HT: WEEK 6 PREVIEW: Edmonton Eskimos at Hamilton Tiger-Cats

[i]It seems inappropriate to praise Hamilton for their 3-2 start to the season until they beat one of the top tier teams in the CFL. Come Saturday night though, we just may get that opportunity.

After a slow start (by his standards), Ricky Ray and his Eskimos are now making an early case as one of the leagues top teams. Edmonton was the first and only team to make Montreal look mortal, and they did so in very convincing fashion — winning 33-19 as 7-point home underdogs. Ray’s 95.1 efficiency rating is second best in the league, as is his 274.8 passing yards per game. Tiger-Cat QB Quinton Porter has had a solid and conservative start to the season, despite being yanked in two of his starts. He has averaged 193 yards in the air and is operating at a 79.5 efficiency rating.

There is no question that the Esks can move the ball down field so Hamilton’s objective will be to control the clock and limit Edmonton’s time of possession. The best way to do that is by using a heavy dose of runningback Deandra Cobb. There is large discrepancy between Cobb’s 81.3 and Edmonton RB Arkee Whitlock’s 40.3 rushing yards per game and the Ticats will be looking to exploit that. What makes defending even more difficult for Edmonton is that Porter is out-gaining the Eskimo’s runningbacks as a quarterback — averaging 42.8 yards per game on the ground.

Hamilton is also expected to increase Arland Bruce’s role in their offense as he has become more acclimated.[/i]

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