Ticats take the time to get used to the time
Jonathon Jennings’ legs won’t be the only things the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will be trying to slow down in Vancouver this weekend.
Another will be their own body clocks, which will be ticking three hours ahead of local time when the Ticats take to the BC Place field Saturday night at 10 p.m.
Some CFL eastern teams, including the Tiger-Cats at times in the past, fly to B.C. the day before the game. Others, including the Ticats last year and this week, take an extra day in Vancouver to help players acclimatize themselves as much as possible to the time difference.
“Some teams don’t go early but, honest- ly, I think if you’re coming from the east, you have to commit to that day early or else you’re going to be out there playing at one in the morning, by your body time,” Hamilton defensive end Justin Capicciotti said as the Ticats prepared for their 6 p.m. Thursday flight.
“You’re not going to be adjusted and you’re going to be tired. The extra day helps a ton: that’s two nights you’re going to be out there, staying up later. I usually go to bed pretty early, normally by 11
(p.m.), so I’ll stay up until 11 their time the first day, which is two in the morning here. I’ll take the hit on the first day, then the second night you can stay up till 11 their time again. And then you’ll feel a little more normal.”
Head coach June Jones says he prefers players to stay with their normal time patterns, especially going east to west, but many will try to follow the same regimen as Capiciotti.
While dealing with their circadian rhythm, the Ticats also have to manage an ascendant B.C. defence which is at the top of the CFL in sacks, interceptions and pass knock-downs, and is basking in self-belief.
And the Ticats will have to do that without their No. 1 offensive threat. Fleet Brandon Banks, second in CFL reception yards despite missing last week’s loss to Calgary, will be out again. He didn’t practice all week and is being held back as a precautionary measure so he doesn’t aggravate his groin injury.
That’s one less weapon to counteract a dangerous Lions’ rush.
Veteran defensive linemen Odell Willis and Shawn Lemon have been rejuvenated since landing in Vancouver this year, and rank No. 2 and 3 in the league in sacks, combining for 17 quarterback arrests. The defensive front also includes former Ticat starter Davon Coleman, traded west during training camp. He’s got four sacks himself.
It’s the Lions’ offence which dons a different face after Travis Lulay dislocated his shoulder last week in Montreal. Jennings, who relieved Lulay in each of the Lions’ last two games, both wins, hasn’t started in 12 weeks. He had a breakout season two years ago with 27 touchdown passes, but over the past two years, partly affected by injury, he’s tossed more interceptions than touchdown passes.
But he adds that fourth dimension through which a CFL quarterback can make such an impact when it’s properly employed: good wheels.
If he’s not contained inside, Jennings will force the Hamilton secondary, which skews toward man-to-man play, to maintain coverage longer. The Ticats need to force him to try to beat them from the pocket.
“I think with Jennings you have more of that run threat,” says Hamilton linebacker
Larry Dean. “I’m not saying that he can’t throw it and make all the throws. It’s just a more prevalent run threat, whereas with Lulay you more or less know you’re getting a true passer, a pocket passer.”
His teammate, defensive lineman Jason Neill notes that Jennings is “more the college type quarterback, that dual-threat type of dude and you just have to make sure you’re covering all the gaps. Making sure he doesn’t escape the pockets is probably the biggest thing because you know he wants to make plays with his feet, so if we keep him in the box, keep him going back and forth, we should be good.”
The Ticats want to climb back on the destiny train after a frustrating errorfilled loss to the Calgary Stampeders.
The Ticats prevailed 24-23 in B.C. last September to move their record to 3-1 under Jones. Sergio Castillo kicked a 50yard field goal to win it with 10 seconds left and tailback Alex Green rushed for 140 yards in his Ticat debut.
Castillo was later injured, then released, while Green is out with the shoulder injury he incurred against Calgary. He’ll be replaced by John White.