Ferguson: Ticats banking on depth with ‘Speedy B’ injury

Marshall Ferguson

CFL.ca

@TSN_Marsh

“Damn, he dropped it. Why is he down? Oh my God, our season is ruined”

If you’re a Ticats fan any or all of these thoughts might have crossed your mind early in the fourth quarter of Week 19 when Brandon Banks ran a wide side corner route, left into the sky and came crashing down onto his shoulder with a defender on top of him.

At first the play looked routine, then the REDBLACKS started waiving for the training staff and within minutes Banks was whisked off in the arms of a Ticats trainer to the locker room taking with him the heart and soul of the 2018 Tiger-Cats.

“Speedy B” as Hamilton fans like to call him has become a cultural hero of sorts in Hamilton. The undersized return man turned star receiver isn’t your typical Hamilton sports star. He isn’t a bruise-delivering linebacker or a dominant power skating forward, but he does exemplify so many of the characteristics that endear any local sports fan to their favourite athletes.

Banks is honest, approachable, exciting on the field and represents his team colours and logo with a sense of pride much larger than his corresponding frame.

With Banks down in the fourth quarter against Ottawa the Tiger-Cats offence struggled to find its footing but this is a team well versed in the concept of finding replacements, especially at receiver.

Shamawd Chambers. Chris Williams. Jalen Saunders. Terrance Toliver.

It’s a season unlike any other for Head Coach June Jones who stood dazed but defiant Tuesday while addressing Banks’ season ending broken collarbone.

How do you replace Banks? “Next man up.”

Is there one guy that will replace Banks moving forward? “Everyone has to learn and get better.”

The questions are endless and the answers are largely unknown until the Ticats and REDBLACKS meet for their second matchup in as many weeks this Saturday.

As Jones walked off the podium I asked, “did you ever lose Bess, Grice Mullen, Emmanuel Sanders?” All talented receivers Jones coached in his extensive collegiate coaching career who put up similar jaw dropping numbers to what Banks has this season.

“No, not for a season. Rarely even a game with those guys.”

It’s new ground for a football coach who has seen just about anything but the Ticats have no time to mourn the loss of Banks from their game day roster, they have to find answers. Fast if they want a chance to win the East Division.

But what are they replacing? What was it that made Banks so special to the team and why will he be so hard to fill that void?

Outside of the general spirit Banks gave the Ticats weekly, what he tangibly gave them on the field was a multidimensional playmaker who was deadly at converting much-needed first downs.

Heading into Week 19 Banks led the CFL in second down conversion catches ahead of both Greg Ellingson and Brad Sinopoli. This despite the fact that Banks missed games earlier in the season due to a nagging groin injury – more on that later.

He was exceptional in the quick screen game and had the rare ability to knife for yards after the catch in large part thanks to his return game experience. He also added that pure speed Jones loves so much in his quick twitch receivers allowing Jeremiah Masoli to throw the ball aggressively down the field.

Those are all great facets of Banks game and incredibly difficult to find a soloution for, but amongst all of Banks positive effects on the Hamilton offence this year none was more important than the trust he achieved with starting quarterback and possible Most Outstanding Player nominee Jeremiah Masoli.

June Jones offence requires receivers to understand option routes and to feel where the deficiency is in the defence. Banks quickly went from a return man with a package of plays based in quick screens and reverses to someone cable of reading coverage and Masoli’s mind all at once.

That understanding between quarterback and receiver is the key to Jones’ offence. When it goes right you see Luke Tasker standing wide open in the end zone or Banks running away from coverage with a host of defensive backs staring at each other wondering how he got so open.

The answer? There is no perfect coverage against Hamilton because whatever defence you play they adjust routes to get away from defenders.

When these read routes don’t work with receivers who don’t have the Banks-Masoli connection you see overthrows, mischaracterized inaccuracies and interceptions such as Ottawa’s Sherrod Baltimore had against Hamilton last Friday.

Without Brandon Banks that comfort level for Masoli and the offence takes a massive blow. In order to recreate that feeling Jeremiah and his receivers – many of who are new to the starting lineup – will have to adapt quickly and understand fully to plan at hand each week.

If Hamilton can figure that out they have a chance to get Masoli an MOP award and challenge for a Grey Cup.

If the Ticats don’t find a soloution to this issue of chemistry they could be done before we see first snowfall in Southern Ontario.

One more note on that groin injury mentioned earlier. Banks sat for a couple weeks then returned to play the BC Lions. When asked the day before the game if he was 100 per cent Banks calmly said, “No.”

Why play then?

“Because I’m tired of waiting, we’re having a special year and I want to be part of it every week.”

For Banks that dream is now just that, a dream. It’s up to his Ticats teammates to honour his goals and find a way to get Hamilton football’s smallest hero a Grey Cup ring.

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