10 Observations from MTL game

  1. Dave Stala could be Hamilton's biggest steal of the year. Another outstanding game by Dave. He is our Cahoon and one of the top receivers in the league.
  2. Our defence is fast becoming one of the best in the league. This is the most important step in taking the Ticats to the next level. Defences win games more often than offences.
  3. Glenn needs to be our starter until Porter proves he can get the job done. That may or may not be this season. In the meantime, we have QB coach Kahari Jones to help Porter ease back into the starter's role.
  4. Our special teams are looking very solid but we need to spring one soon to keep the optimism up.
    5)We need to get P-Rod contributing earlier and more often. I think Glenn will have more success here than Porter.
  5. Chris Davis is fast becoming a serious threat in the league.
  6. Our offensive and defensive lines are no where near their potential but coming along nicely.
8) Our play selection could be better but it's a whole lot better than previous years.
  1. We need Otis Floyd back in the middle.
  2. we are headed for second in the East and maybe third overall. We can beat montreal and will when they play at Ivor Wynne with Glenn starting.

Overall, I was impressed with the game last night. I thought we basically left about 14 points on the field -- well, maybe 11, since we got a field goal after being down on the one.

A big play was the dropped ball in the endzone late in the game. We needed that.

I also beg to differ a bit about the defence. While I agree we've improved immensely, there was some very shoddy tackling -- particularily in the 3rd...and one of the Als touchdowns, IMHO, was due to a poor attempt at a high tackle.

We also had no answer for the Alouettes play-action and quick outs to the flats. Now, that's probably more because Calvillo and crew were exceptional last night, but still. You can't give up 9 or 10 on every first down.

I was also very impressed with the Als pass defence. It seemed like any pass over 10 or 12 yards was into double coverage -- couldn't believe it.

I also thought Porter did okay, too. I think he should be satisfied with how he played against a solid team. He had one deep throw that I thought was ill-advised, but again, the coverage was really, really good.

Ohh, and liked the moxy shown by that onside field goal attempt. I think all this stuff -- the deep balls too -- give opposition defence an awful lot more to think about then in previous years.

Good points slodrive... I liked the fact we tested them long but I didn't like the look of those balls.

1 Jamal Johnson was not as intense as last game and not as much of a factor .

2 Mcytire was the best dlineman and had another stellar game . Can we move him to DT when Long comes back especially if Adams is out .Anyone have any idea how long Adams might be out . This shows we need another import DT as Bolden isn't much

3 We could use Bruce or Armstrong as a slotback . Either one would be our best reciever .

4 Stalla had another good game . Where is Baumann . Maybe Baumann gets trade to the argos for Bruce ?

5 Haley played well but overall they had alot of success against us in the middle .

6 The overall defensiev schemes are good ..Thanks MARHSALL !!

7 Can we not start using Barker .

8 On the 3rd and one on the goal line you have to run .

9 Porter ..You need to get more aggressive man . you have the size , the height , the speed , the smarts, the arm , now get some killer instinct .

10 Can we not create some decent running plays for cobb and a few screen passing or shuffle passes , draw plays . We need these to keep the DLINEMEN honest .

11 i liked the look of james .

12 It's nice to see less mistakes and less penalties. Thanks has to go to Marcel for that . This team no longer beats itself and won't get blown out as much . We also are way more inimidating on defence as Johnson , Knowlton and Floyd are hard hitters and always getting under people's skin with the pushing and yapping after the whistle ( Lefors, colbourne ) ..gotta love that

13 Seemed all Porters longer passes were floating up into double coverage . We need better plays to isolate players like cobb's touchdown pass in BC

14 I wonder how Floyd is doing ?

15 If Adams is hurt for a while maybe we need to call Mace

slodrive and tcfan:

Good points by both of you. I would disagree about beating Montreal with Glenn at home.
I don't think any team in the league is capable of beating Montreal right now.....at least from what we have seen so far. But with this league you never know which way the ball will bounce. Look at last season's win over Montreal.
Playing them next time will provide another huge challenge which this team needs.They don't give up and the play calling shows some "never say die" traits. This is good.
I like the game plan which seems to feature different ball carriers and receivers each game. Says something about depth and keeps the opposing defences guessing.
Porter played a decent game but it was disheartening to see how many Montreal players were around the receiver when the ball got there.
Apart from some sloppy tackling once in a while the defence shows tremendous promise. It's great to see people swarming all over the field and being aggressive. Montreal's defence, especially the pass coverage, was outstanding.
Porter should start next time.
This looks like it will be an exciting season. We could easily be in second place by the beginning of November. :thup:

They appeared to arrive about the same time as the ball much of the time. Perhaps Porter needs to release the ball a moment sooner. It looked as though he did that on the interception but he overthrew it or the receiver misjudged it.

Cobb may have made more yards had he sprung to the outside on many of his attempts. The middle was always jammed up and he had nowhere to go.

Cheers.

I find it funny how people are saying how great montreal's dbs played, i guess none of you saw those replays of the deep throw Porter made where the receivers were WIDE open but by the time the ball got to them their was 2 defenders on top of them, and it's funny how the receivers were suddenly open when Glen came in.

I think it all had to do with timing, Glenn is throwing as receivers are coming out of their breaks before they are open, while Porter is waiting to see if they're open before throwing which is why he hangs onto the ball too long and why his passing windows are closing by the time the ball gets there.

And that would be experience coming into play. The fellas on TSN were talking last night saying how all the all-star QBs - AC, McManus, etc. all had 3-4 years of learning before being thrust into the starting role. More importantly they mentioned the pressure that is on young QBs to WIN let alone perform right off the bat.

I think MB is doing well with Porter … he’s giving him time while also allowing Glenn to be there just in case. Porter until last night had a 70% completion rate which was second only to Calvillo … granted these have been a lot of small yardage throws but completion is completion …

We need to give QP time to develop …

And for what its worth … I thought the guys played HARD last night … especially the D … keeping AC and the boys to less than 40 pts is something to be proud of … and yes we left points on the field … if we’d completed that Glenn drive … it would have been 21-15 … and if P-Rod hadn’t missed a few we’d have had even more …

This team is SOOOOOOOOO much improved over last year … D is awesome, ST is outstanding and once Office gets things going … we’re playoff bound!!!

I dunno man…some of those tosses to the deep corners looked alright to me…but the DB’s were all over it. Good coaching and good execution/ speed is what I was seeing. Probably bits of both.

Bingo, but he was told to hit the line! and speaking of line…I’d like to see what that new guy on the PR can do. “Toeanna”…he is huge! Anybody seen anything of him at the practices?

For a big guy,Toeaina has great hands and quick feet. All I can say is good luck moving or getting around him.

Wow. We are 2 and 2 and people are calling for Porter's head. I think the same thing happened to AC when he was here.
We held Montreal to 21 points. We kept with them despite the mistakes made by players who are young and learning.
This team is heading in the right direction. I believe that by the end of the season, we will be as good as anyone else in the league. Marcel is doing a great job with the young players they have assembled. The wily veterans are playing great. Stala, Johnson, Floyd, etc.
We missed Floyd last night. Stala is our Cahoon and we should use him as such.
I love what I am seeing on this team.
Let Marcel and the boys play. Judge them at the end of the year.

We faced the BEST team in the league and allowed far fewer points than the defending GC champs and the other 2 teams they beat. If Adams hadn't been injured, that could have been a VERY different game. I think that it's amazing that nobody has mentioned McDaniel. I think this he is one of O'Billovich's best finds. Not only can he return, but he's a pretty decent receiver as well. He quietly makes the catches and moves on.

McIntyre was a beast out there. I have to give full credit to O'Billovich and our scouts for some of the defensive gems they've found. Of course they weren't at their best in the 3rd quarter. Didn't you hear that they had been on the field for 20 of the previous 30 minutes of the game by that point? They were tired. All I can say is that if we played that close with 3 defensive starters out of the line-up (Long, Adams and Floyd) I feel pretty good about this team. The Adams injury was the CLEAR turning point of that game. We kept Calvillo pretty well contained prior to that.

socrates: NO one is calling for Porter's head. I have not seen a single post calling for his head. Why is it always so black and white for some people. Suggesting Glenn start is not calling for Porter's head. Giving a young QB time to develop is not calling for his head. It's called bringing along a young QB.
I will repeat for those who seem to read what they want to read rather than what is written.
No one is calling for Porters head. No one is throwing Porter under the bus. No one is suggesting we cut the guy. So stop accusing people of saying things they are not.
Ok I feel better now. :smiley:

I am impressed with your ticats ,they have the making of a strong team. Like the look of yoour receivers, look like playmakers.

Great point, I agree!

To Gerbear9's point:
"13 Seemed all Porters longer passes were floating up into double coverage . We need better plays to isolate players like cobb's touchdown pass in BC ",

Looked to me like QP was telegraphing some of his passes by not looking off the receivers. Seemed to be locked-in on them from the snap.

This would certainly give the DBs & safety time to react much faster.
Perhaps something he needs to work on....

Well, let’s look at their examples and others, shall we?

AC? Started in Las Vegas with the Posse in 1994. Year one. His “incubation” was being Ham’s backup in Montreal after his experiences in Vegas and The Hammer. It is not good to fudge.

McManus? Granted. Backup to Tom Burgess and then Matt Dunigan in Winnipeg. Began as the starter in BC in 1995, his fifth year in the league.

Others?

Ricky Ray: FIRST year, comes in for the injured Nealon Greene, game four:

“Fate was on Ray’s side, however. Late in the fourth quarter of a Week Four game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Maas was knocked out of the game, and would not be available for the Week Five matchup against the rival British Columbia Lions. Ray made his debut relieving Maas in the Saskatchewan game and his first start against the Lions, and looked like a veteran by throwing for four touchdowns against a strong team. This was just the beginning of a remarkable 2002 season, in which the first-year Canadian football player threw for 2,991 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions with a ridiculously high quarterback rating for a rookie: 101.3, highest in the league.”

Took the Esks to the Grey Cup in his first year and almost becomes the CFL’s answer to Tom Brady, but loses the championship game to the Als.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Ray#Professional_career

Not a saviour-by-clipboard route, to be sure.

Henry Burris?

Burris went undrafted in the NFL, and signed a contract with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders in 1997. He spent the 1997 season on the Stampeders’ practice roster.

He had his first, limited playing time in 1998 in relief of Jeff Garcia and Dave Dickenson, while dressing for all of the Stampeders’ games. In 1999 he received more playing time as Dickenson’s backup. He replaced Dickenson in the third week game against the Edmonton Eskimos, leading the Stampeders to a come-from-behind victory. He started the following two games against the Montreal Alouettes and British Columbia Lions, leading the Stampeders to another victory in the former. He was injured in the third quarter of the latter, and spent the rest of the season on the injured reserve with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

He moved on to the Saskatchewan Roughriders for his first opportunity to be a full-time starting quarterback. He started the first 16 games of the Roughriders season, throwing for 4,647 yards and 30 touchdowns. The Green Bay Packers took interest in him after the CFL season ended, and signed him to a contract.

He returned to the CFL in 2003 after stints in the NFL and NFL Europe. Again, not quite the incubator-chrysalis-hatchling-condor plan one gets from the study-at-the-cleats-of-the-master approach. He took time, but it was rocky.

Kerry Joseph?

"In college Joseph played quarterback for McNeese State University, leading his team to a 42-11 record and two Southland Conference titles during four seasons as a starter. He subsequently attended the training camp for the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL in 1996, played with the London Monarchs of NFL Europe in 1997, tried out as a slotback for the Washington Redskins in 1998 but played for the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe where he won the World Bowl. He then was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks where he played safety for four years until being released in 2002.

Joseph then headed to Canada to try his luck at finally playing quarterback as a professional. He was acquired as a free agent by the Ottawa Renegades in 2003 and during that season unseated incumbent Dan Crowley for the starting job. In the last game of the 2005 season, a victory over the division-leading Toronto Argonauts, Joseph became only the third (after Damon Allen and Tracy Ham) quarterback in Canadian Football League history to garner over 1000 rushing yards in a single season, finishing with 1006."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Joseph

Verdict: also bounced around, finally getting a shot, become Joe Paopao’s shovel-passer-cum-bullet-dodger extraordinaire in Ottawa on a less than stellar Renegades club. He bounced around, place to place, position to position, and played – he did not adopt a pipe and cardigan and go to Johnny U, okay?

Past examples:

Warren Moon:

Despite his collegiate success, Warren Moon went undrafted in the National Football League. Many pundits believe that it was because Moon was black and refused to switch positions — Moon has stated in interviews that before the draft some scouts advised him to switch to tight end. With no takers in the NFL, his only alternative was the Canadian Football League. Moon signed with the Edmonton Eskimos, where he and Tom Wilkinson shared signal-calling duties and helped lead the Eskimos to an unprecedented five consecutive Grey Cup victories in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982.[11] Notably, in the 1981 Grey Cup, the quarterback of the opposing team was J.C. Watts. Moon won the offensive Grey Cup Most Valuable Player award in the 1980 and 1982 games. In his final CFL season of 1983, Moon threw for a league record 5,648 yards, and won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award. Throughout his CFL career, Moon amassed 1,369 completions on 2,382 attempts (57.4 completion percentage) for 21,228 yards and 144 touchdown passes. He also led his team to victory in 9 of 10 postseason games. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Edmonton Eskimos Wall of Honour. In 2006, he was ranked fifth on a list of the greatest 50 CFL players presented by Canadian sports network TSN.

He appeared in 15 games, first year, throwing over 20 TDs and 2,382 yards by year two (1978) in a definite rotation with Tom Wilkinson. Again, Warren was not encased in a bubble by Hugh Campbell’s right shoulder. Far from it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Moon#CFL_career

Ron Lancaster?

“During his rookie season with Ottawa in 1960, while he shared the quarterbacking duties with another future Hall of Famer, Russ Jackson, Ottawa won the Grey Cup. He spent two more years with Ottawa, but after a losing season in 1962 (6-7-1), Lancaster was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Lancaster

Arguably THE QB controversy of the age, as it turned out, both men excelled after the Lancaster trade. Ron was not wet behind the ears for long in this league!

I could go on. The “S*!T HAPPENS” master plan has a myriad of examples.

VERDICT: THERE IS NO FORMULA. IT DEPENDS ON THE GUY, THE SUPPORTING CAST, AND THE OPPORTUNITY.

You are likelier to hit the proverbial jackpot as a backup because of bad starter play or the reg getting turned into a pretzel than some genius internship next to Coach. End of stories.

Oski Wee Wee,

Well, let’s look at their examples and others, shall we?

AC? Started in Las Vegas with the Posse in 1994. Year one. His “incubation” was being Ham’s backup in Montreal after his experiences in Vegas and The Hammer. It is not good to fudge.

McManus? Granted. Backup to Tom Burgess and then Matt Dunigan in Winnipeg. Pulled out the 1993 Grey Cup relieving Kent Austin for the Lions. Began as the starter in BC in 1995, his fifth year in the league.

Others?

Ricky Ray: FIRST year, comes in for the injured Nealon Greene, game four:

“Fate was on Ray’s side, however. Late in the fourth quarter of a Week Four game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Maas was knocked out of the game, and would not be available for the Week Five matchup against the rival British Columbia Lions. Ray made his debut relieving Maas in the Saskatchewan game and his first start against the Lions, and looked like a veteran by throwing for four touchdowns against a strong team. This was just the beginning of a remarkable 2002 season, in which the first-year Canadian football player threw for 2,991 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions with a ridiculously high quarterback rating for a rookie: 101.3, highest in the league.”

Took the Esks to the Grey Cup in his first year and almost becomes the CFL’s answer to Tom Brady, but loses the championship game to the Als.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Ray#Professional_career

Not a saviour-by-clipboard route, to be sure.

Henry Burris?

Burris went undrafted in the NFL, and signed a contract with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders in 1997. He spent the 1997 season on the Stampeders’ practice roster.

He had his first, limited playing time in 1998 in relief of Jeff Garcia and Dave Dickenson, while dressing for all of the Stampeders’ games. In 1999 he received more playing time as Dickenson’s backup. He replaced Dickenson in the third week game against the Edmonton Eskimos, leading the Stampeders to a come-from-behind victory. He started the following two games against the Montreal Alouettes and British Columbia Lions, leading the Stampeders to another victory in the former. He was injured in the third quarter of the latter, and spent the rest of the season on the injured reserve with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

He moved on to the Saskatchewan Roughriders for his first opportunity to be a full-time starting quarterback. He started the first 16 games of the Roughriders season, throwing for 4,647 yards and 30 touchdowns. The Green Bay Packers took interest in him after the CFL season ended, and signed him to a contract.

He returned to the CFL in 2003 after stints in the NFL and NFL Europe. Again, not quite the incubator-chrysalis-hatchling-condor plan one gets from the study-at-the-cleats-of-the-master approach. He took time, but it was rocky.

Kerry Joseph?

"In college Joseph played quarterback for McNeese State University, leading his team to a 42-11 record and two Southland Conference titles during four seasons as a starter. He subsequently attended the training camp for the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL in 1996, played with the London Monarchs of NFL Europe in 1997, tried out as a slotback for the Washington Redskins in 1998 but played for the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe where he won the World Bowl. He then was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks where he played safety for four years until being released in 2002.

Joseph then headed to Canada to try his luck at finally playing quarterback as a professional. He was acquired as a free agent by the Ottawa Renegades in 2003 and during that season unseated incumbent Dan Crowley for the starting job. In the last game of the 2005 season, a victory over the division-leading Toronto Argonauts, Joseph became only the third (after Damon Allen and Tracy Ham) quarterback in Canadian Football League history to garner over 1000 rushing yards in a single season, finishing with 1006."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Joseph

Verdict: also bounced around, finally getting a shot, become Joe Paopao’s shovel-passer-cum-bullet-dodger extraordinaire in Ottawa on a less than stellar Renegades club. He bounced around, place to place, position to position, and played – he did not adopt a pipe and cardigan and go to Johnny U, okay?

Past examples:

Warren Moon:

Despite his collegiate success, Warren Moon went undrafted in the National Football League. Many pundits believe that it was because Moon was black and refused to switch positions — Moon has stated in interviews that before the draft some scouts advised him to switch to tight end. With no takers in the NFL, his only alternative was the Canadian Football League. Moon signed with the Edmonton Eskimos, where he and Tom Wilkinson shared signal-calling duties and helped lead the Eskimos to an unprecedented five consecutive Grey Cup victories in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982.[11] Notably, in the 1981 Grey Cup, the quarterback of the opposing team was J.C. Watts. Moon won the offensive Grey Cup Most Valuable Player award in the 1980 and 1982 games. In his final CFL season of 1983, Moon threw for a league record 5,648 yards, and won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award. Throughout his CFL career, Moon amassed 1,369 completions on 2,382 attempts (57.4 completion percentage) for 21,228 yards and 144 touchdown passes. He also led his team to victory in 9 of 10 postseason games. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Edmonton Eskimos Wall of Honour. In 2006, he was ranked fifth on a list of the greatest 50 CFL players presented by Canadian sports network TSN.

He appeared in 15 games, first year, throwing over 20 TDs and 2,382 yards by year two (1978) in a definite rotation with Tom Wilkinson. Again, Warren was not encased in a bubble by Hugh Campbell’s right shoulder. Far from it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Moon#CFL_career

Ron Lancaster?

“During his rookie season with Ottawa in 1960, while he shared the quarterbacking duties with another future Hall of Famer, Russ Jackson, Ottawa won the Grey Cup. He spent two more years with Ottawa, but after a losing season in 1962 (6-7-1), Lancaster was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Lancaster

Arguably THE QB controversy of the age, as it turned out, both men excelled after the Lancaster trade. Ron was not wet behind the ears for long in this league!

I could go on. The “S*!T HAPPENS” master plan has a myriad of examples.

VERDICT: THERE IS NO FORMULA. IT DEPENDS ON THE GUY, THE SUPPORTING CAST, AND THE OPPORTUNITY.

You are likelier to hit the proverbial jackpot as a backup because of bad starter play or the reg getting turned into a pretzel than some genius internship next to Coach. End of stories.

Oski Wee Wee,

Sorry for not citing this passage in the earlier post. It is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Burris#Professional_career :wink:

Oski Wee Wee,