Our Oline and Dline

Both our lines are looking like shambles going into this week's game in Montreal.

Offensive Line :

Van Zeyl appears to be injured again not participating in practice this week.

We will have no legit tackle on right or left going into the game .
We may have to play Okafor and Gibbon at the tackles which is a very scary thought.

Looks like we might be forced to play the import Yarbrough at Guard again ( i hope not as it is a traditional national spot and a waste of an import resource to play him there)
Ok, we have Ciraco at center and Rev at guard which is decent .
Why would we release our starting import tackle after only 1 game. Tate spent most of 2019 with the team and likely took first team reps through all of training camp so he would know the Ticats schemes and offense fairly well.
i thought maybe we let him go to pursue NFL opportunities but it turns out the Argos signed him . Maybe the Argos signed him to get all our elite oline and offensive calls that provided us with 2 tds in 2 games thus far. Not !!! :slight_smile: ROTFLMAO

Our Oline moves have been dysfunctional so far this year. The extra week off should have given us time to bring in a cfl veteran OT like Derek Dennis or Coleman or a tough national guard but we really did none of that .
I know we brought in an import lineman but he has no CFL experience.

We need to dress an import Don Jackson or Wes Hills at RB this week as STE is not cutting it especially with this non physical online. So let's pray that Ted Laurent is healthy enough to allow us this much needed upgrade.

I am very very concerned about our Online.
I was never a big Filer fan, but I would welcome him back now and move Ciraco back to Guard to at least strengthen the interior .

Who will play the two tackle spots this week is a scary thought. is it time to give Woodmansey a start at guard or tackle ? My guess is no .

Defensive Line

OK , we need Laurent to be healthy and productive mostly for ratio reasons so we can start an additional import offensive weapon.

I am curious what is going on with Je'Gared Davis and his suspension . We are screwed for a pass rush if he doesn't play.

It looks like Wynn has not practiced this week which means Wilson will start at DT. Mauldin isn't practicing either and Howsare has been below average thus far this year . if Davis can't play, then they may have to go with national Mason Bennett or Raheem or Carney.
Overall a very large area of concern right now.

Good news is that it looks likely that Brooks and Adeleke will be returning to their starting spots on defence

Stribling has looked very good replacing Brooks. Keep an eye on Stribling and Lawrence to potentially bump Frankie or Rolle at some point this season as both dbs have looked a bit shakey.

I hope Frey dresses this week as he is a beast on specials and could start at Wil it MLB if needed.

I am guessing that we will at least see Tucker and maybe J. Marshall back in at receiver if only for their experience or one of Papi or Tim White could start as well

It has been a disastrous start of the season and we can ill afford to go ( 0 and 3 ) heading into a back to back versus the much improved Argos.

Seems that Masoli has a rib Injury. I wonder if that played into why we cut j'mar Smith and signed back Watford in case Masoli can't go.

On a positive note:

Like most years, it would have been really tough to come out with a win on the road in hostile and loud Winnipeg or Regina even if we were healthy and playing half decent.

In our big record breaking 15-3 2019 season, we were unbeaten 9-0 at home and thus only 6-3 on the road anyway . It is tough to win on the road especially in those 2 places.

Sounds like a reasonable enough suggestion. Please provide a list of all the starting caliber, free agent Canadian guards who are available to sign in late August.

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Good point EXPat. One could be Ciraco as a result of signing back Filer at Center.

Otherwise , I would suggest a trade for a current CFL backup playing behind an elite lineman likely a SASK or WPG backup.

We could trade from our area of strength import receiver ( Tucker, Marshall or Posey), import DE ( Mauldin or Howsare) , or national safety ( Daly, Katsantonis) or import linebacker ( Beverette or Fry )
Looking at some of those names , we could likely land a starter especially if we threw in Gibbon or Woodmansey)

O’Donnell was a national olineman that was sitting out there as a free agent for a long time.
I thought he would have been a great pickup with Van Zeyl aging and he can play guard or tackle.

Just curious, how far removed is Ryan Bomben from playing days?

This post has too much desperation.

Gibbon and Woodmansey are promising young 1st round draft picks. They are our future. You don’t just trade them away for a quick band-aid solution.

Bringing in older guys like Bomben and Filer won’t help either. They are not in game shape and likely can’t keep up anymore.

The Cat’s GMs will likely bring in a couple of NFL cuts for a look.

Hi Krisiun,

I am not showing desperation but I do feel we need some tougher more physical oline play in the run and pass protection game. I am just throwing names out there. I would not give up on our future lineman unless we were getting a big upgrade for multiple years .
You have to give up quality to get quality . I think Gibbon is getting a failing grade thus far and is not very physical but I would not just give up on him and certainly not for a short term fix.
I agree fixing the import offensive tackle spot is easier after NFL cuts.

The Oline will not get to the Grey Cup with Gibbon and Okafor starting . Not this year anyway. That is why , I would suggest they to get a decent upgrade in the national guard play.
Why they they let Tate go is beyond me as we have no import tackle with any CFL experience or much familiarity with the CFL or the Ticats schemes.

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I understand your frustration with the talent level/ inexperience of the linemen this year. With all the retirements league wide and the 2 year layoff it’s going to be very difficult to find veteran help as mentioned. Thaddeus Coleman is in his mid-30 s. Derek Dennis would still need time to get into game shape if he’s even interested at this point and they decide to sign him. I was disappointed they let Tate go as well but that’s not in our control.

My guess is they will keep plugging in young Americans at tackle and bringing in NFL cuts until they find a couple of guys who seem competent enough. And rotate Okafor, Woodmansey, Gibbon at right guard until they find some viable combination.

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Bomben always was the key.

Also Derek Dennis is under contract to Edmonton. Would need to be a trade for him too.

True they never released him but he refused to report to camp. Edmonton might be interested in getting something for him but whether he’s even interested in playing for anyone at this point? He’s about the only known quantity veteran tackle around. Doubt you will see him on the Cats.

I would love to see that list also.

He was. He had a deal in place to play for someone else but EDM is not letting him out of his contract.

From 3DN's weekly column of anonymous CFL insider quotes:

The problem in Hamilton is the protection. They miss (retired centre) Mike Filer a lot and I’m not sure (offensive line coach Mike) Gibson has been a great fit there. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.

I am still in the camp that believes Filer was “encouraged” to retire, to save him the embarasement of being cut. I think there’s a story behind all this, but, of course, nothing’s ever reported in Hamilton. Even our “local” 3DN blogger posts more about the WWE and Forge FC than he devotes to the CFL.

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To be fair I’m not sure he’s paid to be a blogger.

lol.

Hey Darius , all I got to say after reading that article is…

At least he is self aware. That is the 1st step to fixing a problem.

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Yep . He’s taken that first step . He’s gone to an O-Line Stinks Anonymous Meeting .

" Hi " I’m Darius and our O-Line stinks .

"Welcome Darius " you did the right thing by taking that first step . :upside_down_face:

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I agree! Filer was a great centre, but I kind of get the feeling the front office told him to retire or he’ll be cut. Didn’t he retire a couple days before final cuts?

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More news, but on the D-0Line front.
Insert "There WILL BE consequences" gif:

For an inhouse move I would get Gibbon to centre and Ciraco back to guard.

The team manged injuries spectaculary in 2019, just too many to overcome so far.
VanZeyl
Davis-Wynn-Mauldin (Teddy maybe)
Brooks
Burt, Irons, Jackson
Tucker, Posey, Addison
Masoli

Crazy