TICATS VETERAN SAYS TEAM CONFIDENT IN QB MASOLI
From his perch on the football field — if you want to call it that — Mike Filer has seen plenty with the Hamilton Tiger-cats.
The 28-year-old centre is about to embark on his seventh season in the Hammer, having made his CFL debut with the Ticats in October 2012.
While there’s the natural eagerness that comes with having June Jones and his coaching staff in control from Day 1 of training camp — Jones started to put his stamp on the team last August when he took over from Kent Austin and guided the Ticats to a 6-4 record in their final 10 games after they started 0-8 under Austin — Filer is encouraged by another element of camp he has witnessed the past few weeks.
There hasn’t been much, if any, willingness on the part of No. 1 quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to hand the job to Johnny Manziel, no matter that the majority of football observers figure Manziel eventually will be the starter.
“You know what, I think for other people it’s a surprise, but for us on the team, it’s not,” Filer said Wednesday following practice at Mcmaster University.
“We’ve known Jeremiah (has the potential to be) a starter in this league for many, many years.
“I have been with Soli since he came in 2013, and I have got to know him really well. I know what he is about, but what I see more than what other people see is his preparation and what he puts into it behind the scenes.
“We don’t leave any stone unturned.”
That Manziel, the Heisman Trophy winner in 2012 and an NFL first-round pick in 2014, is gunning for the job hasn’t ruffled Masoli’s feathers. While Manziel is expected to start Saturday in Montreal against the Alouettes in the Ticats’ final pre-season game, Masoli won’t play, instead held out to avoid possible injury ahead of the regular-season opener on June 16 in Calgary.
“Competition is going to be anywhere you go in this business,” Filer said.
“It doesn’t matter if you got Johnny coming in, there are three other great quarterbacks (in camp) who are pushing them.
“For Soli, he understands. He is going to focus on being the best he can be and I think he is doing a great job. He is being a heck of a leader, really pulling the team together, and I think he has what it takes to do it (during the season).”
Having said that, Filer has been impressed with Manziel.
“He has taken control of the huddle when he is in there, been communicative and he has been asking questions when he does not understand,” Filer said.
“We have a great group of guys out here, everyone is pushing to be the best we can be and we have one goal in mind: To win the Grey Cup.”
Ah yes, the Grey Cup.
The Ticats twice have competed for the Cup during Filer’s time in black and gold, getting crushed in 2013 by Saskatchewan before they narrowly lost in 2014 against Calgary. Hamilton lost to Ottawa in the East final in 2015 and then fell to crossover Edmonton in the East semifinal two years ago.
The Ticats hit the reset button when the Austin era crashed to a definitive halt last season, but with Jones at the helm and Orlondo Steinauer back as the assistant head coach after one season away (and let’s not forget the addition to the staff of defensive co-ordinator Jerry Glanville), Filer thinks the optimism is well-placed.
“We finished pretty strong last year on that 10-game run we had and we want to pick up where we left off,” Filer said.
“Slow start, we want nothing like that, we want to get the ball rolling and get going.
“Losing is tough, man. But that’s what makes winning so much better. You can’t appreciate winning until you have lost. Going through those losses as a team and an organization, it hurts, but it makes winning that much sweeter.”