Photo: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography / 3DownNation. All rights reserved.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats fell 44-20 at home to the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday afternoon. There were ups, downs and even a part of the game that went completely sideways for Hamilton.
This loss exemplifies all the issues that have come up for the Tiger-Cats all season long. Defensive struggles, a revolving door at the quarterback position, and some subpar pass protection. It leaves you wondering what truly comes next. Sitting at 1-4 since the injury, Hamilton is left searching for answers they may never find.
Typically, teams get stronger as the season goes along. For the Tiger-Cats, it feels as though things are getting worse at every position. A team that started the season playing strong and having statement wins under their belt is seeing the dam break.
As for where the Tiger-Cats go, that can only be determined by the people in the building. It appears they have run out of answers. What they can take away from Saturday is another question entirely. There will always be teachable things in games; this one had plenty.
ONLY BO SEEMS TO KNOW
The quarterback carousel continues in the Hammer with another switch made during the contest on Saturday.
Tre Ford started his third straight game after picking up a win and a loss in his previous two starts. From the jump, you could tell Ford may not have his A-game against Calgary. His second pass of the game was to an open Kiondre Smith in the flats, but the ball one-hopped on a routine throw. What shielded some of the early miscues was the strength of the running game on the opening drive. Unfortunately, it did not allow the game to come easier for Tre.
A week ago, Ford scrambled out of the pocket and kept the ball himself. As he attempted to reach for a first down, the ball was punched out. I wrote that even in that moment, you would like to see Ford slide and avoid a possible turnover. His third run on Saturday is where things began to go wrong. Ford seemed focused on picking up a first down, and instead of taking the field goal position, he leapt over a defender. The hurdle attempt did not work, and Ford landed on his feet. Before he could get his footing again, the ball was ripped out of his hands. Calgary would recover and connect on a field goal to take a 10-3 lead in the game.
Ford did have a stretch late in the first quarter and early in the second where you felt the game was starting to come to him. After responding to the turnover with confidence and getting a field goal on the board, things started to turn again. He was unable to get consistent completions and make routine throws, finishing the game four-of-10 for 58 yards through the air.
Before the opening half came to an end, backup Harrison Frost was thrust into action.
We have seen this before from the Tiger-Cats. In the loss to Winnipeg, where Mitchell’s injury occurred, Jake Dolegala was put into the game in the fourth quarter. I disagreed with that decision. Today, it felt as though we were heading towards Ford being replaced in the second half. I would have liked to see him be given the end of the first half, allowing for an easier reset for the entire offence in the locker room, but with under a minute to go in the second quarter, Frost appeared behind centre.
Frost would fumble two plays later, resulting in a scoop-and-score from the Calgary defence on his first drive. When Hamilton got the ball back, he was able to lead them to a field goal before the end of the first half.
In the second half, there was some promise. After a moonshot kickoff got the Tiger-Cats the ball, Hamilton converted on an endzone shot to Kenny Lawler. You could see that Frost was eager to find Lawler early and often once he entered the game. It felt as though it was the beginning of Hamilton turning the ship around.
Unfortunately for the Tiger-Cats, it was the only major score of the game.
Frost had moments and drives that looked solid and kept the Tiger-Cats afloat for longer than they deserved. It was different from Ford and, in totality, a better fit for what this offence wants from the quarterback. Frost finished the game nine-for-20 with 165 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and a fumble.
Clearly, Jake Dolegala was not an option for the Tiger-Cats to replace Ford, and I would expect him to continue his short-yardage duties. As for the starting quarterback position, Frost seems like the choice moving forward. Having pulled Tre Ford twice in games, it is clear that trust is lost. Scott Milanovich has hitched his wagon to Frost, and ultimately, it is unknown what the Ticats will get.
THEY CAN’T GET NO PROTECTION
The play of the offensive line has become an increasing issue for the Ticats. Early in the year, they didn’t get the push in the running game, but were solid in the passing game. Then you watched a little closer and saw Bo Levi Mitchell process the game so fast, it did not allow defenders to get home. Now with quarterbacks who do not operate on that wavelength, the lack of time has become staggering.
There was a play in the second quarter that really caught my eye. Tre Ford dropped back to pass, and left tackle Trevor Reid rode the defensive end high and wide of Ford’s set. That is his job. Now it is on Ford to step up away from that pressure and keep his eyes down the field.
That job is increasingly difficult when the guards and centre are pushed into the backfield and lose the battle on their blocks. Ford was doing what he is supposed to do, but not getting the help to do it effectively. If the protection was flawless and the quarterback played as poorly as we’ve seen the rotating cast perform, you can put it on the QB. However, there are multiple plays per game where they do not get the chance to prove themselves.
Too many times, the interior protection has broken down before the quarterback is at the top of their drop. While Ford proved in minor and university football that he could make up for poor protection on his own, it is an impossible task to do that in the CFL.
Again, this is not absolving the quarterback play that we have seen from the Ticats since the Mitchell injury, but every week the offensive line play is getting worse and not helping the situation.
Then there is the lack of awareness of how the offensive line is playing.
The attempted reverse with eight minutes left in the first half was just bad play calling. The offensive line has been pushed around all day. Ford is facing pressure when he hits the top of his drop. So why are you calling a play where you hand off, then flip an end around to toss it back to the quarterback? It simply does not make sense. In an offence where the simple things are going wrong, why create a scenario where complex things need to go right? It also took them out of field goal range — a mind-boggling decision.
The play before, they short-set the right tackle to attack the defensive end at the line of scrimmage and allowed Ford to move to his right to hit Keric Wheatfall for a first down. You do not have Bo Levi Mitchell to make up for poor line play. Make the game simpler for yourself, not more complicated.
Ultimately, it was not just one person or unit contributing to the failures of the offence on Saturday. It was multiple contributing factors to issues that are more prevalent week after week.
THEY NEED SOME HELP
One issue hurting the Ticats is the lack of turnovers forced by the defence.
Every game, there is a play where Hamilton could intercept the offence. On Saturday against Calgary, there were three moments where the turnovers could have created a spark for a team struggling to find its way offensively.
Wynton McManis had the last opportunity of the game for Hamilton. It was a difficult play where he had to stretch as high as possible to get his fingertips on it. The ball ended up falling to the turf, and Hamilton could not get the change of possession. That one would have been nice to have, and my mindset would be different if the first two chances for an interception had gone another way.
Jamal Peters was at the centre of the other two almost interceptions for the Tiger-Cats.
Let’s start with the first one. That needs to be brought in. The storyline for Calgary’s offence coming into the game was how Vernon Adams Jr. had yet to throw an interception this season. Adams Jr. threw the ball directly into the hands of Jamal Peters, yet it fell to the turf. Yes, he is a defensive back, and yes, there were bodies around. This is still professional football, and with the team struggling as much as they have, those are plays you need to make. It is not going to help the situation by not capitalizing on your opponent’s mistakes.
As for the second Jamal Peters almost interception, that is a different conversation.
Overall, the Ticats defence needs to be better. They need to be better at getting off the field, tackling, limiting opponents’ points and especially forcing turnovers. When you have the best passing offence in the league, the defence can be average. With an offence that struggles to generate offence, they need to be great. That would get a jump start if they could find extra possessions for their offence.
SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR
The second Jamal Peters play on the ball was an interception. He picked off Vernon Adams Jr. in the Hamilton end zone late in the first half. However, a roughing the passer call against Miles Fox negated the turnover, and Calgary would find the end zone just a few plays later, taking an 11-point lead.
Fox had split the Calgary centre and guard, creating an open lane to the quarterback. He arrived a split second after Adams let go of the ball. The timing of the play was not in question. Fox’s initial contact on Adams was facemask on facemask. If you touch the quarterback’s head, the penalty will be called.
The goal is to protect the quarterbacks when they are in vulnerable positions. You cannot hit him after the ball leaves his hands, contact his head or below his knees while in the pocket. That does not leave a lot of room for defences to work with while running full speed.
It is important to note, I am not arguing the application of the rule. The officials made the call correctly down to the letter of the law. In real time, I thought it was fine. Then I watched the replay and noticed the facemask-to-facemask contact. I have gone back and forth between “Fox needs to do more to avoid that” and “what else is he supposed to do?”
I can’t help but side with the frustration that Fox felt after he saw the flag come out, but ultimately, the defence needs to do more to avoid the situation. It does not feel like the league is interested in peeling back protective measures. In all levels of football, we are putting more onus on defenders and removing responsibility from offensive players.
NEED TO START ON TIME
Hamilton won the coin toss and elected to receive to start the game. They flipped the script to begin the second half when instead of kicking off deep, they kicked a moon-shot.
The moon-shot kickoff involves kicking the ball into the second level of the return team, hoping it lands around the numbers. The goal is to kick the ball as high as possible to allow your coverage team to get down the field and surround the ball quickly, limiting a return.
George Idoko was the Stampeder that the Ticats zoomed in on. The defensive lineman was unable to secure the ball, and Destin Talbert was able to swat the ball out of bounds, giving Hamilton possession.
After a field goal on the first drive of the game, the Ticats found the end zone on the opening drive of the second half. 10 of the 20 points in the game came in the opening drives of each half for Hamilton. Despite the failures, the Ticats offence was able to start quickly.
Calgary’s offence also started quickly on Saturday. After the Ticats went up 3-0 on the opening drive, Calgary marched right down the field on the Ticats defence. The Stampeders were facing second-and-four from the Hamilton 43-yard line. Hamilton went into cover zero, sending the house at Vernon Adams. Ticats safety Stavros Katsantonis was playing off Calgary receiver Dejon Brissett, giving him some space, then tried to jump the route, assuming Adams would throw the quick-hitting pass. The QB was patient and hit Brissett after Katsantonis took himself out of the play. Calgary responded to Hamilton’s opening field goal with a touchdown, putting the Ticats behind the eight ball.
In six out of eight games this season, the Ticats defence has given up points on the opening drive of the game. They have also given up touchdowns on the opening drive in two of the last four games. Something needs to change defensively for the Ticats as they are getting beat off the jump by their opponents.
Whether it comes from the coaching staff or the execution of the 12 players on the field, it needs to be a point of emphasis.
UP NEXT
This was the first of five consecutive Saturday games for the Tiger-Cats. Every Saturday in the month of August, Hamilton is in action. They head to Vancouver to take on the B.C. Lions on August 8 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. The last time Hamilton and B.C. met was in Week 3, when the Ticats won 41-27.
Both teams have lost their star quarterbacks since then and are trying to get things on the right track. B.C. is going into the Week 10 matchup following a 35-19 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday, improving their record to 2-5.
