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| Autor | Wiadomo¶æ |
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|  Wys³any: 2019-09-07 05:20:55 Temat postu: ers on the ice with him in 5-oin-5 play), so hes go
Final score of last years Grey Cup: Saskatchewan 45, Hamilton 23. What a disaster right? No, far from it. I thought last year for the Tiger-Cats was an immense success, not the ultimate success, but immense in my evaluation. Ending the season at 10-8 was the first time the Ticats had a 10 win season since 2001. Getting 10 wins has a psychological comfort about it in that it means you are not great but by no means are you a disaster. And then you consider in support of those 10 wins the team made it to the Grey Cup, first time since 1999, the 45-23 loss has to be put into rational perspective against the season. The Ticats had a good season last year, a type that leads to the inevitable feeling of impending improvement. Consider playing the season basically on the road at University of Guelph. To be clear, that city receives my praise for embracing the Ticats with both arms and not letting go. All adversity considered, we all thank them for what they did both on and off the field. Sure, I am positive the revenue they received enhances the quality of what it was invested in, but my attitude is "thank you for being there." If not for you, not sure what the league could do. But, this year could be different with the building of Tim Hortons Field. I live about 15 minutes away and have keep my eye on its progress month after month. It is coming, may not yet be 100 per cent ready, but its mold gives me a feeling that this could be unique. A home field advantage could finally be a tangible aspect of winning football. What needs to improve? Well, like all teams there is always room. First and most importantly, continuity of personnel. Hamilton went through 57 different starters over the course of the year; some due to injury but also some due to simple evaluation of whether this player can play productively and consistently. Given those two factors, this year cant be another 57 player year; way too many. Also a 1-4 start is hard to overcome. I always hear about how the real CFL season doesnt start until September and it is a false observational claim. Toronto finished 11-7, Hamilton 10-8; if their 1-4 start was 3-2 or 4-1, the Ticats could have been a first place team in the East. Improvement points are everywhere though when you look at the overall statistical package. Finishing eighth in protecting the quarterback and eighth in getting to the quarterback has to improve and will. Improving on their only 14 interceptions is also a priority when you compare that to Montreals 27. Red zone offense was just sixth best, as was red zone defence. Point being Hamiltons 10 wins were done the hard way, not the dominate way. Major point of optimism? Ticats finished second best in total yards, averaging 373 a game. Which brings us to the most important names in priority of performance: Zach Collaros, Dan LeFevour or maybe even Jeremiah Masoli. That battle through training camp will be entertaining and interesting. Entertaining in that all three are good athletes that can adapt exceptionally well when the situation regresses. Interesting in that Kent Austin will give the job to the guy who is the smartest under stress; a quality not always recognizable from the outside looking in. When you play a position in football you truly know the position because you have played it under pressure. I know the left tackle position. I can recognize a good one, an average one, and everything in between very quickly. The exact same can be said for Austin as a quarterback. Whichever player can take the pressure Austin puts on him - and he will - and respond, will be the starter. When you have played the position you know the position and the Hamilton Tiger cats are fortunate their head coach is a former successful CFL quarterback. Now as much as quarterback is the man in football, Hamiltons second best move this off-season was getting Justin Medlock back as kicker, punter and kickoff specialist. He was an 89 per cent kicker and 41 yards-per-punt punter. So many CFL games come down to a kick or a moment the kicker can control. Getting Medlock back is a big deal in the world of off-season football moves. Interesting time if youre a Hamilton Tiger-Cats fan. A 20-year agreement with a new stadium, a team that knows how to win through experience and yet still has a lot to improve upon. It will be entertaining and interesting to see how the new season unfolds. Entertaining as a new era of football begins in the exact physical area of history and respect. And interesting in that given the avoidance of injury disaster, this is a team that should progress on many fronts. I will miss Ivor Wynne, it was a big part of my childhood. But I will embrace Tim Hortons Field as it becomes part of my adulthood. Everything changes, but this may be easier to adapt and enjoy than anticipated. Greg Pateryn Jersey . The roster changes have been constant and continuous since late last year, but even with their 46-man roster set for the start of the season, the banged-up Bombers will be kicking off Week 1 with a handful of fresh faces and back-ups in the starting lineup. Joel Eriksson Ek Jersey . You can watch all the action on TSN and TSN GO beginning at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. Minnesota dropped the first two tests of this best-of-seven set at Chicagos United Center and was outscored by a combined 9-3 margin in those setbacks. However, the Wild righted themselves at home by taking Game 3 by a 4-0 count before knotting the series at two games apiece with Fridays 4-2 triumph at Xcel Energy Center. http://www.authenticwildpro.com/Jared-spurgeon-wild-jersey/ . They find themselves trying to knock each other out in the Western Conference finals for the second straight year. The Blackhawks prevailed last year on their way to the Stanley Cup, and they have the early lead this time after taking the opener, 3-1. Mikko Koivu Jersey . After Mondays comments by Coach Claude Noel that its work first and skill second, and that more “A” games are needed, the Jets responded with a 47-shot effort. If not for terrific goaltending by Braden Holtby the Jets would have had two points in regulation. Marcus Foligno Wild Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla.There were rumours throughout the NHL season that the Minnesota Wild would be a free agent destination for a particular top goal-scoring winger and, when free agency opened, they got their man. Numbers Game looks at the Wild signing Thomas Vanek. The Wild Get: LW Thomas Vanek. Vanek, 30, has been one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the game. Since 2006-2007, his 252 goals ranks fourth, behind Alex Ovechkin, Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk. Vanek is a four-time 30-goal scorer who has scored at least 20 goals in each of the last nine seasons. Only Ovechkin and Rick Nash have managed that same feat. So, with that goal-scoring resume, Vanek should have been incredibly appealing as a free agent, but there was the small matter of his slump in the playoffs that left a sour taste for some. Vanek had eight points in 10 games, through Game Six of the Boston series, but fell flat after that, managing two assists and a total of eight shots on goal in the next seven games. He played under 15 minutes in each of his last eight playoff games. For a season in which he played a career-high 19:21 per game, with the Sabres, Islanders and Canadiens, that role reduction made it clear that Vanek would be moving on from Montreal. This following a season during which he scored 15 points in 18 games with the Habs, giving him 68 points in 78 games while moving around the Eastern Conference. Which brings us to Minnesota, which had been linked to Vanek pretty much from the get-go of his contract year. Vanek played college hockey at the University of Minnesota. His wife is from Minnesota. The Wild would have Dany Heatleys $7.5-million cap hit coming off the books. Former Sabres teammate Jason Pominville was playing well for Minnesota. It was all lining up for Vanek with the Wild. Ultimately, nothing really changed that. Maybe a great playoff would have given Vanekk more leverage on the open market, but he didnt sign a break-the-bank deal, inking for $19.dddddddddddd5-million over three years. The $6.5-million annual cap hit is actually less than Vaneks previous contract, but when a player has a preferred destination, and particularly when he has earned a boatload of money in his career already (more than $57-million in his career, according to Cap Geek), there is an opportunity for a team to get him for less than the top price on the market. That Vanek was willing to accept a three-year term is a clear indication that Minnesota was his preferred location. When it comes to his game, Vanek doesnt use his size (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) very effectively, aside from when hes in front of the net, where he positions well for tip-ins, deflections, screens, etc. Throughout his career, Vanek hasnt been much of a puck possession player, varying up and down a little bit in relative terms from year to year, but Vanek has always been a high-percentage finisher in his own right and consistently had high on-ice shooting percentages (which includes others on the ice with him in 5-oin-5 play), so hes going to bring offence to Minnesota. Depending on how the Wild want their lines to shake out, Vanek should have either Mikael Granlund or Mikko Koivu -- two pass-first playmaking centres -- setting the table for him and if Vanek is getting opportunties -- he had a career-high 3.18 shots on goal per game last season -- take 25 goals to the bank, with 30 or 35 possible at the top end. This is a nice upgrade for the Wild, who made some noise in the playoffs and have added a premier goal-scorer to their mix and have done so without spending too much in order to get him. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' ' |
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ers on the ice with him in 5-oin-5 play), so hes go
