Are the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Toast?

Tough times in Tiger-town.

Without their starting quarterback since the first game, without a stadium, and with a four-game Western road trip to begin the season, the Cats had a proverbial long field ahead of them. And only a week ago, everyone considered the Hamilton Tiger-Cats the league’s biggest underperformers.

They didn’t win games, but they came really, really close. Other, better teams beat them on last-minute mistakes by the Ticats, like bad field goal execution and idiotic penalties that kept their opponents’ drives alive. The team looked better in some games, and worse in others, but there was little question that they had the potential to improve.

Pieces falling into place…

And across the roster, you could see a winning team coming together. Last year they dressed a CFL record 96 players in the year due mainly to injury; there was a revolving door at every position on the field. This year they’ve been far more stable.

The secondary, especially with safety Craig Butler in place, seems tougher to beat every game, with knockdowns that have stymied some of the best aerial attacks in the league.

And Hamilton’s own receiving game has finally fulfilled the potential we saw last year, with Andy Fantuz and Sam Giguere finally getting good yardage, backed up by Hamilton veteran Bakari Grant and capable sophomores Luke Tasker and Greg Ellingson. Bandon Banks has fired up the special teams with some explosive returns, and C.J. Gable is becoming a reliable all-purpose back, with plenty of yards in the air and on the run.

If they could just fire all the cylinders in sync, this team would be on track for a strong post-season position.

Even the loss of starting QB Zach Collaros wasn’t the desperate problem everyone expected. Third-string QB Jeremiah Masoli was given the nod to start when Collaros went down with a concussion; he lasted a little over half a game before he was given the hook. Then the Dan LeFevour era began.

LeFevour has been in Hamilton for some time. He’s no rookie; he’s had some first-team reps and was the go-to short yardage man throughout the last season. He came ready to play.

And his outings for Hamilton, like everything else about the 2014 Ticats, showed a lot of promise. He didn’t need time to familiarize himself with the offence or the system, just stepped onto the field ready to play.

He’s completed two-thirds of his passes so far, and racked up over 1600 passing yards. He has four throws for majors, offset by his four picks. And he’s rushed for over 300 yards, only slightly behind Mike Reilly for eighth place on the rushing chart this year. For a backup, those are absolutely fine numbers.

…and then it all falls apart

And at the end of their last game before their late-August bye leading into Labour Day, tragedy struck.

LeFevour turned awkwardly, twisted his knee badly. It looks like a torn ACL. He’s gone for the season, maybe longer.

It’s a grim portent of things to come that Masoli, taking over from LeFevour with two minutes to play and only a field goal behind in the score, promptly threw an interception to Jamal Wall, sealing the contest for Calgary. Masoli has been tested twice this year, and has shown both times that he’s not ready for the big show. Yes, he can scramble, and he’s not useless in the air. But he’s not a starter yet, and won’t suddenly become one.

Hamilton has only one choice: hit the open market and find a new QB. Drew Tate isn’t terribly busy these days, and with Travis Lulay about to get the nod again for the Lions, maybe Kevin Glenn could be convinced to return to Steeltown. But can a new quarterback can take the reins quickly enough to turn this season around? That’s debatable at best.

If Zach Collaros gets healthy soon, the Ticats have a chance of putting the first half of the season behind them and turning this ailing ship around. But either parachuting in a new pivot or going with Masoli is a recipe for disaster.

Here’s hoping the new stadium opens and looks really nice, because Hamilton fans may not want to spend much time looking at the field this autumn.

 

Remember to add your picks in the comments. The LWOS CFL writers can’t possibly predict the scores better than you, can they?

Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LastWordOnCFL. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.

For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.

 

 

Main Photo: