The Canadian Press
Oh hello everyone, I just got back from a two-week trip to New Zealand! Did you miss me? You know what, better not to answer that question; I can be a sensitive fella.
Much to my girlfriend’s chagrin, I did my best to keep up with what was going on in the CFL whenever free Wi-Fi presented itself. Wow, did a lot happen in my absence! From Randy Ambrosie’s no more padded practices decree to the continued decline of the once 7-0 Eskimos, the emergence of James Wilder Jr. and the Bombers continuing their “Bleep You” tour to all their doubters (winning by 40 against Saskatchewan and Ottawa) I certainly missed a lot. But I want to focus on a smaller story that has both overtones for the East and speaks to the complicated nature of being a sports fan: the mini resurgence of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Since I was away, the team beat Ottawa 26-22, which had Trevor Harris until 9:25 in the third and one of the best backups in Drew Tate at quarterback. They were inches away from forcing overtime against Saskatchewan at the end of the game and at 2 a.m. ET on Friday they defeated the BC Lions, 24-23. Now instead of people talking about mistakes made by the front office, Tiger-Cats fans can actually look at the standings and start to think there is a small chance of making the playoffs.
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Brandon Banks has taken on a bigger role on the Ticats’ offence under June Jones (The Canadian Press)
Before I continue, let’s just get it out of the way for everyone reading west of Kenora, Ont. I get it: In the West Division, Hamilton would be doomed. Hell, the Lions would be in first if they played in the East Division. We all know that!!!! Now, can you just let me continue writing my piece?
As someone who works in sports media, I have to be careful discussing playoff possibilities and Hamilton. There is something that we in this profession are often guilty of and it’s called hope trafficking. You saw it this year with the Blue Jays when they were “only” five games out of the second wildcard, and you see it all the time in the NHL with the overly complicated standings, where everyone can convince themselves their team has a chance. We try to sell specific fan bases that their team legitimately is still in the post-season dance. I get why this happens. With hope comes attention and with attention comes fans reading articles, buying newspapers and watching highlight shows.
But on the other side, as a fan, what’s wrong with a little irrational optimism? Oh sure, Hamilton didn’t get its first win until September and lost by 59 points earlier in the year, but as of this moment, the Ticats have won three of their past four games, have climbed out of the division basement and have a chance to win their season series against every other team in the East. I know this squad isn’t as talented as the 2013-2014 teams, but Hamilton has finally gained something it hasn’t had all year: relevance. Nothing is worse in sports than apathy and that was exactly the emotional milieu for so many sports fans in the 905 area. To put it simply, it is so much more fun being a Tiger-Cats fan today that it was when I was boarding a plane for Auckland.
So while I don’t want to come off as a snake oil salesman trying to peddle hope to everyone in Hamilton, I can’t help but feel the team has done enough over the past to at least inspire some real sense of positivity. Now, for everyone who believes there is no chance of Hamilton making the playoffs, hey, I understand why; please feel free to stop reading now. For everyone else, here are a couple storylines to keep an eye on for the team’s stretch run.
The defence, which has been last in many significant statistical categories, under new defensive coordinator Phillip Lolley is giving up just 24 points per game (Hat tip to The Hamilton Spectator‘s Drew Edwards for this statistic that I stole from him) during this recent four-game stretch. On top of the numbers, the unit is finally starting to show some semblance of health as the game against the Lions represented the first time all year that the same 12 defenders took the field together for consecutive games. Hey, baby steps!
Making his 13th start, Jeremiah Masoli now has a winning record as a starter and sports a crazy 6-2 record on the road. Now, while I firmly believe that the upside with Zach Collaros is higher, you just can’t deny that Hamilton’s offence is better under Masoli. They average more points, yards and hold onto the ball longer under Masoli. He will never be Ricky Ray in terms of completion percentage; he doesn’t throw the prettiest ball (Warning! Cliché alert coming!!) but damn the guy finds a way to win. I have no idea what the trajectory is for Masoli, but I always root for a guy looking to prove he belongs. If the Tiger-Cats make the playoffs, expect a full-scale quarterback controversy next season.
Speaking of a player looking to carve a niche in this league, how about the debut of Alex Green! Cut during training camp, Green was brought back into the fold a week ago, leaving his family behind in Portland to chase his dreams. While many (including me) expected little beyond providing pass protection, Green flipped the script with 140 yards rushing and was the most important player for Hamilton in their 24-23 in Vancouver. Much like with Masoli, Green is an easy player to root for. He’s been cut three times and about two weeks ago it certainly looked like his chances of earning a living as a football player were a distant memory. Now he gets a chance to be a catalyst for an improbable playoff run by the Tabbies. Damn, life can move fast.
Add in the eventual (fingers crossed) return of Andy Fantuz and this mismatched team that doesn’t at all resemble what it was in Week 1 suddenly becomes a team that is really easy to root for. As I mentioned earlier, I try not to practise intellectually dishonest hope trafficking, but isn’t the East more interesting with a suddenly competitive Hamilton Tiger-Cats team? Here’s hoping it continues all season long.
