipeg fans), that he was brought in for his knowledge of Winnipeg's Offense. His re-signing should put to end any thought that he was only brought in for information.

With Grant's extension, it is safe to say that he will be a full-time starter in 2012 after splitting time with fellow first-year player Aaron Kelly. Jeffer-Harris is also probably being penciled in as a starter, and when you add those two to incumbents Dave Stala and Chris Williams, that leaves one starting Receiver spot open. Last year, Hamilton started two Canadians in the receiving corps, but Matt Carter is a week away from hitting the open market. Unless the Cats change up their ratio – meaning they start a Canadian somewhere else – the final spot will have to go to a Canadian. Hamilton has a lot of young receiving talent, with Aaron Kelly, Jeremy Kelley, Liam Mahoney and Glenn MacKay all still on the roster. The team might also dip their toe into the free agent market, and their is a certain Chatham-raised Receiver who could fill that fifth spot.

The Cats still have work to do to fill other needs, but with Grant extended and Jeffers-Harris in the fold for a full season, the receiving corps is looking as if it will be one of the team's strongest units.