Sep
Hamilton: Back to the drawing board
Courtesy Hamilton Spectator:
Though just a regular Monday for us working stiffs, yesterday was actually hump day for Ticat head coach Marcel Bellefeuille: the day he transitions from deconstructing the last game to preparing for the next one.
With the sting of Saturday’s 31-30 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos slowly dissipating, Bellefeuille said he can start to glean the positives from an effort that saw his team start strong — the Ticats were up 14-0 in the first quarter — and lead into the final minute.
“We know we’re capable of playing with any one in this league, in any ballpark — the last two games have shown us that. It’s not a question of hoping, we know. The next phase is executing better and more consistently and we’ll win more of these games,” Bellefeuille said.
The head coach was able to identify several key plays that contributed to his team’s downfall: several dropped passes — including a sure touchdown — as well as a fumble and a botched punt coverage in the fourth quarter.
“We just made too many critical errors in critical parts of the field. That’s something you can’t do when you play good teams on the road,” he said.
Bellefeuille was unsure if there would be lineup changes following the loss, particularly if the receiver who dropped the touchdown, Drisan James, would lose the starting spot he took from Chris Davis just last week.
“It’s too early to say. We’ll start our preparation for Toronto (today) and part of the preparation is deciding personnel. We haven’t crossed that bridge,” Bellefeuille said. “The loss has nothing to do with any changes that we’ll make. We felt good about our effort. If we make any changes, it will be with an eye towards our long-term plan and what gives us the best chance to beat Toronto.”
In that same vein, Bellefeuille said he hasn’t made a decision on his starting quarterback for the Labour Day game against the Argonauts. Even if Quinton Porter is fully recovered from the mild knee strain he suffered against Saskatchewan, the head coach said that doesn’t guarantee he’ll return to the starting job.
The play of Kevin Glenn against Edmonton has given the head coach something to think about. Glenn threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, though he also surrendered two interceptions — including one with just seconds remaining. Glenn was trying to hit Arland Bruce deep, despite the fact the Cats only needed 20 or so yards for a field goal try.
But Bellefeuille said it was the right throw.
“That was his progression. They covered read one and read two and to Kevin’s credit he got to read three. They actually blew a coverage but unfortunately we didn’t convert. It was a good decision — had we made the play, it would have been a touchdown and we wouldn’t even be talking about the field goal team,” he explained.
The film breakdown of the Edmonton game complete, Bellefeuille now turns his attention to the Toronto Argonauts, whom the Cats play Sept. 7 and then again four days later.
“I’m not looking at the second one just yet — we’ll get ready for Labour Day and take the second one as it comes. But, any time you play an East Division opponent, it’s a four-point game,” he said.
With the Argos sitting in the East Division basement with a 2-6 record, a sweep by the Ticats would essentially end their season. But Hamilton, now 4-4, has just a one-game lead over Winnipeg for second.
“It has the potential to have a significant impact on the outcome of the season for both these teams,” Bellefeuille points out.
NOTES: Former Hamilton running back Guillaume Allard-Cameus signed with the Montreal Alouettes yesterday … Another former Ticat, receiver Jason Armstead, is rejoining the Roughriders. Armstead was traded from Saskatchewan to Hamilton in 2007 in exchange for Corey Holmes and Chris Getzlaf … The Ticats say more than 25,000 tickets have already been sold for the Labour Day game.
