The Canadian Press
With training camp just over a week I thought what better time than now to ask some questions that we can look back on in December and discover the answers to.
21. How soon will Kay Okafor dress for a game?
Sooner rather than later I think the Ticats will look at Okafor’s frame and athleticism and want to use their 21st overall pick in 2017 in some way shape or form on special teams, but how soon will that happen?
20. Can John Chick possibly get better than last season?
Big John was second in the CFL last season with 14 sacks. Could he possibly up that number after re-upping to stay in Hamilton through 2018?
19. What can Nick Shortill do for you on special teams?
Traded for special teams tackling Machine Frederic Plesius the McMaster graduate returns to Ontario with the expressed purpose of being a special teams swiss army knife.
18. Will Luke Tasker’s incredible consistency continue?
Luke has been great in his first three full seasons in Hamilton catching 72, 76 and 76 passes while playing in less games each year. The Ticats need Tasker to get where they want to go and his continued consistency will be integral.
17. Does Abdul Kanneh dramatically change the feel of the Ticats defence?
The prized acquisition of the Tiger-Cats free agency period is fast, physical and brings the hammer to the sound and echo of the whistle. Expect lots of Hammer-Will blitzes with Simoni and Kanneh fying off the short side of the field.
16. When does Simoni Lawrence have his ‘out of body experience’ game?
Last year in week one against the Argos Simoni did EVERYTHING. When will that game come this year? He does start the season in Toronto again on June 25th…
15. How do scheduling oddities affect the team?
The Ticats are home for 35 days between August 5th and September 8th including their week ten bye and do not fly west for 48 days between their road game at Edmonton on August 4th and travelling to Vancouver to take on the Lions on September 22nd. Will the long stretch lead to a mid season surge for the black and gold?
14. Does the Ticats having early byes affect them down the stretch?
The Ticats have breaks in weeks two and ten. After week ten they will run their way through the remainder of the schedule without a true bye week while every other team in the east gets a late season bye week.
13. Does the Labour Day rivalry take on a new life with Trestman and Popp joining the party?
Fingers crossed. The mind games and play calling matchups between the Argos and Ticats will be out of this world for football nerds but is that enough to make Toronto and Hamilton one of the season’s spiciest affairs again?
12. Will the kicking game become a weapon or a weakness?
First the Tiger-Cats need to find their kicker or kickers. Once they do that we will have a better idea what the teams strengths and weaknesses will be when putting ball to foot. One unit that needs to be a mainstay of the team this year regardless of kicker is the coverage unit who exchanged Frederic Plesius for McMaster grad Nick Shortill.
11. Will Mercer Timmis see a significant increase in offensive snaps taken?
With Anthony Woodson moving West to the Stamps in free agency I wonder what role Timmis will get this summer during his second CFL campaign.
10. Can Brandon Banks set new standards for himself?
Every year Brandon Banks seems to be playing in a league of his own in the return game. This year he will play shot for shot with BC Lions speedster Chris Rainey and I wonder if it will push Brandon to new heights.
9. Will new special teams coordinator Dennis McKnight’s unit be as willing to take risks as Reinebold’s was?
Reinebold was a gunslinger as the Ticats Special Teams Coordinator, will McKnight follow suit? His energy and enthusiasm at spring minicamp was infectious but his systems remain a mystery, for now.
8. Will Stefan Ptaszek’s influence on the offence be more noticeable?
I saw flashes of it last season and expect to see much more of Coach P’s influence this year, but how much and how soon? One thing I do know is that when you see something noticeably different this season from the black and gold on offence it will have come from Ptaszek.
7. How do the Ticats replace the 2016 production of Andy Fantuz?
McMaster slotback Danny Vandervoort isn’t walking through that door and Spencer Watt was recently released. This is both a philosophical question about how to attack the ratio and a tangible question of who will catch the passes otherwise headed for a healthy Fantuz.
6. What does a full year of Brandon Revenberg mean to the Ticats?
Revenberg was every bit the player the Tiger-Cats hoped he would be last season. The ability to own the left guard spot after Peter Dyakowski departed for Toronto this offseason should solidify a line with great ratio implications and a young developing core.
5. What impact will a healthy Craig Butler have?
My guess is a big one. Craig is a GREAT player and his ability to rotate down in the box to cover or blitz is one of his best strengths which could match up perfectly with Reinebold’s philosophy.
4. How much more aggressive will it be?
Former defensive coordinator Orlando Steinauer loved to send defensive back blitzes and drop defensive ends into coverage. Will the new defence contain the same amount of those concepts?
3. What will Reinebold’s defence look like?
Reinebold has coached all over the place and has more philosophical influences than most. My gut tells me the Tiger-Cats defence could be more rooted in pressure and man coverage with an upgraded secondary but we will have to wait and see.
2. How much more is CJ Gable involved?
I’m not a big fan of this storyline, but I am not naive to the fact it exists. The running game under Kent Austin is typically viewed as under valued even in the pass happy CFL. Will that change this year, does it even need to if Zach stays healthy and is productive?
1. A full healthy season from Zach Collaros.
Before his knee injury in 2015 Zach Collaros was the CFL’s most dominant quarterback. After returning from the injury in 2016 Collaros went on a five game hot streak reminiscent of his 2015 campaign. What will a full season of health and production for ZC4 look like?
