Hamilton's D is totally overmatched. Emanuel Davis on Taj Smith? Does anyone seriously believe that Courtney Stephen will have a good day against Dressler?
Sask o-line has been sickeningly good since Chris Best returned. They will own the LoS. With a run game going and with good pass protection, this will force the Cats secondary to play man and if they do they will get killed.
The Riders D has just faced two strong balanced attacks. They have been preparing for strong run games for 2 weeks. Whatever they've been doing to prepare for Harris/Logan/Archibald, Cornish/Stanley Bryant will have them more than ready for Gable/Dile/Wojt. Be aware of the play action, Hank is the best in the league at this. And they can throw the ball deep no doubt, but Riders secondary is quite strong.
Hamilton might have a little momentum punching above their weight the past month, but really they did NOT look great against Montreal and stole one, but any confidence they may have should pale next to the most excited home crowd in the history of Canadian sport.
The only real thing that Hamilton has going for them heading into this is that anything can happen on any given Sunday. Hey, 2001 happened, 1986 happened, yes there is always that chance. But a realistic analysis would not give them more than that. Now I'm not trying to put them down but I just can't see any sane pundit picking the Cats on anything more than a gut hunch.
The problem is old man is that while Kent may have the experience he's not playing. Yes he will help and yes Burris has his ring too and a few other cats but you can't deny that with something like 18 rookies the Riders have more cup experience. Yes Hamilton has been very solid and steady in the last half and played well to get to this game but it is THIS GAME the big one the whole Enchilada. While true Durant has a ring but only as a back up he knows the pressure, he faces it every week from some of the harshest critics, Rider fans. There are no guarantees who will win that is why the game is played. Lot's didn't give Hamilton or the Riders much of a chance last week either but here we are waiting to see which of these teams can have success on what they have been trying to achieve for a whole season. You hoping for your Ticats of course and being this is a Rider forum the rest of us hoping for them. It's just too bad that one of these teams will lose as both have worked so hard just to get to this game but that is sports the agony for some and the jubilation for the others.
Lets all hope for a well played and hard fought battle without some ref being the deciding factor. Sorry oldman but I have to end with GO RIDERS!!! :cowboy:
I have to say I'm a little disappointed that cat's fans would come here on a Rider forum. Not once have I ever gone to another teams forum on this board. I consider this Hallowed ground the one place that is Sacred. There are plenty of other sports forums to go on and trash talk there. I would hope Rider fans would extend the same respect and courtesy by not going to Hamilton's forum and post , I have no way of knowing if they have or not as I mentioned I don't go to other teams forums. Of course this is only my opinion and I realize there isn't any rules being broken but still in the spirit of good sportsmanship I find it a bit rude to be honest.
I have been reading their forum comments, but not posting. Their forum is pretty much a mirror image of what they have been posting on the CFL forum.
You have Bobo with a million pictures.. Tigers eating watermelons etc..
You have posts about how the cats are the Underdogs, no pressure
Posts about how Rider Fans are going to turn on their team at home
Posts about how The Riders have too much pressure to win at home
Posts about how the Riders will under estimate them
Posts about the Past, and how they won 15 Grey Cups
Posts about this cup being like 86 when they were the underdogs against EE
Posts about how Cortez is an idiot, and Austin is a god
Posts about how they better not get screwed by the ref
Posts about Henry and how he won the GC in Montreal in 08
Posts about how to beat the Riders
Posts about the Riders being 3 - 6 in the last 9
Posts about the Riders cheating on the Cap
Posts about the Riders being selfish because they are all Free Agents..
And the most original one.... Posts about the Argos sucking!
Basically a bunch of gob smack, about how they are going to whup Rider butts. But they have pretty much discussed every scenario of how they are going to win, right down to one guy predicting who will score every touchdown and the scoring per quarter...
I can't wait to read their forum after the Riders man handle them tomorrow....
heck I don't care what the Cat fans post on their forums of course they are going to trash talk the Riders and make their team sound like the best. That is to be expected. What I don't approve of is dragging it into here. This is OUR forum . Oh well not the end of the world of course but it still bugs me to see the lack of etiquette. No matter if the Riders win that will put an end to that I would expect. GO RIDERS !!!
i use to thing you guys were the most respected fans in the league next to my ticats but after reading these forum yous are as arrogant and selfish as the crackhead mayor down the QEW thats toronto for yous who dont know.
in the mean time wheres the rules that say a fan most only post on his own website. I feel the cats fans have handled there words very choosingly when talking about your team this week and yes we will see what happens today.
All i hear from u guys and your team is how theres no pressure your so experianced etc etc so talk your thoughts along with george cortezs sharpie pen and shove it go back to your wheat feilds wear ur watermelons and cry in ur piisner beer as we hoist the 2013 CUP.
Wow. Seemed to provoke some anger, that wasn't my intent.
The comment that my team was going to panic, when clearly they haven't, especially during the later part of the season, was not only wrong and without merit, but clearly discounted how well Hamilton has played and endured so well obstacles that few other teams have faced this season.
I'm not saying that your team is not good and is without talent. It is. But, so is ours. You put a lot of credence on beating a Stampeder team in the playoffs that was depleted by injuries, and that beat themselves with a number of self inflicted turnovers. Hamilton, beat the defending Grey Cup champions and the best quarterback in the league 2 of 3 times this season and in the Eastern Final. That was accomplished by a quality football team THAT DOES NOT PANIC OR CRUMBLE.
I've read on this very forum the disrespect of our quarterback. You have applauded the coming of free agents to your team, yet show venom to those who have left your team for equally better opportunities elsewhere (Burris, Fantuz). That is the way of modern professional sports. You need to adjust to that.
By the way, we have fans of EVERY team in this league who share their opinions and thoughts on the Tiger cat forum, including yours. Personally, I welcome the chance to hear new and fresh coments on different topics and of my team. I've learned a great deal from them. I don't always agree with them. And that's good too. After all, these forums are open to everyone. If it wasn't, I would not have been able to log on to yours.
Finally, I want to offer you and your team good luck and best wishes in the game this afternoon. Let's all hope for a well called game that will solely be decided by the players on the field.
I think you understand as the vast majority of those in Hamilton and area that support this team DO NOT see Kent Austin as a god.
There are a very large number, however, who acknowledge, that Kent and his staff have done an amazing job building and coaching this team to such an accomplishment in such a short space of time under quite remarkable circumstances.
That does qualify him as a pretty good coach and GM!
I don’t care if you post here, personally, I did not say your team would panic, yes we hate henry but not for the reason you suggest, it was the things he said when he left, unlike Andy whom left on a plus note!
Yes it will be a good game today, and like both sides agree, lets hope the players decide it and not the Ref’s!
I will wish your team good luck and best wishes also, and may the best team win!! Which I believe will be the Riders
old fan I also didn't attribute that statement to you, personally either I saw a few other comments and now comments likee this one "All i hear from u guys and your team is how theres no pressure your so experianced etc etc so talk your thoughts along with george cortezs sharpie pen and shove it go back to your wheat feilds wear ur watermelons and cry in ur piisner beer as we hoist the 2013 CUP."
Yes that has class written all over it . Oh well like I said not the end of the world either way.
Here is the one post by a Rider fan that I saw in the Ti-Cat forum.
Point is there are classy fans on each team, and fans who do/say things that are disrespectful. Old man, all we are saying is keep your disrespectful comments off our forum.
My comment about the Hamilton Players possibly getting panicky is A comment about the pressure of the big game, and their inexperience. Getting panicky can happen to seasoned veterans. How many big name receivers have "dropped" the ball in a big pressure situation?
Oh... And then you have TiCatBill posting his road apples on here too.. Real Classy huh.
Have you read your own forum lately? Some of your own posts basically support other TiCat fans bashing our players, bashing our fans, bashing our province. Which is all fine, providing you keep it on YOUR OWN FORUM.
But hey, you can have your opinion and I'll have mine.
There are two problems with your comment regarding “panic”. One, is that, as I pointed out with clear examples, Hamilton has not demonstrated ANY panic when it mattered during the season and during the playoffs. Your quote earlier plainly pointed at the Tiger cats singularly and no other team without providing any examples or explanations as to why Hamilton would be the ONLY team that would be susceptible.
Secondly, the panic you are directing at my team can happen with yours just as likely and disastrously as well. Experience and talent is no barrier to it. But, yet I did not get that fairness from you.
I was simply and honestly pointing out this lack of objectivity about my team and got name calling and insults hurled in my direction. For that, I will not offer any apology for what has been returned your way by others.
As far as the “stay on your own forum” statement is concerned. These forums are a shared experience. And the fact that others may login supports that.