Latest moves show Ticats are going for broke

The Ticats aren’t messing around.

It may have been a bye week, but the Ticats front office was still hard at work signing a slew of players over the last week, most notably veteran CFLers Kevin Elliott, Keon Raymond, Kendial Lawrence and Derrius Brooks, as well as making a trade with the Riders for defensive lineman Justin Capiccotti and offensive lineman Xavier Fulton for defensive lineman Lindon Gaydosh, receiver Tommy Streeter, and fourth- and seventh-round draft choices.

The Ticats are still in the thick of things in the terrible East Division, sitting just one point back of the first-place Ottawa Redblacks — who they will face this Friday at Tim Hortons Field and again the following Friday at TD Place — and these moves show the team is going for broke to win the East for the third time in the last four years.

The beauty of these moves is that every single one of them is a no-risk, high-reward acquisition. The team gains if the moves work out and lose nothing if they don’t. Many of these moves are a product of the expanded practice roster that we see at this time every year, but the team wouldn’t bring in veterans like Raymond or Lawrence without believing that they could crack the active roster at some point this season.

The addition of Raymond, who was inexplicably released by the Argos in August, not only bolsters the linebacking corps — thinking of Simoni, Raymond and Larry Dean as the Ticats linebacking trio should have any Ticats fan excited — but would help the secondary as well. You could move Rico Murray and/or Johnny Sears, Jr. back into the secondary when they return from injury. So not only does a linebacking unit that is already pretty good get better, but so too does the secondary.

The addition of Elliott from Toronto also gives the Ticats a talented, big-bodied American receiver that they desperately need following the season-ending injury to Chad Owens and the injury to Luke Tasker. Elliott was released by the Argos a week ago amid rumours of a poor attitude, but a change of scenery and a new locker room could be just what the doctor ordered. The Ticats need weapons, and getting one of the “Big 3” released by Toronto was a must. When Hazelton signed with the Eskimos and Gurley with the Bombers, that left Elliott. While the other two might have been preferable, getting Elliott is no booby prize. He can contribute immediately in a a receiving corps that needs bodies now.

Lawrence struggled mightily in Saskatchewan this season, but the skills he displayed in Edmonton for a few years did not just disappear overnight. Lawrence could help in both the return game and on offense, possibly lightening Brandon Banks’ role on special teams so Speedy B can be more involved in the offense, or by taking snaps as a scatback/slotback hybrid to create mismatches. He adds a dimension that the Ticats have been missing and brings the versatility that the team loves.

Another player who struggled this year but could get a new lease on life with a new team is Capicciotti. He has not been the player in Saskatchewan that we saw in Ottawa, when he tallied 23 sacks in two seasons with the Redblacks, but much like Lawrence, he is a talented player who could find a role as a nice rotational end with Adrian Tracy and John Chick. He is also Canadian, and having too many talented Canadians is never a bad thing. The Ticats gave up a former No. 1 overall pick to get him, but Gaydosh had rarely seen the field this year and was behind all-star Ted Laurent and the ever-improving Michael Atkinson. There was simply no room for Gaydosh, and to get a player like Capicciotti for him is a good move for Hamilton.

They also acquired offensive line help by getting Xavier Fulton in the deal with Saskatchewan. Hamilton’s offensive line has been inconsistent this season, and Fulton could finally solve the left tackle issue this team has had all season. Both Brian Simmons and Terrence Campbell have struggled guarding Zach Collaros’ blind side, and adding a veteran like Fulton could solidify that position for the remainder of the season.

Teams making so many moves this late in the year is usually a sign that things haven’t gone the way they hoped, and that is true for the Ticats here. They did not expect themselves to be sitting at 6-8 with four games left, but they are and now they are going about trying to change their team at a late stage in the hopes it will bring them what they have long sought: a Grey Cup championship.

These moves show the Ticats aren’t playing around. They see a chance to get to, and win, a Grey Cup and are doing whatever they can to make that happen.