I look at Mckay-Loesher, Moreno, Setta, and Hage and think they were four of the best, if not the best, players we had last year and all four seem to be struggling. WHY?
I am not a big fan of firing coaches, but I have to wonder if this team has lost faith in Taffe's ability to lead them to victory. If they don't believe in the game plan, then they can't give their best effort and it may only be a subconscious thing.
Just thinking about why our best players aren't anymore?
i have never liked hage.
Setta is fine. we need to use chang as the holder like we did last year.
i don’t no what is up with NML
Moreno is just not making as many tackles because of the way the new defence works.
Doesn't Loescher have a back injury? That may be why he's unable to get any decent pressure from the end.
The team has good personnel IMO, although it is severely underpowered in the receiver department. The main culprits are the coaches as far as I can see. This is a better team than the 1-5 record indicates.
NML did not play that well last year and hasn't played well this year. He's a back-up at best.
Zeke looked a little bit lost the first few games but he played great this week against Montreal. I expect he will continue to play well as the season goes on.
Setta had such a great season last year that it was always going to be tough for him to repeat that this year. Jordan you may be right in that Chang should be the holder.
The whole o-line has been brutal this season and for that reason it is hard to single out one person that needs to be better.
I truly believe that with a couple key changes this team could be a real contender. A couple good o-lineman would make a huge difference to this team. It would be nice to improve the d-line aswell but even with our joke of a pass rush the d has played okay the last two games. Also, coaches that radiate confidence and are well prepared for every game would be nice.
Speaking as an Als fan, I know how hard it is when your O-line can't pass-block. We gave up the most sacks last year and it was impossible for our quarterbacks to get into any kind of rhythm. On the bright side, the same maligned group from last year is doing very well for us this year. It may be a problem with your position coach. Since we got rid of Charlie Carpenter, things have definitely improved.
It helps when you have an all-star who is healthy this year at centre.
An Argo-Cat fan
d @ p, our problem may be our Offensive system
which is the responsibilty of the Offensive Co-ordinator.
P.S.
Trestman knew Montreal's O-linemen were veterans
who had played together successfully for many years
so he studied 'before and after' film on them
and made sure his new offensive co-ordinator
designed his offence to use them to best advantage.
Doesn't Loescher have a back injury? That may be why he's unable to get any decent pressure from the end8) Yes, Loescher does have a back problem !! It has been discussed at length on this site many, many times.
He had the same problem last year and missed a few games. That problem is not going to go away, so he will have to fight through it or else it will bring his career to an early end !!The Tiger Cats Have improved from last year...We Are actually getting into the End zone this year. Even though we aren't winning the games, We are keeping it pretty close.
The Tiger Cats Have improved from last year...We Are actually getting into the End zone this year. Even though we aren't winning the games, We are keeping it pretty close.
As frustrating as some of their play has been, I really don't think this team is as bad as their record suggest. The play of Tre Smith has been a pleasant surprise. And aA healthy Jessie means so much to this team.
fanetc:
I admire your optimism but....
1-5 means we have won one game in 6. That's the level we have played at this season. Whether we are deemed to be a better team that that or lucky to have one win does not matter.
We are what our record is.
fanetc:
I admire your optimism but....
1-5 means we have won one game in 6. That's the level we have played at this season. Whether we are deemed to be a better team that that or lucky to have one win does not matter.
We are what our record is.
But I agree with your assessment of Tre Smith and Jesse. I watched Tre Smith at a recent practice and you can see how the other members of the team on both sides of the ball like what he does.
The Cats are not playing to the level of their abilities. They are however, playing down to the level of their coaches.
An Argo-Cat fan
Barney: Now that just about says it all. :thup:
I'm with Fan ... although our record is only 1-5 we only played two TRULY ROTTEN games (and granted they were ROTTEN!!!) there were also 3 games that were winnable .. VERY winnable ... one or 2 plays done differently and wham we're AT 4-2 ...
This team is MUCH improved from last year
I agree...I see a night and day improvement over last year. We're in these games and actually scoring touchdowns.
We leave points on the field though, with poor execution and some dumbfounding coaching.
Having your top 3 guys (arguably) on the shelf with injuries doesn't help, either.
What really bugs me is how poorly we seem to play against Montreal -- who, to me, are a beatable team...
I can appreciate the 'optimism' of some of the postings, and I am reluctant to sound negative, but...
The team is 1-5. The Head Coach is 4-20 since taking over the team. The team's $$marquee$$ player is sitting on the bench and has yet to throw a TD pass. The most dominant running back in the league spends more time on the injury list than on the football field. The team is still taking undisciplined penalties that negate any chance of winning. And, yes, this is the same team that raised ticket prices this year, and I can't afford to take my family to the game to support the team.
Unfortunately, I find very little reason for optimism.
Setta's problems this year seem to me to be a combination of Robichaud's appendix surgery and having Porter as his holder. There have been FAR too many bad snaps in the past 3 games (probably why Craigs was released). With Matt's return, look for more darts hitting Setta right in his hands on punts.
Hage seems to be playing OK, but I think he's missing Gagne-Marcoux at RG. The entire O-line has been re-arranged too much for them to get into a groove with each other and play as a unit. Woodard is proving to be a huge disappointment, and SHOULD be replaced ASAP.
McKay-Loescher has that chronic back problem, and that is a very debilitating injury. He seems to have been relegated to back-up, and I can see him being traded/released if he does not step up and perform. That being said, our lack of a pass-rush from the DT position and the 3-4 defence we get into means that our "best" D-lineman gets double or triple-teamed time after time. We need better pass-rush and blitz packages (I especially like a delayed blitz) to pressure the opposing QB and drive him into the turf on EVERY play (without roughing him, of course).
Moreno may have looked lost in the first few games, but the LB corps plays as a unit, and is just now seeming to gel. Last year, Moreno was making tackles all over the field, and this year he is in a more positional scheme, in which he is responsible for his area of the field. Maybe he is feeling the loss of Armour, and is trying to compensate for a poor excuse of NI talent in Mariusz, but the last three games have shown a great improvement in his play.
There are some tweeks to be made with the team, and they need some time to grow together. As the team matures, we will become a dangerous opponent. We are not a playoff team (yet).
The ticats are underachieving right now. With the players we have. We shouldnt be 1-5 at the moment. We should be 3-3. I believe we dont have the proper coaching.
Look at the Sask Roughriders. They are undefeated with a depleted lineup. Even their 3rd string quarterback is getting the job done. This team has intangibles. Which are confidence and belief in themselves. They also have strong coaching. Each week, they are well prepared, and have a solid game plan.