It\u2019s difficult to fathom a more heartbreaking way to lose a playoff game than on a walk-off field goal, with zeros on the clock and a Grey Cup berth on the line.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also difficult, if not impossible, to understate the magnitude of that type of agony for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and their faithful supporters, given they haven\u2019t celebrated a Grey Cup victory since 1999.<\/p>\n
But two months after the latest gutpunch, president of football operations Orlondo Steinauer chooses to focus on the positives rather than wallow in the could-have-beens from the Eastern Final.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re obviously extremely disappointed in the outcome,\u201d Steinauer said earlier this week during CFL Winter Meetings in Calgary. \u201cI thought we played hard and we didn\u2019t find a way to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
RELATED \u00a0<\/p>\n The Montreal Alouettes won 19-16 on a 45-yard field goal by Jos\u00e9 Maltos D\u00edaz.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m super proud of our people and everyone involved, from the coaches to the players,\u201d Steinauer said. \u201cYou have to reflect on how we were able to get to that game and how we can possibly have a different outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Zooming out to the bigger picture, the Tiger-Cats (11-7) finished first in the East in 2025. The offence put up glittering stats with Bo Levi Mitchell<\/a> under centre and a star-studded receiving corps at his disposal (including Kenny Lawler<\/a>, Kiondr\u00e9 Smith and Tim White<\/a>).<\/p>\n Sackmaster Julian Howsare led a ball-hawking defence. Kicker Marc Liegghio connected on 92.9 per cent of his field goal attempts.<\/p>\n The Tabbies couldn\u2019t pull it all together when it mattered most.<\/p>\n Steinauer signed Mitchell to a two-year extension in December \u2014 thus crossing off the biggest item on his off-season to-do list. Father Time comes for all of us at some point, but the brazen gunslinger led the league in passing last season with 5,296 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.<\/p>\n Not bad for a guy the Calgary Stampeders cast aside in 2022 for being too injury-prone and allegedly past his prime.<\/p>\n \u201cBo still wants to play football and Bo can get the job done,\u201d Steinauer said. \u201cHe can lead a football team, and he has everything you would want to lead your team to a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n So now the focus turns to providing Mitchell with the best-possible supporting cast.<\/p>\n \u201cBo needs to be protected, first of all,\u201d Steinauer said. \u201cBo can\u2019t do it by himself. So if Bo is going to lead us to a championship, we\u2019ve got to be a great team, along with a great offence. Obviously, he\u2019s got to have receivers, but it starts up front with protection.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you can\u2019t keep him up right, then it\u2019s hard to deliver the football.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n To that end, guard Brandon Revenberg<\/a>, a five-time All-CFLer, signed an extension with the Tiger-Cats earlier this month.<\/a> The East Division nominee for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman is an invaluable cog.<\/p>\n But Steinauer says there\u2019s still work to be done in providing Mitchell with a stellar offensive line.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s ongoing,\u201d Steinauer said. \u201cIt\u2019s in motion, right? The beautiful thing is we don\u2019t play, or we don\u2019t go to training camp, until May. So there\u2019s lots of time in between.\u201d<\/p>\n On the other side of the ball, Hamilton signed Howsare \u2014 the East Division nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player \u2014 to a contract extension<\/a>. Howsare is coming off a career season in which he amassed 43 defensive tackles, two forced fumbles, one interception and one touchdown.<\/p>\n Howsare joins Revenberg and defensive backs Stavros Katsantonis<\/a> and Jamal Peters<\/a> as big-name players who chose to stay in Hamilton rather than test free agency.<\/p>\n
\u00bb Ticats sign National offensive lineman Chris Kolankowski<\/a>
\u00bb Ticats extend defensive lineman Julian Howsare<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Official 2026 Free Agent Tracker<\/a>
\u00bb Bo Levi Mitchell, Ticats agree to two-year extension<\/a>
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