Sober second thoughts after the Ticats pre-season win over the Redblacks last night…
• the Ticats rushed 23 times for 221 yards, a whopping 9.6 yard average. Running back Ross Scheuerman had 105 yards on 13 carries, all the second half against a Redblacks team that was devoid of CFL regulars. Still, this team has struggled to run the ball at times over the past few seasons and they certainly managed it on Friday. The injury to Da’Rel Scott, who went down with what looked like an arm or hand issues, combined with Scheuerman’s performance may have earned him the back up spot behind C.J. Gable.
• quarterback Jeff Mathews had another off night, going just 3-for-11 for 45 yards. That’s not a good sign coming on the heels of his two pick performance in the first pre-season game against Toronto. Mathews had a strong start to training camp but has struggled lately, even in practice. Masoli is clearly the starter but with Jacory Harris hurt – and I think he could be out for awhile – and Mathews misfiring, the Ticats may need to bring in some veteran help, just in case.
• I watched some of the Ticats live stream night – it was about 10 seconds behind the live action – and it looked technically flawless. The commercial breaks were a bit odd in that their were no commercials – the MLB streaming package I’ve used is like this, too – and there was less ambient game sound than a usual TV broadcast (likely due to a limited number of field microphones.) But given that the Ticats do this just once a year, it’s remarkably well produced and very watchable – especially given the alternative (which is to not see the game at all.) I’m sure Rider fans, with their team on the road in Edmonton this afternoon, would be overjoyed…
• the Ticats turned the ball over on downs twice but didn’t cough up the football otherwise, another good sign.
• the closure of Scott Park due to the new school construction means Ticat fans can no longer tailgate in their favourite spot. Most of the action appears to have moved to Lot E, the former Dominion Glass location (I’ve been parking there for a couple of years.) I talked to a few people and the general consensus was they preferred Scott Park but would make due with the new digs: apparently, the beer and sausages taste the same. The only downside from my perspective: I’ll need to build in extra time to chat football with Ticats fans both on my way to and back from the stadium – and fortify my resolve against nice people offering me beer and tasty eats. Just another hardship in a job full of them (note: I get paid to watch football for a living.)
• had a great post-game interview with Canadian defensive back Jonathan Langa, who had two interceptions last night. He’s predominantly an anonymous special teams contributor so when the media showed up to chat with him after the game, his teammates enjoyed giving him a hard team: players always like to see unheralded guys get some recognition. I wrote about Langa this winter when his high school coach, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, passed away and his interview last night was just as interesting. It’s below.
• there were 30 penalties called in the game and it took three hours and 11 minutes to play (average time in 2015 was 2:52.) Ottawa was flagged 17 times, Hamilton 13 and there were 12 total offside calls on defensive players. Austin was clearly displeased with the officiating but I didn’t press him on the subject: no point in getting him fined in the pre-season.
• the Ticats will be making their cuts today because their first practice in preparation for Thursday’s season opener will be held tomorrow. That’s going to make it tough on rookies who make the squad and then have to scramble to find a place to live on short notice. They will likely be able to stay at Mac for a bit or be put up in a hotel by the team but players usually have a few days to get their lives in order before the season starts. Not this year.
