Mitchell will return as Ticat CEO in ’18 Bulldogs are sunk by Storm, and lack of scoring
While there are a number of key questions facing the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — including how they’ll respond Sunday against the Montreal Alouettes — the future of team chief executive Scott Mitchell isn’t one of them.
In his first public comments since his team was eliminated from CFL playoff contention, Hamilton Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young has given Mitchell a vote of confidence, while also warning against the pitfalls of massive organizational upheaval in the wake of an admittedly disappointing season.
“For all our fans who love to see changes when their team does not win as much as we want, and hate changes when the team is winning, that is not how good organizations operate,” Young said via email. “The worst thing an underperforming organization can do is to lose the good people it already has.”
Young, who purchased the team in 2003, said he understands the need for change. But the ability to evolve is just as important. And he has seen growth in Mitchell, who was named president in ’07 and promoted to CEO in ’13. Mitchell is also heavily involved in Young’s other business ventures, including a new domestic soccer team slated for launch in either ’18 or ’19.
“A major mistake winning organizations frequently make is not making changes. Great teams that do not strive to get better invariably become worse over time. Sadly, age does that to all of us,” Young wrote.
“(Mitchell) will be a big part of the solution to the challenges we have had on the field this season, and will continue to help me build the Tiger-Cats into a financially successful enterprise, ensuring the long-term stability of the Hamilton TigerCats Football Club both on and off the field.”
Mitchell came under fire this season after the team hired disgraced American college coach Art Briles as an assistant, only to rescind the offer less than 24 hours later after backlash from the community and media across North America.
GUELPH — It’s official. The Hamilton Bulldogs have a scoring problem.
The club fired off 46 shots and had several good opportunities to beat goalie Anthony Popovich in Guelph on Friday, but it couldn’t capitalize on enough of them in the 2-1 contest.
The loss was a first for Hamilton in four games; and the first win in four for the host Storm.
The trouble started early for the Bulldogs. Despite outshooting Guelph 20-2 in the first, they were trailing by a goal at intermission — the product of a defensive breakdown midway through the frame.
Cam Hillis found Mark Woolley wide open in the slot and the Storm rookie made his team’s only shot to that point count.
History repeated itself early in the second, when Cedric Ralph was left alone in front and was allowed no fewer than a couple of bats at the loose puck. Hamilton argued against the goal — the bench didn’t believe the puck crossed the line — but it was allowed after review.
Arthur Kaliyev got the lone Bulldogs marker early in the third.
With the Storm behind them, the focus for the Bulldogs is to get back on track quickly — something that has been an issue in the past for this team. John Gruden, however, isn’t panicking.
“There’s going to be adversity, but I do believe with this group, with the tightness, if we do lose one or two it won’t be three in a row, four in a row,” Hamilton’s head coach said. “We’ll nip it in the bud.” Heading into Guelph, the big issue for Hamilton was it wasn’t scoring — or, more accurately, it wasn’t scoring much. In their first nine games the Bulldogs had just 26 goals, which put them firmly in the bottom third of the OHL. It’s also roughly half as many as they scored by this time last season.
Hamilton is back at it Sunday at 2 p.m. when it hosts divisional rival Ottawa.
Briles was ousted from his previous job as the head coach at Baylor after a sexual-assault scandal that rocked the university.
Both Young and Mitchell apologized for the hiring and the team has since launched a partnership with Interval House, a local organization that provides housing and support services for abused women, in the “Be More Than a Bystander” campaign aimed at increasing awareness and understanding about the impact of violence against women.
Young did not address the fate of vice-president of football operations Kent Austin, general manager Eric Tillman or head coach June Jones. Sources close to the team said no decisions on their future with the club are expected to be made until after the conclusion of the regular season in early November.
Meanwhile, the team has a game to play in Montreal on Sunday, their first since being eliminated from playoff contention. Jones said the challenges of coaching so-called “meaningless” games aren’t much different from motivating a team that was 0-8 when he took over.
“That’s an interesting question. I don’t feel it’s any different, I feel like I’m in a better position right now because they trusted me and some of the things that I’ve been saying and doing. There’s more of a belief now,” he said. “The first week I was here, there was a hope. Now they see it. They can feel there’s a chance that we’ll be pretty good.”
The team will start Jeremiah Masoli at quarterback and field much the same lineup that lost to Calgary last week. Jones has made it clear that the goal is to win games now, not look ahead to 2018.
“Our kids have bought into the family atmosphere and they’re doing it for each other. That’s how you get good,” Jones said. “That film of the next three games is on their resumé, but they can’t put that ahead of the team. If you do that, you’re never going to play the game as well as you can.”
Unlike Mitchell, Jones is just one of several Ticats with uncertain futures — a list that includes several high-profile players who will be playing Sunday. Jones says he isn’t thinking about the future, but he’s certainly talking like he hopes to be here.
“I don’t talk about my future with the players, but I’m really proud with how these kids have hung together these last seven games,” he said.
“It would be unbelievable to win the last three and get that going for next year.”