Things can change quickly in professional sports.
Just look at the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
After surging to the elite ranks of the CFL with six consecutive victories in the aftermath of two losses to open the campaign, the Ticats are now in the midst of a roller-coaster campaign.
Hamilton (6-5) has lost three in a row — a wild walk-off defeat against the visiting Toronto Argonauts was the latest setback — and now finds itself needing a win Saturday in Montreal against the similarly struggling Alouettes (5-6) to maintain first place in the woeful East Division.
Ticats QB Bo Levi Mitchell made it clear all was not well in Hamilton following the Labour Day letdown versus the team’s longtime rival, implying everyone was not on the same page.
“There’s signs of maturity, but there’s a lot of signs of immaturity,” Mitchell said after the Argos’ miraculous 18-second run from down one point to victory, thanks in large part to Dejon Brissett’s miraculous catch-and-run.
“There’s pointing fingers, there’s blaming coaches for a bad play. That’s internal, that’s our job to be better at that. To be a leader at all times, no matter who you are on this field. Every player has got to look at themselves individually and how they can get better and not blame a call. They’ve got to go out there and saying whatever the call, I can make the play, I can do my job. That’s what we get paid to do. We’re football players.”
Mitchell said he was not above criticism in this department, either.
“I kept getting on Woody (centre Coulter Woodmansey) about snaps and where they were (after several shaky ones in the first quarter), about giving up pressure and not being able to release the ball high,” Mitchell said. “But that’s my job, that’s what I get paid to do — catch a snap, somebody’s in your face, make a throw, don’t let things affect you.
“(Head coach) Scott (Milanovich) got on me at halftime about that. He’s like, ‘Hey, grab a snap wherever it’s at, plant your feet, make your throw. That’s your job. It needs to be that mindset. If I critique you, if your coach critiques you, if your teammate critiques you, take it the right way. Use it as positive criticism, go out there, attack it and get better.”
With two of the three last losses being walk-off heartbreakers (the B.C. Lions beat Hamilton in overtime to start the streak), the margin between winning and losing has been very slim.
But the Argos were the better team against the Tiger-Cats, who were very sluggish to start in front of their own sellout crowd and then allowed the visitors to erase a two-possession deficit in the fourth quarter.
“The thing that’s important is everybody is going to focus on that last play (by Brissett),” said Milanovich, stressing the defeat was caused by much more than one bad, crazy play.
“Offensively, we weren’t good on second down in the first half. I think we had three or four second-and-11 pluses, which is difficult. Special teams, we didn’t cover kickoffs very well. And defence obviously, we gave up too many points in the fourth quarter. What I told them after the game was any finger-pointing in the locker room is BS because everybody’s responsible for this loss.”
If the Ticats bounce back and win against a fourth-string quarterback in James Morgan, however, Hamilton will take the season series against Montreal and have a stranglehold on the East.
The big question is how the Ticats will respond on a short week following an absolutely brutal loss in the marquee game of the regular season.
“If we’re winners,” Milanovich said, “it will be motivating.”
Losers of four in a row, the Alouettes are finally getting some key pieces back.
Receivers Tyson Philpot and Austin Mack, running back Sean Thomas Erlington and safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy are all expected to return for the game against Hamilton.
Star quarterback Davis Alexander (hamstring) will remain out, but did participate in parts of practice this week, meaning he could be close to a return.
“We knew the bye was coming at the perfect time for us (last week),” head coach Jason Maas said, per Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette. “A lot of healthy bodies were going to be back. That’s what we’ve seen at practice. Right now, it’s a healthy group and it’s exciting.
“When you come back, it’s refreshing to see the standings, too. Know that we’re going for first place this game. That’s awesome. I don’t think this group needs a lot of motivation, but it’s nice to see that what has been done has been done. Everything we want to accomplish still is ahead of us.”
The injury news isn’t nearly as good for the Edmonton Elks, who placed standout defensive lineman Jake Ceresna (knee) and linebacker Nyles Morgan (leg) on the six-game injured list Thursday.
The West’s last-place team hosts Calgary in a rematch of the Labour Day game won by the Stamps.
Stamps star defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings (groin) is questionable.
There’s also bad news for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Receiver Dalton Schoen (knee) is back out after returning last week for the first game of a home-and-home set against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Two more former NFLers signed CFL contracts this week.
Canadian offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell signed with the Elks after a five-year run in the NFL. The Red Deer, Alta., native was waived last summer by the Arizona Cardinals with an injury designation.
The former Alberta Golden Bear had his rights claimed by the Elks in a trade with the Alouettes, who picked him in the third round of the 2020 CFL Draft.
“It’s always great to have a valuable role on the team, or a more impactful role,” O’Donnell said. “Definitely something I’m looking forward to, definitely part of the decision to come here.”
Meanwhile, receiver Ontaria Wilson is back with the Blue Bombers after being cut by the New York Jets.
As a CFL rookie last year, Wilson recorded 71 receptions for 1,026 yards.
Friday, Sept. 5: B.C. Lions (5-6) at Ottawa Redblacks (3-8), 7:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Sept. 6: Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-5) at Montreal Alouettes (5-6), 1 p.m. ET
Saturday, Sept. 6: Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-2) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-5), 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT
Saturday, Sept. 6: Calgary Stampeders (8-3) at Edmonton Elks (4-7), 7 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. MT
Bye: Toronto Argonauts (4-8)