The Hamilton Tiger-Cats battled hard Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Princess Auto Stadium, recovering from a 16-3 deficit at halftime but falling in heartbreaking fashion to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by a score of 26-23. Below are my thoughts on the game.
Chris Jones Effect
The Tiger-Cats made some waves earlier in the week when they announced that they had hired Chris Jones as senior defensive assistant while also parting ways with defensive coordinator Mark Washington. Jones took over defensive play-calling duties on Scott Milanovich’s staff and he made his presence known in his first week controlling the Ticats’ defence.
Hamilton’s defence forced three turnovers in the game, a first for them this season, registered three sacks and held Winnipeg’s offence to just 19 points, compared to their season average of 33.4 the previous 10 weeks. I had my doubts that Jones would be able to quickly implement his system on a short week, but it was clear from the onset that Hamilton was playing a classic Chris Jones scheme, which caused Zach Collaros a ton of trouble throughout the game. Defensive backs were closer up on the receivers and were more aggressive in attacking the ball. The Ticats were also rushing three and dropping nine into coverage. It was a vast difference from the defence fans got accustomed to seeing over the past four and a half years under Washington.
The final drive in which Winnipeg scored the game-winning touchdown left a lot to be desired. Hamilton resorted back to their old, prevent-type defence, allowing Winnipeg to go 72 yards on 11 plays in just over a minute. However, I still think there were some positives to be gained from Friday’s performance and it should leave fans feeling somewhat optimistic about where this defence could go should this progression continue.
Slow start out of the gate … again
Hamilton has been notorious this season for coming out of the gates slowly. This was the fourth consecutive game where they failed to register a point in the first quarter.
It is simply unacceptable for the offence to continuously put the team behind the eight ball after 15 minutes of play and it continued into the second quarter when they were only able to muster three points. Winnipeg owned the time of possession in the half too, which kept the defence on the field for long stretches. It’s honestly quite the achievement that the Ticats’ defence didn’t run completely out of gas early and allow this game to become a blowout.
Milanovich’s offence is lucky they came out and played a strong second half to get Hamilton back into the game and give them a chance to win, but spotting the opposition a 13-point lead at halftime is not a recipe for success.
Quite the adventure
To say Hamilton’s return game this season has been an adventure would be an understatement. Former Toronto Argonaut Jordan Byrd got his shot at being the primary return man on Friday and his first impression was a mixed bag. He had a couple of solid returns, including one that would have been a field flipper had it not been for a Trevor Hoyte holding penalty, but the most impactful play in which Byrd took part was a negative one.
Hamilton had forced Winnipeg into a two-and-out and was getting the ball back late in the second quarter, down 9-3. Byrd fielded the kick, moved to his right and was hammered by Bombers linebacker Tony Jones, jarring the ball loose. It was immediately recovered by Winnipeg’s Michael Ayers and returned 27 yards for a touchdown.
Is Him back?
Outside of a strong performance against Ottawa, Tim White has been really quiet through the first 10 games of the season, registering 40 receptions for 515 yards and four touchdowns. His game looks like it might be turning the corner as White totalled over 160 yards of offence on Friday, catching seven passes for 134 yards while adding one rush for 31 yards. The player next on the list in terms of yards from scrimmage was Greg Bell, who finished with 45 total yards.
It was clear that White was the focal point of the offence against Winnipeg, something I think Hamilton needs to make more of a priority over the final seven games of the season. It was also the first game in their time together where Bo Levi Mitchell and White looked to be on the same page on nearly every play.
White has proven to be a second-half-of-the-season player, where he’s put up almost video game-like numbers the past two seasons. Can he do it again this year? Friday’s game could be an indication.
Jamal Peters doing Jamal Peters things
Jamal Peters had his best game as a Ticat on Friday, registering his third interception of the season, a pass breakup, and a tackle for loss.
He’s an aggressive defensive back, one who likes to make big plays on the ball and isn’t afraid to come up in space and make a tackle. I think he will fit perfectly into Chris Jones’ defensive scheme for these very reasons and that was proven early in the contest with Peters breaking up a Collaros pass attempt to Kenny Lawler.
Peters has struggled a bit with the injury bug but hopefully, those woes are behind him and Hamilton can get more dominating performances like this from him moving forward.
Touchdown Greg
First-year running back Greg Bell continues to make a positive impression this season. After scoring two of Hamilton’s majors last week against Edmonton, Bell added another pair of rushing touchdowns to his name against one of the most feared defences in the league, one who had only given up one major score over the previous three games. He ran hard, finishing with 41 yards on 12 carries, but it was his vision on the two scoring runs that really impressed me. Finding the hole and hitting it at the correct time is not a trait that all running backs possess, but Bell appears to have that ability and is using it to great success thus far.
I know ratio issues will make it tough but I hope there is some way for Hamilton to get both Bell and star James Butler on the field at the same time. That would be a very dynamic duo that could cause fits for the opposing defence. Bell is quicker, more of a twitchy type back, while Butler is a guy who likes to initiate contact. I think having them both on the roster would allow the Ticats to do so many different things offensively that they aren’t able to do with Ante Milanovic-Litre or any of the team’s three fullbacks.
Prayers up for Stanley
A week after Luther Hakunavanhu was transported to hospital with a head injury on the Ticats’ first offensive possession, another scary moment took place in Friday’s contest. Hall of Fame offensive tackle Stanley Bryant had to be stretchered off the field and taken to hospital after what looked to be a routine play. Bryant took a knee, tried to get up and walk off, then took another knee before paramedics came to his aid and stretchered him off the field.
After he left the field, the team announced that Bryant was alert and in stable condition. Bombers’ head coach Mike O’Shea had positive news to share post-game, saying Bryant was “feeling a lot better” and the cause of his struggle was the heat and some sickness he had been dealing with throughout the week.
Hopefully the 38-year-old is able to make a speedy recovery and make a return to the field as quickly as possible.
Up next
The 2-9 Ticats will now turn their attention to the Toronto Argonauts (6-4) and the annual Labour Day Classic at Tim Hortons Field. Hamilton won the previous matchup 27-24 and could win the Ballard Trophy with a victory on Monday.
Saying this season has been a disappointment would be a massive understatement but as a lot of fans will tell you, the pain and suffering of a poor year can be somewhat alleviated as long as the Ticats beat the Argos on Labour Day.
