23 of 24 return against Winnipeg
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will likely make just one change among the 24 offensive and defensive starters for Friday night’s home opener against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Field halfback Richard Leonard hasn’t practised all week and will probably be replaced by Frankie Williams, who started the season at cornerback but was the punt returner in last weekend’s 38-21 victory in Edmonton.
“We’re still going to watch (Thursday’s walk-through) practice and then make the decision on that,” June Jones said Wednesday. “I’m not a big fan of guys who don’t practise, playing.”
But, the head coach cautioned, there’s still some chance a late approval from the medical staff could put Leonard on the field. Doesn’t seem likely, though.
International Rashad Lawrence draws into the lineup and will provide a little extra height (6-foot-2) option in the receiving corps.
“He’s smart and catches the ball,” Jones says of Lawrence, who spent the past four years on NFL practice and pre-season rosters. “He just needs to play.”
And the special teams will be enhanced by the return of defensive back Jay Langa and defensive end Connor McGough, both Nationals.
“They’re probably two of the best special teams in the league,” Jones says. “We’ve been playing pretty well on special teams.”
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With 344 yards in the opening loss to Calgary and 322 in the ensuing win over Edmonton, Ticats quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has now surpassed 300 passing yards in seven consecutive games, just two short of the CFL record.
Sam Etcheverry had nine 300or-more-yard games in 1956 for Montreal, and former Ticat head coach Kent Austin matched that in 1991 for Saskatchewan.
Masoli’s average pass depth is a sturdy 13.5 yards, second in the league to Stampeder Bo Levi Mitchell’s 14.7.
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There’ll be about 50 of them, sitting behind the Blue Bombers’ bench Friday night: family, friends and fans of Stoney Creek’s Dan Petermann.
“A lot of tickets were bought,” the youngest (22) player on the Winnipeg roster says of his return to his hometown, for just his third CFL game. “It’s going to be fun.
“It’s going to be really cool, my first pro game back in Hamilton.”
Petermann got his first CFL field time, and made his first catch as a professional, in last weekend’s 56-10 blowout of the hapless Alouettes. Many of Winnipeg’s backup players saw action in the fourth quarter, and on second-and-6 late in the game, Petermann took a short pass in the flat from No. 2 quarterback Bryan Bennett and pushed forward for a seven-yard reception and the first down.
The wide receiver played at Cardinal Newman and later McMaster, where he shattered the school’s career-receiving mark with 181 catches in his four years as a Marauder.
Winnipeg selected him in the third round, 26th overall, of this spring’s draft. He probably should have gone higher — he had the fastest 40-yard dash time at the CFL combine — but didn’t have special teams experience. He’s working on that with the Bombers, but hasn’t yet seen action on Specials in a regularseason game.
The Blue Bombers have a young, and deep, core of Canadian receivers, 25 or under. Starters Drew Wolitarsky and Nic Demski are backed up by Petermann and No. 12 overall draft choice Rashaun Simonise.
Petermann says Winnipeg, “has some similarities to Hamilton. The core of it is working, and they love their Bombers and Jets out here.”
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Jones paid a pretty big compliment to Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea this week, although Tim Hortons Field fans certainly won’t second that emotion Friday night.
O’Shea always draws boos in Hamilton because twice in his playing career he chose to join the Argos as a free agent after being with the Ticats. He was the CFL’s rookie of the year with Hamilton in 1993 and played four total seasons with them over two stints. The former linebacker is on the all-time Argos team for his 12 brilliant seasons in double blue.
“This team we’re playing looks to me to be the best-coached team I’ve watched in quite a while,” Jones said. “That’s not taking anything away from anybody else. Calgary is obviously wellcoached, but these guys are in that category. They have very good schemes on both sides of the ball and their offensive line is well-coached.”
Jones knows that any time O’Shea is around, the special teams will have a few tricks up their sleeve.
“We’re very conscious of that,” he says. “I think they’re still upset we onside-kicked on them last year. Usually they’re doing that to somebody. So we’re going to have to be alert on every phase of special teams.”