“Wild Chase” at Receiver Highlights Ticats Position Battles Heading Into Camp

It’s Saturday afternoon on the campus of McMaster, and that’s so appropriate because for veteran Ticats who arrived today, this is a bit like the first day of school. They’re uber-excited because one by one, they keep running into last year’s classmates—their teammates, equipment and training staff, and those coaches who are back from last year—but they’re also a trifle nervous about the arduous lessons and exams which begin in earnest Sunday.

And there’s also a new home room teacher in Scott Milanovich who’s moved up to head coach, as Orlondo Steinauer facilitates his work and that of Ed Hervey’s personnel department by focusing on his role as president of football operations.  On Sunday the Ticats will start the 2024 grind with some conditioning and walk-throughs on the Ron Joyce Stadium field, as well as indoor strength training and internal meetings. The public is invited to watch the on-field undertakings, which run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Ticats have often opened formal training camp with full-scale football workouts on the Sunday but this year they won’t begin until Monday (8:30 a.m.).

And when those start so do the battles for a number of jobs: both on the roster and in depth-chart priority.

Even though there are a slew of CFL- experienced players there are very few “locks” at the outset. Milanovich mentioned during a media scrum earlier this week that there were “not many set” positions citing, as examples of entrenched players, back-to-back all-star receiver Tim White, downhill runner James Butler and  defensive tackle Casey Sales.

But the central trio of returning offensive linemen—centre David Beard and guards Brandon Revenberg and Coulter Woodmansey—are written in ink too. Stavros Katsantonis at safety and strong-side cornerback Jamal Phillips are also virtual shoo-ins. And Bo Levi Mitchell,  as well, although  Taylor Powell, coming off last season’s impressive liftoff from rookie third-stringer to nine-game-starter, owns the huddle when he’s out there.  In that vein we’ll point out that Mitchell is, commendably, a huge and vocal supporter of Powell and was last year too.

But, as Milanovich said, beyond that  “Everyone else has to compete.”

Even the “locks” will generate mega-competition at their positions because they’re so important  to planning that it’s vital to have viable replacements behind them who can step in to finish a game, or more, if there’s an injury to one of them.

The most obvious battles will be at receiver, which Milanovich calls a “wild chase.”

And he amplified that by reminding everyone that the club has deliberately sought out tight ends, so there’s a very strong sense that they are committed to an offensive package which includes more traditional tight ends –big, fast-enough men who can not only block but have good hands so they can consistently catch passes and force defences to mark them as more than just a sixth blocker confined to the trenches.

That race got a little more interesting on Saturday when the Ticats released Thaddeus Moss, who did not stand out at all during the brief audition period. But others did, and expect more big-bodied catchers to arrive to push them.

At wide receiver, White’s there  of course, and National Kiondré Smith showed last year that he belongs—this corner sees him as a starter at an inside spot—and likely many times the Cats will likely start a second Canadian receiver and have veterans Brendan O’Leary-Orange, Luther Hakunavanhu and multi-skilled Tyler Ternowski in the fold, as well as Mac grad Jacob Patten and one or two others.

The American receivers are plentiful, with the returning  Omar Bayless  up against a lot of tall, fast new  guys. Shemar Bridges,  at 6-foot-4 with quick and precise patterns, was the most impressive of those in rookie camp but that was off a small sample size: a mere handful worth of action, and little of it against CFL-proven defenders. Justin McGriff, the sensation of last year’s rookie receiving corps,  has returned from his terrible compound leg fracture and he’ll have a bit of an inside track but this is wide open with the likes of  Devon Williams, who’s 6-5 and covered 40 yards  4.65 seconds at the NFL combine. But there are many others in camp as Milanovich strives to ramp up the speed and size quotient of his receivers.

Hervey has mentioned that he also spent the off-season casting for increased speed and size (overall, and in wing span) in the secondary and at linebacker. There will be upwards of 15 defensive backs with only Katsantonis and Peters guarantees. The retirement of defensive back Javien Elliott, who made three picks last year, threw open the doors on competition in the secondary. And now Lawrence Woods III, with his kick-return ability, is back in black and gold .

Another retirement—Canadian linebacker Jordan Williams who shocked the Ticats on Monday–has ratcheted up duels at linebacker, but also along the defensive line, where the Ticats may try to regain the Canadian spot they lost with Williams.

That enhances the immediate future of, among others, Mason Bennett. He  is in his fourth year, has made Hamilton his home, and has shown he can start, mostly at end but also in the middle. The strong American trio of Sayles, Dewayne Hendrix and Brandon Barlow will play regularly, maybe rotating among themselves but this is also a glorious opportunity for the likes of Canadian returnee Anthony Federico.

Several newcomers will duke it out for a backup American job and practice roster spots and we’ll monitor that one closely on our Ticats Audio Network daily reports. Again, special teams performance will play a role in that selection process.

With Simoni Lawrence retired and his potential replacement Williams gone, the weak side linebacker spot will be, after receiver, the tightest fight in camp. Carthell Flowers-Lloyd who makes the team if only because of his brilliant special teams play, will likely also get the first look at strong-side linebacker but that is a spot which a newcomer to three-down ball can decipher fairly quickly and there’ll be a starting battle there too.

It’s hard to envision anyone but Kyle Wilson opening camp at middle linebacker because he deserves it, but three or four others will get ample proving time there as well. Wilson has started in the league, deserves the opportunity, and has played well when given the chance. But it might be that if another middle linebacker emerges Wilson can switch to Lawrence’s old spot. He replaced the injured Lawrence for about half the season two years ago.

Beneath all of that are other less-visible competitions: for starting roles at offensive tackle and on special teams. A receiver or defensive back, for instance, might make the team in a backup role over a higher-rated position player because he can handle punt returns.

It’s important for the Ticats to not only have the reality of legitimate competition—a rising tide lifts all boats in the harbour—but also the feeling of legitimate competition so younger players have hope and can believe that with a good camp they‘ll be given a fair chance of making the team. That brings out the “best themselves,”  a scenario all teams in pro sport try to create, and it’s especially important for one trying to pivot away from two sub.-500 seasons.

Every day on Ticat Audio Network  & Ticats.ca we’ll break down the daily doings in the most critical position battles.

CATS CLAUSES The Ticats  are inviting fans to the Black and Gold Kickoff next Sunday at Mac. It’ll be the middle weekend of training camp, and with no school the next day it’s a good chance for all ages to see the evening game which will be important in picking this year’s team. Gates open at 6 and the controlled scrimmage starts at 7 … There will be prizes, special appearances from Tiger-Cat alumni, the Ticats Dance and Cheer team and the Ticats Audio Network heavyweights Luke Tasker, Mike Daly and RJ Broadhead the golden-throated voice of the Ticats. They’ll all be on hand to provide commentary and explain what THEY see as the Ticats run through their plays against each other …. as CFL teams had to cut down rosters Saturday after rookie camp, one of the surprise releases was Tight End Thaddeus Moss, whose father is of course NFL all-timer Randy Moss. Other cuts included wide receiver JuanCarlos Santana, defensive lineman Jamal Davis, who was with the team for the final few weeks last year, and two Nationals; kicker Keiran Burnham and wide receiver Kaine Stevenson.