The main problem seems to be generating any offence . The question is "is the problem with the offensive co-ordinator , QB , Receivers, or O-line , or of course all of the above "
My guess is it is all of the above . It is certainly time to put Chang in and see what he can do for the remainder of the season . If his results are the same then we know the problem lies in one of the other areas . In my eyes they are changing the recivers too much to gain any consistency . Mccants has a great resume , Gardner has shown alot of promise and Armstead is proven so why not go with these 3 guys and Chang for awhile . Put Radlein in at fullback and load up with another American reciever . Some screen passes to Lumsden might help too . I think we shoudl consider picking up boehringer from Calgary as he got cut . Does anyone know if George Hudson is coming back anytime soon
If this falters then we need a new offensive co-ordinator and maybe a veteran QB .
I also think we should not be bringing in so many new db's and american D-lineman . I do not think either one of West or Hodges has what it takes so recruiting has been very weak in this area . We need 3 good American lineman to work with Mckay . As well it seemed Cody was coming in way to late with his tackles playing safety so maybe he needs to play up a bit to put fear in the receivers .
I think it is time to give Bradly a start too has he hits hard and has show promise in the past . Put Cody back in his half back position and play Karkari there as he knows the position ...
Good suggestions.
Problem is that this coaching staff seems tied to some "plan" and everything has to fit the plan. Even though the plan has not worked (other than Jesse sometimes) they still seem hell-bent of following it.
Things look way more complicated than they need to be...including the play calling.
The Ticat offence has generated more yardage than the opposing offence in four of its first eight games this season. It stands fifth in the CFL with 338.5 net yards per game. However, it is last in the league with a mere 16.4 points per game.
Red zone failure and an excess of untimely, undisciplined penalties are the main reasons why the team is last in points scored per game. Whatever red zone preparations they made before the home game against Winnipeg need to be reinforced as they prepare for the Labour Day game against the Argos. As far as the penalty problem goes, recent history suggests that this will likely continue for the rest of the season.
The Ticat defence is ranked seventh in the CFL with average of 389 yards allowed per game. They are sixth in average rushing yards allowed per game and last in average passing yards allowed per game. They are sixth in the CFL in points allowed per game. There have been many changes in the defensive secondary, at one linebacker spot and at two places on the defensive line while the team tries to find a strong, quick defence. With NFL cuts soon to come, lineup changes will probably continue to occur at those positions as will the growing pains of the defence over the last half of the season.
The Ticats special teams tackling is better than it was last year but the kick returning has continued to be a weak spot. While it will be interesting to see how much of an impact Jason Armstead will have on kick returns, better blocking schemes are need. Meanwhile, Nick Setta has been pretty solid at field goals and kickoffs and appeared to rebound last game from a bit of a slump in the punting department.
The Ticats are indeed a work in progress. Here's hoping that the progress includes a few wins in the second half of the season.
I know Chang has looked a tad sloppy at times but he has also looked brilliant a few times in very limited play. To do things like that coming in cold off the bench can only mean good things in the future and especially once he gets more comfortable. To do this he needs to play.. obviously.
I'm not against Maas at all (I know he is trying) but our O simply isn't getting it done. We need to try a change at the most key spot.
Chang wants to be a leader.. he has the drive and the will along with the talent and mobility to make up for our so so O-line.
We are now 8 games into a practically brand new team from top to bottom.
I know most of you don't want to hear it because of the "5 year plan" talk you've been fed over the past years. But you are going to have to get it through your heads, this is an expansion team and it is going through growing pains. What did anyone expect from an entirely new coaching staff coming from a recent stint in the American college system, a rookie general manager, and a new president? I trust all of Bob Young's decisions, but really, what did you all expect?
They are going to require a bit of patience on our behalf. You can't change the mistakes of the past seasons, you just let the professionally trained and paid coaching and football operations staff try their best to make decisions for the present and the future of the franchise.
If you honestly thought this team was going to be over .500 this season, and your name isn't Marty York, then I will do you a favour and personally schedule you for a CATSCAN at your earliest convenience.
…all very valid points, but as a team, they are playing really bad football.
Habitual penalties, unfocused play, general lack of cohesion, are just some of the major roadblocks here.
It’s not the losing, it’s the way we are losing.
You can be, as you call it , “an expansion team” and still play entertaining and competitive football. This team is not.
IMO, I think the fans are getting tired of the status-quo from coaching and management. Now is the time to shake things up a bit, just for the sake of the real shareholders (IE. fans.) Yes, these moves made in haste might not have a ‘long term’ benefit for this team, but it shows us that management is aware of the discontent and is willing to act upon it.
The loyal fans are willing to wait for this team to find its identity in a few years, but what about the rest of fickle fans in Hamilton?
Start Chang bring in Maas if struggles. If Chang is terrible start Williams bring in Maas if he struggles. This is the only way to know if Chang and Williams are any good. The rest of the team continues to be a work in progress and with NFL cuts available keep upgrading.
Im out of ideas... for this group... But I do think the Bob and the staff, should work on lowering season tix prices or at least freezing them....Cmon, this is ridiculous.... they are going to have to do something, cuz we are losing people, fast.... a group of 4 people I sat with for 5 years, did not renew this year, nor did a few friends of mine, and thesae are not band wagon jumpers, just folks who have had enough. Don't think we can blmae them. Personally I will always have seasons, but it would be nice to get excited about a game once in awhile, like the old days....1999, yes it has been almost ten years since we have been a proud and competitive team....
It's not the win-loss record or even the struggling offense that bothers me. It's the ridiculous penalties and the way the team seems bent on shooting itself in the foot whenever they have a chance to do something good.
It just gives the impression that the team is a micky mouse outfit and not really CFL-quality. That's the problem. I mean, burning your timeout at the start of the THIRD quarter in a non-pressure situation just about sums it up for me.
The first thing is bring in an offensive co-ordinator that knows the CFL. I keep hearing how "complicated" our offensive system is. Bottom line is it is a complicated system for our offense but seems pretty simple for the opostitions defense to figure out.
Personally I think they should take a look at what it would take to get Danny Mac on the sidelines as Offensive Coach.
Paulywood wrote: "just let the professionally trained and paid coaching and football operations staff try their best to make decisions for the present and the future of the franchise."
Paulywood...what???? If we did that there would be no point in any of us offering our incredibly informed opinions on whats wrong with this team and what needs to be done to fix it.
Don't deprive us of this...it gives meaning to our lives.
ronfromtigertown wrote: "If Hersh had substituted the name Chang for Maas you may have seen the point he was making, mr62cats."
Ron: If the name Chang had been substituted for Maas, we would not to worry about the QB being sacked so much. From what I have seen so far, Chang has managed to escape tacklers pretty well. This allows the offensive play calling to change. So for me the original statement only applied to Maas.
