The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-11) play the Ottawa Redblacks (7-9-1) on Friday. The season series between the two teams is up for grabs and both teams will be coming in hungry.
The Redblacks’ motivations are clear: win for a chance to earn a first-round bye and host the Eastern Final. The boys in Ottawa will be a highly motivated bunch.
Some might argue that the Ticats will come in with less intensity than the Redblacks, but it seems like Hamilton players disagree.
If there was any doubt about whether the Ticats were going to show up last week in Montreal, it was quickly silenced. The 43-16 blowout victory over the Als was a statement: the Redblacks can expect more of the same this Friday.
The motivation for the Ticats is clear. It isn’t playing spoiler. It isn’t padding stats. It’s winning games, plain and simple.
Wins feel a lot better than losses, even if your team is no longer in the playoff picture. It wouldn’t be a professional football team if the players didn’t take great pride in winning football games.
The Ticats jumped out to an early lead last time they played the Redblacks. The margin of separation was 16 points at halftime, and the Ticats weathered an Ottawa second-half surge, to eventually win the game, 26-22.
“Looking at the film against Ottawa, we’re not the same. We’re better,” said Coach Jones.
The Ticats have improved every week in Coach Jones short tenure with the team, and the Redblacks will have to prepare for another big first half from the Tabbies.
“We’re going to go there and hopefully play our best game that we’ve played this year,” said Coach Jones.
The Ticats are at a disadvantage in terms of rest, as they are coming off a short week and just two days or preparation. The Redblacks, on the other hand, are coming off their first bye week of the season. They’ve had 14 days between games, but may actually be frustrated by the fact that their first bye week came in the 18th week of the regular season.
“We had a long run there, so it was good for guys to both mentally and physically to catch a deep breath,” said Redblacks’ Head Coach Rick Campbell.
Unfortunately for the Redblacks, they do not appear to be returning from the bye-week in the best of health. Star receiver Brad Sinopoli is out with a season-ending shoulder injury. SAM linebacker Jerrell Gavins also looks to be out of the lineup this week as he was spotted on crutches at practice leading up to the game. Third-year Canadian receiver Jake Harty is set to replace Sinopoli. His presence is confirmed on the depth chart, but there is still some question concerning his presence on the stat sheet. Nick Taylor will step in for Gavins.
The Ticats get a little healthier with the return of Jalen Saunders.
The rest of the Ticats’ depth chart is largely unchanged outside of Saunders’ return. Jason Neill will sub back into the starting spot at defensive tackle in place of a banged-up Davon Coleman.
The Ticats will continue to roll with two national receivers. Felix Faubert-Lussier and Shamawd Chambers – a consistent starter since his acquisition from the Eskimos – will start at receiver for the Ticats.
Coming off a big win and with stability in the lineup, the Ticats look to steal another statement victory at TD Place on Friday.
