Keys To Beating Saskatchewan – 101st Grey Cup
Thought I'd do this week's keys in 4 segments.
1st ... Defense
2nd ... Offense
3rd ... Teams
4th ... Intangibles/Other
Let’s start on with the defensive side of the ball.
- Mix It Up
- Make Double D Read & React
- Make Saskatchewan Adjust
If the TiCats play a standard defensive set & alignment, they’ll get pushed around & dominated by what is a very good offensive line. Much in the same way that Hamilton has varied their offensive formations & sets & game plan, I see the same thing happening except on the defensive side of the ball. Not that this will be entirely new since we’ve seen this already from Coach Steinhauer.
I’d like to see Hamilton Mix It Up & deploy many different types of defensive alignments.
Their Standard 4-3-5.
Boudreaux, Bulcke, T. Davis, Norwood
Murray/Issac, Johnson, Lawrence.
E. Davis, Webb, Stephen, McCullough, Breaux
4-4-4 Package
Boudreaux, Bulcke, T. Davis, Norwood
Bowman, Plesius, Johnson, Lawrence.
Murray, Webb, McCullough, Breaux
5-3-4 Package
Boudreaux, Bulcke, T. Davis, Hazime, Norwood
Rico, JJ, Simoni
E. Davis, Webb, McCullough, Breaux
3-5-4 Package
Boudreaux, Bulcke, Norwood
Murray, Plesius, JJ, Bowman, Lawrence
E. Davis, Webb, McCullough, Breaux
Mix it up. Don’t let the Riders get set in their formations & blocking schemes. Give them different looks. Make their Oline call out protection schemes. Make them think on their feet. Mixing up packages allows you to bring pressure from all different angles. Make the Riders have to make adjustments to your alignments & packages rather than letting them tee-off on you out of their stances & sets.
The 4-4-4 should be stout against the run while clogging the middle passing zones.
The 5-3-4 should be even stouter against the run while taking away the interior throwing lanes for Durant.
The 3-5-4 will clog the middle of the field eliminating the intermediate routes.
Which leads me to Key #2 … Make Double D Read & React.
Pretty simple & straight forward & deliberately literal. If you can make Darian Durant have to read & react to YOUR defensive alignments, schemes, pressure & coverages … You’ll win … As long as you limit his scrambles. He’ll pick up 1st downs with his legs. Get used to & accept it. But you can’t let him pick up 20 & 30 yards on a scramble & shift the field position battle!
Durant’s biggest scrambles are up the middle. The 4-4-4 & 3-5-4 & 5-3-4 alignments & athletes on the field in such schemes should limit DD’s scrambles right up the middle.
Harkening back to Key #1 … Mix it up defensively in order to mix up Durant & get him out of rhythm & off his game. 5 Dlinemen blocking his passing lanes at times. 5 LB’s clogging the middle at other times. A balanced 4-4 spread that brings 6 pass-rushers at times & only 3 at others.
All of which leads to my 3rd Defensive Key … Which is in reality a summary point … Make Saskatchewan Adjust!
Use different alignments, schemes, packages, coverages, etc, etc, etc, and make Saskatchewan … Or rather George Cortez … Adjust!
We all know all too well how Curious George does not like to make, nor can make, or makes the wrong … Adjustments!
Gotta get Saskatchewan off their game-plan … just like Hamilton did to Montreal Offensively … Hamilton has to do that to the Riders Defensively!
Get Saskatchewan off their game-plan … at home … in GC101 … under all that pressure … silence the crowd … let Durant et. al. feel the pressure … If Hamilton can do that … They’re well on their way to victory!
Next we’ll look at the Offensive side of the ball for the TiCats!