2011 - Game 6. Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Calgary Stampeders

[Zontar]

Another week another "test".

As Cats enter the post Bruce era they're going to have to do it with the kids. Grant, Wms and the return of Kelly and Mackay - a whopping 8 (?) games of experience between them.

CAL has a great defense, in the top three in most categories. So once again much of the burden falls on AC to take some pressure off Glenn.

After last week the defense can handle just about anything now but Burris, Reynolds and Cornish present as big a challenge as Bryant, Rambo.

STs and turnovers will be the diff. here. Thiggy is due to bust one . Any game now secondary will take back a pick.

For those scoring at home HAM hasnt won in CAL since Greg Kollege and the boys did it way back in 04.

[Zontar]

Injury update. Carlos Thomas is out-fairly significant.

Stamps starting MLB - Simpson out and Rambo out. Quite significant.

[boxhsloppy]

As Cats enter the post Bruce era they're going to have to do it with the kids. Grant, Wms and the return of Kelly and Mackay - a whopping 8 (?) games of experience between them.

Arland Bruce is the man, but we still got a good group here. Dave Stala and Maurice Mann here to provide the veteran presence.

If Mann ever gets back in the lineup that is...

[Zontar]

HAM just isnt good enough yet and CAL is too good to expect a win with a last minute thrown together rec. corps of rookies and an injured secondary that was just beginning to come together.

A somewhat disaapointing effort by the front seven - but CAL isnt chopped liver either.

Needed a balanced attack in second qtr. to keep pace and didn't get it.

Game should be some smelling salts for the defense and another example of how important it is to sustain extended drives on offense.

Winning streak was fun but there's work to do.

[ty_pex]

HAM just isnt good enough yet and CAL is too good to expect a win with a last minute thrown together rec. corps of rookies and an injured secondary that was just beginning to come together.

A somewhat disaapointing effort by the front seven - but CAL isnt chopped liver either.

Needed a balanced attack in second qtr. to keep pace and didn't get it.

Game should be some smelling salts for the defense and another example of how important it is to sustain extended drives on offense.

Winning streak was fun but there's work to do.

This was winnable. We showed it for 30 minutes.

Our receivers were fine. We stopped making sensible plays on offense, failed to block for Cobourne, and took some stupid penalties (Jimenez - hello? what is the fine exchange rate on 4 points these days). Our D did not adjust to what the Stamps were doing to get first downs.

Definitely work to do. I hope Jones and Chamblin realized they failed this test and need to re-open the books.

[Zontar]

HAM just isnt good enough yet and CAL is too good to expect a win with a last minute thrown together rec. corps of rookies and an injured secondary that was just beginning to come together.

A somewhat disaapointing effort by the front seven - but CAL isnt chopped liver either.

Needed a balanced attack in second qtr. to keep pace and didn't get it.

Game should be some smelling salts for the defense and another example of how important it is to sustain extended drives on offense.

Winning streak was fun but there's work to do.

Our receivers were fine.

To a point.

I like Wms. as much as anyone but if your reason for being a starting rec. is explosiveness and big plays you have to do it more often and the last two games he hasn't.

Cant get away from the fact that he's small, the team philosophy is size and the QB isnt a pin point passer who needs rec.s to go vertical to help him. It would appear he isnt hard to cover either. Hard to tackle once he has space for sure.

When Mann gets back it might not be all that hard a decision of who has to sit.

Love for him to prove me wrong of course.

[ty_pex]

Williams lacks the experience to know how to get open against tight pro-level coverage. And he doesn't have the physical advantages that a guy like Kelly or Grant does to out-manoeuvre a DB or reach out and take the ball.

Given Thigpen's on/off tentative kick returns, I'd like to see Williams get used more for that too. Our special teams didn't do us any favours last night in terms of claiming field position with good run-backs.

[boxhsloppy]

Our receivers were fine. We stopped making sensible plays on offense, failed to block for Cobourne, and took some stupid penalties (Jimenez - hello? what is the fine exchange rate on 4 points these days). Our D did not adjust to what the Stamps were doing to get first downs.

The Jimenez penalty was frustrating. Killed some pretty good momentum we had going on that drive, and it was totally unnecessary.

Small things like that add up in a close game like this.

A somewhat disaapointing effort by the front seven - but CAL isnt chopped liver either.

I was pretty disappointed with their effort, I feel like they didn't leave it all on the field.

One play in particular, the Stampeders first touchdown (Larry Taylor). We came with the blitz, Calgary picked it up and had a man in front of all our guys. I just didn't see much of an effort to push past the blockers.