Landry: 5 reasons the Ticats are still in it

Don Landry

CFL.ca

@CFLLandry

It seems like a rite of fall, just as sad starts have been a rite of summer.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are once again heating up after a terrible start to the season, reeling off three straight solid performances including victories over division rivals Toronto and Ottawa.

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that the ‘Cats have turned things around as the leaves begin to change. Over the last five campaigns, the team has a cumulative record of 19-26 over the first half of those seasons, and 24-12 over the second half.

Outside of the math of it all, and with a massive game coming up in Toronto on Friday night, here are five reasons why the Ticats – despite beginning the season at 0-5 and currently sitting at 4-9 – still have a shot at a playoff spot.

THE MAN KNOWS HOW TO DIAL UP DEFENCE

Since arriving in Hamilton to re-tool the strategies of the Ticats’ defence, Chris Jones has had an immediate and positive impact, leading to a fast, confident unit. And a prosperous one.

In the three games the team has played since Jones became Hamilton’s senior defensive assistant – in essence a coordinator by another name – the Ticats’ defence has created 10 turnovers, with six coming in last week’s win over Ottawa alone. Included in the total are seven interceptions where the Ticats had but four over the span of their first 10 games of the season.

Under Jones, Hamilton’s defence has roared to life and begun to assert itself with great authority.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT LEDGER

Among the things that plagued the Ticats while they whimpered out to a 2-8 start to the season was the amount of turnovers they gifted to the opposition.

Over the first half of the season, “ball security” were words that seemed to come out of head coach Scott Milanovich’s mouth continually whenever he was asked about the issues with which his team was wrestling.

In their first 10 games of the season, the Ticats were deep in the red when it came to turnovers, sporting a -10 deficiency.

Over the course of their last three games, however, Hamilton is plus-seven and a big part of that credit goes to the defence, as I’ve noted. But much goes to an offence that has cleaned up its act as well. The Ticats have turned the ball over just three times in those three games, including a completely clean game against Toronto on Labour Day.

MITCHELL’S LEVEL OF PLAY

Just a few weeks ago, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was relegated to second string on the Ticats’ roster, making way for young up-and-comer Taylor Powell, who was made QB1 for the Week 11 game against Edmonton.

But with Powell leaving that game due to injury, Mitchell was thrust back into the starter’s position and he has not looked back.

In the three games he’s started since then, Mitchell has completed 54 passes for 866 yards and after a mediocre outing against Winnipeg to start the stretch (14-28 for 220 yards) the veteran quarterback was money in wins over Toronto and Ottawa, collectively going 40-57 for 646 yards, four touchdowns and merely one interception.

It’s the Mitchell the Ticats hoped they were getting when they traded for his rights at the end of the 2022 season and then signed him to a contract extension in the winter of 2023.

PENALTIES DOWN

The Ticats spent the first two-thirds of the season being the CFL’s most penalized team, totalling an even 100 calls against them through Week 14 and averaging nearly 8.5 flags per game.

In the team’s Week 11 loss to the Edmonton Elks, the Cats were flagged 11 times.

Since then, much better. They had six in a tight loss to Winnipeg and then just three against Toronto on Labour Day. Three, again, versus Ottawa last Saturday.

“Much better discipline,” said Milanovich earlier this week. “Those (bad penalties) are the differences in tight ball games against like-ability teams. It seems like we’re startin’ to grasp that.”

On the season, the Ticats remain the most penalized team (7.9 flags per game) but now it’s just barely (Calgary and Ottawa are right with them now and the Argos not far off) because they have been trending in the right direction lately.

IT’S ALL HAPPENING

Confidence is growing, seemingly exponentially for the Ticats these days.

The annual heating up of receiver Tim White is underway. Receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. was dominant against Ottawa, a nightmare to defend against down the seams.

Running back Greg Bell picked up where James Butler left off when Milanovich decided to make a switch, despite Butler’s great numbers. With Bell now on the injured list for Friday night’s game, you wouldn’t expect production from that position to suffer at all with the return of Butler.

After missing a clutch of games due to injury, returner Lawrence Woods III is back and he hiked a punt 83 yards for a touchdown last week against Ottawa.

Defensive back Jamal Peters has 15 tackles, two interceptions, three knockdowns and two tackles for loss in his last three games. Defensive end Nick Usher has nine tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and two recoveries in his last three, as he quickly adapts to being a hybrid lineman/SAM in Chris Jones’ defence.

“It’s always the same stuff,” said Milanovich after practice on Wednesday. “It’s about protecting the football and penalties and explosive plays and protecting the quarterback and hitting their quarterback. It’s never gonna change. That’s what wins and loses football games.”

The Ticats are doing all of those things right these days and that’s why they still have a shot at the playoffs.

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