Thread for the Team that Cannot Be Named

[jerrym]

There are reports that former Argo receiver Terrell Sinkfield has signed a contract in principle to join the Tiger Cats if he cannot achieve a NFL contract.

[jerrym]

Five days into #CFLFreeAgency our @TSN_Marsh with the #Ticats rough depth chart heading towards the 2017 season on @TSN1150! pic.twitter.com/X6mf2nLWw7

— TSN Radio 1150 (@TSN1150) February 18, 2017

[Argo57]

Five days into #CFLFreeAgency our @TSN_Marsh with the #Ticats rough depth chart heading towards the 2017 season on @TSN1150! pic.twitter.com/X6mf2nLWw7

— TSN Radio 1150 (@TSN1150) February 18, 2017

Pretty solid depth chart, Cats will be dangerous again this season.

[OV Argo]

Pretty solid depth chart, Cats will be dangerous again this season.

Pretty decent roster; losing Fantuz would hurt IMO - he's still such a reliable and clutch receiver; though Tyms looked good late last season. Don't see Byron Archambault anywhere on that roster - seemed like such a good CFL MLB prospect back when he was drafted but has had some injury problems ?

Depth chart seems to show 8 NI starters, including 4 on D; very doubtful that happens IMO - Kenty is a 7 only need apply kinda GOB thinker.

[ArgoRavi]

Pretty solid depth chart, Cats will be dangerous again this season.

They were 7-11 last season so not that much more dangerous than the Argos.

[R.J]

Pretty decent roster; losing Fantuz would hurt IMO - he's still such a reliable and clutch receiver; though Tyms looked good late last season. Don't see Byron Archambault anywhere on that roster - seemed like such a good CFL MLB prospect back when he was drafted but has had some injury problems ?

Depth chart seems to show 8 NI starters, including 4 on D; very doubtful that happens IMO - Kenty is a 7 only need apply kinda GOB thinker.

Archambault retired to go to back to school for his MBA, and is also the Special teams and Linebackers Coach for the Carabins.

They were 7-11 last season so not that much more dangerous than the Argos.

I think you've drank a little too much of the koolaid Ravi, if you honestly think the Argos aren't far off from where the Ticats are.

[Argo57]

They were 7-11 last season so not that much more dangerous than the Argos.

Still made the playoffs there Ravi, I'd venture a wild guess they also may finish ahead of Toronto this season as well.
These organizations are light years apart in every aspect.

[gilthethrill]

They were 7-11 last season so not that much more dangerous than the Argos.

They were competitive in their losses....I think the Argos were outscored almost 2-1 in the last month and a bit. But I guess it will be a new season.

[OV Argo]

Archambault retired to go to back to school for his MBA, and is also the Special teams and Linebackers Coach for the Carabins.


I think you've drank a little too much of the koolaid Ravi, if you honestly think the Argos aren't far off from where the Ticats are.

Wow - did not hear that about Archambault. IMO - another example of a top notch young Canadian football talent who ends up doing little (sitting on the bench or PR or just playing special teams) in the big pro league in his own country. Didn't Stamps receiver Simon Charbonneau-Campeau do the same thing recently - retire to go back to coach at his old CIS program? This is going to continue to happen with GOBs running the CFL with their 7 NIs only need apply schtick/thinking; and I doubt Ottawa winning the GC last year in not following GOB standard procedure is going to change anything.

[ArgoRavi]

The Ticats have won a grand total of 3 more games than the Argos over the past 3 regular seasons, folks, so it isn't like they have been that much more dangerous than the Argos over that time. Furthermore, you don't get points for losing a close game versus being routed. Do the Ticats look to be ahead of the Argos at the moment? Sure they do, but let's wait and see what the 2017 season brings before writing off the Argos completely.

[jerrym]

The Tiger Cats have acquired 24 year old DB Ethan Davis in a trade with Montreal for 31 year old OL Brian Simmons.

Davis, 24, signed with the Alouettes on January 6, 2016 and played in 11 games (10 starts) last season in his rookie CFL campaign, posting 41 defensive tackles and two forced fumbles. The 5-10, 188-pound native of Lynn Haven, Florida, spent time with the NFL’s Detroit Lions in 2015 after signing as an undrafted free agent on August 4. Prior to turning pro, he played four seasons at Troy State University (2011-14), posting 77 total tackles, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception. Davis started all 24 games in his final two seasons with the Trojans.
Simmons, 31, started 11 games at left tackle for the Tiger-Cats in 2016. The 6-5, 310-pound native of Raleigh, North Carolina, has appeared in 72 career games during his six-year CFL career (2011-16), all with the Tiger-Cats, playing at left tackle, right tackle and right guard. Simmons has also seen action in six playoff games, including two Grey Cup appearances in 2013 and 2014. Simmons had a brief stint with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2015 but did not suit up in a game.

http://ticats.ca/?p=39490

[jerrym]

DB Cleshawn Page has resigned with Hamilton.

The 24-year-old Page has played parts of the last two seasons with the Ticats and was the team’s starting boundary in the East Semi-Final loss to the Edmonton Eskimos last November.
He has played five games in his career, making two starts and amassing six defensive tackles.
Page will compete for a spot in what is rapidly becoming a crowded secondary. The team has 10 international defensive backs already on the roster, including free agent pick ups Abdul Kanneh and Emanuel Davis (who re-signed with the club.)

http://3downnation.com/2017/02/23/ti...cleshawn-page/

[jerrym]

Jeff Krever argues that with free agency signings the Tiger Cats now have the best secondary in the East.

Both of the top-ranked East Division teams of 2016 have been busy making moves the last few weeks, the REDBLACKS rebuilding their receiving corps, upgrading the linebacker position and trading for a backup quarterback; the Ticats focusing on what will be a revamped secondary in 2017.
But while there’s plenty yet to happen between now and the start of training camp, it’s the latter that stands out to me — the work that Ticats GM Eric Tillman and Head Coach Kent Austin have done on the Ticats’ defensive backfield. ...

Remember, it was only a couple of weeks ago when Abdul Kanneh was still an Ottawa REDBLACK and Emanuel Davis was a pending free agent. That spelled trouble for Ticats fans, especially considering the revolving door that was the team’s secondary a season ago.
Now they are both in the black and gold, primed to lead what looks to be the CFL’s fiercest secondary heading into the 2017 campaign.
“We certainly think that we’re addressing the situation as much as we can with good football players,” Austin said in an interview with Ticats.ca shortly after the two signings. “The last year was hampered a little bit with injuries — it’s our job as a staff to find other players that can play but to get those guys back and with the addition of Abdul, we feel like our secondary has improved quite a bit.”
It has, at least on paper. The opening day depth chart is far from locked in but what we know is that Defensive Coordinator Jeff Reinebold will have plenty of flexibility when it comes to the back end.
The return of national safety Craig Butler, who missed all of 2016 due to injury, allows Courtney Stephen to move back to his natural position at field corner.
Davis can remain in his familiar spot at field halfback while Kanneh, who plays multiple positions, likely makes the most sense at the boundary halfback position, giving the Ticats arguably the best halfback tandem in the CFL....

Kanneh, the newcomer who has earned a reputation as one of the league’s top boundary halfbacks, plays with a physical reckless abandon. That’s meant as a compliment.
“He’s aggressive,” Austin told the team’s official website. “He’s very confident. He brings an attitude to the secondary that I think will help us.
“He just has a lot of energy. He’ll hit, he has the ability to make plays. We have the ability with him to play more man coverage which will help us and we’ll be able to move him around if necessary.”
While there’s an opening at the SAM linebacker position vacated by the departed Rico Murray, candidates to play the corner position opposite of Stephen include Demond Washington, recently-acquired Ethan Davis and CFL sophomore Cassius Vaughn.
There’s been some talk of Butler playing SAM and there are plenty of configurations Reinebold could go with but you get the picture — the Ticats are in much better shape today than they were at any time in 2016.

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/02/24/upgrade...s-ticats-east/

[jerrym]

Receiver Kevin Elliott to return to #Ticats #CFL #Argoshttps://t.co/QYfYqxdGla pic.twitter.com/f5bmCLUpF7

— Drew Edwards (@scratchingpost) February 26, 2017

[jerrym]

The Tiger Cats have also resigned International DB Cleshawn Page.

Page, 24, attended training camp with the Tiger-Cats in 2016 before being released on June 19. The native of Los Angeles, California, re-signed with the team on Oct. 10 and suited up in the Eastern Semi-Final against the Edmonton Eskimos, recording two defensive tackles. He played four games (two starts) with Hamilton in 2015, recording seven defensive tackles.

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/03/02/ticats-...-stripes-back/

[jerrym]

Hamilton has added international RB Cierre Wood.

A high school star in California, the 26-year-old Wood played his college football at Notre Dame rushing 450 times for 2,447 yards and 16 touchdowns, including a sophomore season in which he ran for more than 1,100 yards.
After foregoing his final year of eligibility, he was not selected in the 2013 NFL Draft, but signed as a free agent with the Houston Texans, playing in three regular season games. He had stints with four other NFL teams and played in two games with the Buffalo Bills in 2015 before tearing his ACL. He did not play last season.
Wood was suspended for the first two games of his junior season with the Irish for violating team rules and was released by the Texans, along with two others, for allegedly using marijuana.

http://3downnation.com/2017/03/03/ti...k-cierre-wood/

[jerrym]

Once again the Tiger Cats are without a kicker well into the off-season. While Brett Maher remains unsigned, the Cats plan to use a mini-camp to determine who their kicker will be.

Maher had two-thirds of a great season for the Ticats. After 13 weeks, he was third in the CFL with an 87.9 per cent accuracy rate on field goals while missing just one extra point. His 36.0 yard net punting average was good enough for fifth in the CFL.
But by the end of the year, Maher’s field goal percentage had dipped to 82 per cent, he was sixth in net punting and his kickoff average had fallen almost two yards a boot. In the East Semi-Final loss to Edmonton, Maher missed a 35 yarder in the second quarter in a game the Ticats would eventually lose by a field goal.
While some of the decline could be be attributed to the typically more difficult fall weather and there are some other mitigating statistics – Maher went 6-for-7 beyond 50 yards and his average make was from 35.3 yards out, second-highest in the CFL – there’s little question that Maher struggled down the stretch. That’s made the Ticats reluctant to hand him the job – and a contract with much by the way of guaranteed money – for the 2017 season.
Instead, the team seems inclined to go through much the same process as last off-season where they held a series of workouts for prospective kickers, including a two-day session at Tim Hortons Field with a more than a half-dozen candidates (that event is on schedule again this spring.) They brought three kickers to mini-camp, two to training camp and only gave Maher the nod after he ran gauntlet and defeated all challengers.

http://3downnation.com/2017/03/05/ti...-casting-call/

[jerrym]

Hamilton has signed four players: National DB Tristan Doughlin, and Internationals DE Tyriq McCord and Denzell Perine, and LB Kavell Conner.

Conner, 30, played 78 games (46 starts) at linebacker over six seasons in the National Football League with the Indianapolis Colts (2010-13) and San Diego Chargers (2014-15). The 6-0, 245-pound native of Richmond, Virginia, posted 328 combined tackles, two quarterback sacks, three forced fumbles and nine passes defended in his NFL career. He was originally selected by Indianapolis in the seventh round, 240th overall, in the 2010 NFL Draft. The four-year letterman at Clemson from 2006 to 2009, finished his collegiate career with 263 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, three quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception and six passes defended in 52 games (27 starts).
McCord, 23, had a brief stint on the Tiger-Cats practice roster last season from October 24 to November 9. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers on April 30, 2016, but suffered an injury during rookie minicamp and was released on June 7. The 6-3, 241-pound native of Tampa, Florida, played four years at the University of Miami (2012-15), recording 110 total tackles, 14 quarterback sacks, 21.5 tackles for a loss, three interceptions, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and five pass breakups in 51 games (20 starts) at outside linebacker and defensive end.
Perine, 23, also spent time on the Tiger-Cats practice roster last season from October 10 to November 9. He originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings on May 2, 2016, and suited up in three preseason games before being released on September 3. The 6-2, 250-pound native of Mobile, Alabama, played 47 games over five seasons (2011-15) at Florida International University, recording 119 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, five passes defended, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Doughlin, 23, attended training camp with the Montreal Alouettes last season before returning to Guelph University. In four seasons with the Gryphons (2013-16), the 6-0, 185-pound native of Toronto, Ontario, played 26 games and recorded 133 total tackles, 11 interceptions, 14 pass break ups and one quarterback sack. He participated in the CIS East-West game and was named an OUA second team all-star in 2015, and earned OUA first team all-star honours in 2014.

http://ticats.ca/tiger-cats-add-four...backer-conner/

[jerrym]

RT .@TSN_Marsh#Ticats ass't GM & Dir. of Football Ops @ticatsguy on kicking situation & free agent Brett Maher #CFL pic.twitter.com/QkdSB43shy

— CFL News (@CFL_News) March 8, 2017

[jerrym]

By signing International RBs Alex Wood and Cierre Wood to add to returning Ross Scheuerman, the Tiger Cats have announced that the talented but often injured C J Gable will face strong competition.

Gable has been a favourite of vice president of football operations and head coach Kent Austin for his entire tenure, signing the former USC star in April of his first year at the helm. Gable was spectacular in 2013 with nearly 1,400 combined yards in 15 games played and a nod as the East Division Most Outstanding Player.
That was, as it’s turned out, his best season to date.
Gable was beset by injuries to his ankle, shoulder and arm in 2014 and 2015 playing in just 12 of a possible 36 games over that span. For most running backs, back-to-back years featuring prolonged absences would be enough to spur most teams to move on but Austin has always expressed an appreciation for Gable’s ability to run, catch the ball and contribute in pass protection. It’s a combination that’s tough to find at any level, never mind the CFL. Last season was something of a bounce-back year for Gable as he played in 15 games, registering almost 700 yards on the ground (good enough for sixth in the CFL) and making 39 catches for 405 yards. Given Austin’s seemingly pathological aversion to running the football – the Ticats were last in the league in attempts in 2016 – it’s hard to blame Gable for not producing more but his 5.5 per carry average was down a half-yard from his rookie year and came in fifth of the 11 running backs with at least 60 carries.
Gable will turn 30 in October and there’s plenty of research that shows that running backs generally peak at age 26 with declining production until age 32 when it falls off a cliff. ...

Alex Green, who has played in 29 games with the Packers and Jets, and Cierre Wood, who was a star at Notre Dame. Green is 28, Wood just 26 and both will be on entry-level (i.e. cheap) deals.
There’s also 24-year-old Ross Scheuerman, who looked pretty good in a Sept. 16 win over Montreal where he had 16 carries for 79 yards and five receptions for 40 yards while finishing the game with a broken wrist that ultimately cost him the remainder of the season.

http://3downnation.com/2017/03/11/ti...-gable-notice/