Thread for the Team that Cannot Be Named

[jerrym]

The Tiger Cats have added Frank Gansz Jr., who has worked under June Jones previously at Southern Methodist, as ST coordinator.

Gansz Jr. brings significant coaching experience to the Tiger-Cats, including nine years as a special teams coordinator in the National Football League with the Oakland Raiders (1998-99), Kansas City Chiefs (2001-05) and Baltimore Ravens (2006-07). He has also coached special teams at numerous NCAA schools, most recently at UCLA (2008-10) and under Jones at Southern Methodist University (2011-12).

During his five-year stint with Kansas City, Gansz Jr.’s special teams units set numerous records and helped the Chiefs tie a franchise record with 13 wins in 2003. Under Gansz Jr.’s tutelage, Dante Hall was named to the Pro Bowl in both 2002 and 2003 as a kick returner, led the NFL in most kick returns for touchdowns (10 – six on kickoffs and four on punts) and became the first player in NFL history to return a kickoff for a touchdown in four consecutive games. Linebacker Gary Stills became the Chiefs’ all-time leader in special teams tackles (148), and later re-united with Gansz Jr. in Baltimore where he would lead the NFL in special teams tackles (44) in 2006, posting the second-highest single-season total in NFL history.

In 2003, Kansas City led the league in both punt return average (16.4) and kick return average (25.4), marking the only team to date to accomplish this feat in the NFL since 1995. Gansz-led units also excelled in blocking punts and kicks, recording four blocked punts from 2001 to 2002 and three blocked field goals from 2002 to 2003.

http://ticats.ca/frank-gansz-jr-join...s-coordinator/

[R.J]

.@CaretakerBob checks in for his first 'Caretaker's Update' of 2018 ahead of Saturday's season opener! 👇#HamiltonProud | #Ticats pic.twitter.com/uZWJPJmVF1

— Hamilton Tiger-Cats (@Ticats) June 14, 2018

Ticats and their fans are lucky to have Bob Young IMO.

[ArgoRavi]

Cats are trying Adams at receiver -- he supposedly wants this. Yeah right.

I can't imagine that he would be crazy about this but he doesn't have a lot of other options at the moment.

[jerrym]

Hamilton plays its first five games and seven of its first nine against Western opponents, who belong to the significantly stronger division. Furthermore, none of these games involve BC, who is arguably the weakest in the West and who the Tiger Cats do not play until weeks 15 and 16. It is conceivable that Hamilton could end up with a very poor record in the first half of the season, causing it to be struggling to make the playoffs in the second half of the season, which is what happened every season in the last decade except 2009 and 2015, including last year when they started 0-8. On the other hand, if they do finish 4-5 or higher in the first half, their second half schedule should be much easier, giving them a chance to finish with a very good record.

[Flutie]

Hamilton plays its first five games and seven of its first nine against Western opponents, who belong to the significantly stronger division. Furthermore, none of these games involve BC, who is arguably the weakest in the West and who the Tiger Cats do not play until weeks 15 and 16. It is conceivable that Hamilton could end up with a very poor record in the first half of the season, causing it to be struggling to make the playoffs in the second half of the season, which is what happened every season in the last decade except 2009 and 2015, including last year when they started 0-8. On the other hand, if they do finish 4-5 or higher in the first half, their second half schedule should be much easier, giving them a chance to finish with a very good record.

But that's not much difference than other East teams. What is worse, is the Als had to play their first game on the west coast with a late start, AND they play their first 5 games out of 6 against West teams.
Ottawa plays their first 4 games against West teams and in September they do the west trip with one game in BC beginning at 10PM and against the Riders a week later at 9:30PM.

[jerrym]

Hamilton has released Demond Washington, who was signed as a free agent following four years in Winnipeg in 2016 but played in only seven games over two years.

[jerrym]

The Tiger Cats beat out the Argos to sign Delvin Breaux.

Breaux had two stellar seasons in Hamilton, including an all-star campaign in 2014, that led to him signing with New Orleans in 2015. He played all 16 games in his first NFL season, bursting on the scene and establishing himself as one of the top cover men in the league. In 2016 he only played in six games as injuries cost him game time. Over 22 NFL games, Breaux has 66 tackles, 2o passes defended and three interceptions. ...

The 28-year-old was misdiagnosed with a leg contusion during training camp and then it was discovered that Breaux actually had a stress fracture on his fibula – team orthopedists Deryk Jones and Misty Suri were fired as a result – which required surgery and caused Breaux to miss the entire 2017 season. Breaux became a free agent after the New Orleans Saints decided not tender an offer to the restricted free agent. He visited the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, but no pacts came to pass.

http://3downnation.com/2018/06/18/fo...urning-ticats/

[jerrym]

The Tiger Cats have signed LS Tanner Doll who played 22 games for the RedBlacks in 2016-17 after five seasons with the University of Calgary.

[Flutie]

The Tiger Cats beat out the Argos to sign Delvin Breaux.



http://3downnation.com/2018/06/18/fo...urning-ticats/

Would the Argos have paid him $200k a year? Something was brewing when they released Kenneh, I'm sure that Kenneh comes in a lot cheaper. Both players come in after major injuries.

[ArgoRavi]

Would the Argos have paid him $200k a year? Something was brewing when they released Kenneh, I'm sure that Kenneh comes in a lot cheaper. Both players come in after major injuries.

Breaux was a very physical defensive back when he last played in the CFL in 2013-14. The rules have since changed and you can't initiate contact with a receiver beyond five yards from the line of scrimmage. I remember Breaux mugging Duron Carter in the 2014 East Final and such play would be disallowed today. It will be interesting to see whether he can adapt to the rule changes.

[jerrym]

Would the Argos have paid him $200k a year? Something was brewing when they released Kenneh, I'm sure that Kenneh comes in a lot cheaper. Both players come in after major injuries.

Paying an International DB such as Breaux, who, although he was a top NFL cover man in 2015, played in only six games in 2016 and missed the entire 2017 season, approximately $200,000 seems highly risky, considering he also missed his entire college football years due to a major neck injury, and especially when top National DBs , who tend to get relatively high salaries because they help with the ratio, earn significantly less.

That makes Breaux the highest paid defensive back in the CFL, topping the approximately $175,000 earned by Canadians Antoine Pruneau (Ottawa) and Courtney Stephen (Hamilton) and well in excess of the around $150,000 being paid to American Tommie Campbell by the Montreal Alouettes.

http://3downnation.com/2018/06/18/ti...t-paid-db-cfl/

[Argo57]

Paying an International DB such as Breaux, who, although he was a top NFL cover man in 2015, played in only six games in 2016 and missed the entire 2017 season, approximately $200,000 seems highly risky, considering he also missed his entire college football years due to a major neck injury, and especially when top National DBs , who tend to get relatively high salaries because they help with the ratio, earn significantly less.



http://3downnation.com/2018/06/18/ti...t-paid-db-cfl/

Good player but not at $200k

[jerrym]

After keeping QB Vernon Adams around following HC June Jones saying he would be traded, allegedly in an attempt to convert him to a receiver, but probably in the hopes of getting something in return in a trade, the Ticats have finally released him. They have also released LS Kevin Malcolm, whose termination was signalled by the signing of former RedBlack LS Tanner Doll, and WR Bryce Wilkerson.

[jerrym]

The Tiger Cats have added recently signed DB Delvin Breaux, WR Terrence Toliver who missed all but the first game of the 2017 season due to an ACL injury, and DL Justin Vaughn, who missed the preseason due to a concussion, to their game roster.

[ArgoRavi]

One of OV's favourites, Mercer Timmis, rushes for over 100 yards and a couple of TDs to help the Ticats defeat Edmonton 38-21.

[OV Argo]

One of OV's favourites, Mercer Timmis, rushes for over 100 yards and a couple of TDs to help the Ticats defeat Edmonton 38-21.

Timmis looks very good so far - running with power inside, plus has some speed & moves in the open field, plus shows a strong stiff arm to get extra yards; IF this was a rookie American RB some would be talking this guy up big; but i wouldn't be at all surprised to see him with being rewarded with being benched in favor on an import back like Green or John White. We shall see there.

And Masoli looks like about the best QB in the league now IMO - out-played both Bovine & Mike Reilly in the first 2 games; great accuracy with his passing where he finds ways to deliver strikes + is a real QB running threat; but bring on Johnny Superstar as the starter there.

IF June Jones, Tillspin, Jerry Glanville & co. there play it smart, they might have a real good team, but they might defer to some GOB stupidity.

[jerrym]

Mercer Timmis's (a third generation CFLer) breakout game of rushing 17/133 yards occurred when he was finally allowed to shine. His and Masoli's running helped open up the passing game.

“For sure,” Timmis agrees. “They have to respect (Masoli’s) legs and his arm and we have weapons all over the field at receiver. And our offensive line played amazing. I had a good game and a good stat line, but a lot of it goes to them.”
Timmis had three more carries than he did in the first two-plus years of his injury-affected CFL career and 87 more total yards. He ran the ball five more times than the entire team did six days earlier in Calgary. And you may have noticed, as June Jones did, which game the Ticats won and which one they didn’t.
“I went into the game with that in mind; that he was going to get some carries and we needed to establish the run game like we did at the end of last year,” the head coach said. “I knew the number of touches was going to go up for (No.) 27. It did and he did a good job.”
Timmis was involved early, settling into the rhythm of the game. On the Ticats’ well-paced opening drive for a touchdown, he ran once for five yards. Then, on the second possession, he carried the ball four times, culminating in his one-yard scoring run to answer Edmonton’s quick-strike touchdown. ...


Timmis’ confidence level took a big step forward last year with success on special teams, and a half-dozen carries out of the backfield. That has continued in 2018 with the recovery from the broken leg he suffered last Labour Day, and all the extra touches he received as training camp and pre-season games progressed.
He has planted a stake in the ground that a Canadian might just be the one who should carry the payload.
It’s well-known that he’s a third-generation player. His grandfather Brian Jr. played for the Roughriders in 1953 and his great-grandfather Brian Sr. was a Hall of Fame fullback and defensive lineman who played 20 years, including 15 seasons and three Grey Cup wins with the Hamilton Tigers. The generational history, the Burlington roots and the Tiger-Cat uniform beg comparisons to Jesse Lumsden.

http://3downnation.com/2018/06/26/mi...is-on-the-run/

[jerrym]

Mike Ganter argues Mercer Timmis is more likely to become a star than Johnny Manziel, at least in the short run.

With no offence meant towards Johnny Manziel and the TSN-pushed agenda to make him a starter in this league regardless of the stunning numbers put up by incumbent Jeremiah Masoli, Timmis is the guy who could legitimately be pushing for a bigger role right now. Manziel’s time may come, but the combination of a very effective player in the No. 1 role and Manziel’s admitted need to become more comfortable in the CFL game, makes Mercer a much more likely bet at this point to expand on his current role. ...

“It definitely feels good,” Timmis said of Friday’s productive night. “It just’s a testament to all the hard work I have been putting in during the off-season and especially last year in the off-season coming back from the injury. It feels good but I have to put it behind me and keep working to the next week.” ...


The Ticats currently have five running backs on the roster in University of Hawaii product Alex Green, the starter who is on the six-game injured list, converted D-lineman Nikita Whitlock out of Wake Forest, University of Montreal back Sean Thomas Erlington, and then there’s John White, formerly of the Edmonton Eskimos, who is on the practice roster. It’s a crowded position, but Timmis refuses to get caught up in the numbers — either the bodies he’s competing with or the personal stats.
“Whatever opportunities they give me, I just gotta try and do my best for the team,” he said. “It’s all about the team and trying to get a win.”

But don’t be fooled. Timmis has aspirations and the confidence to know he can reach his goals one day. Friday’s stat line may have surprised some people, but not Timmis himself.
“You definitely believe in your own abilities,” he said. “I don’t think anyone would be here if they didn’t. Personally, I felt like I could have a game like that. You look at the tape, our offensive line played really well. They made it pretty easy for me and Masoli and the receivers were just slinging it so yeah, they definitely made it easy on me.” With a little more coaxing, Timmis eventually revealed his goal, but only after the talk turned to other great Canadian backs in the league right now. “Obviously I aspire to be like those guys. They are great backs — (Jerome) Messam, (Andrew) Harris, (Jon) Cornish, Lumsden before that,” he said. “So there have been some stud backs that have really just carried it for Canadians. But I think I still have a lot of work to do.”

http://torontosun.com/sports/footbal...ziel-attention

[jerrym]

How outstanding Masoli has been so far this year is reflected in the fact that he has led the offence to the second most number of TD drives in the CFL, despite Hamilton being the only team to never start on the other team's side of the field.

[jerrym]

Masoli tied a CFL record set by Sam Etcheverry and Kent Austin by passing for 300 yards for the ninth consecutive game in the Tiger Cats loss to the Riders.