Hamilton opened the CFL season last night for the first time since 1977 and based on their performance and fan attendance it seems unlikely they will have that honour again anytime soon. The first play of the game saw Jykine Bradley level a Montreal receiver and the Ivor Wynne crowd erupted. For long suffering Hamilton fans that was pretty much the highlight of the night. Anthony Cavillo and co. took it to a Hamilton defense that played an intriguing zone for most of the night. Calvillo and Edmonton’s Ricky Ray will pick apart teams that give their receivers time and space, and that was precisely what the Ti-Cats did. Calvillo finished the game 25/37 with 293 yards, his performance surpassed Danny McManus for second all time in CFL passing yardage. On the opening drive the Als converted a couple of big second downs but had to settle for a Damon Duval field goal.

The Ti-Cats offense led by Casey Printers came out to answer but were left with a pivotal 3rd and 1 from their own 45 yard line. Hamilton decided in a pivotal spot to hand the ball off to Jesse Lumsden who fell just short of a first down. Looking back the decision to not run a QB sneak and actually go backwards to go forward was a costly mistake. Eight plays later Anthony Calvillo found Kerry Watkins in the endzone for the CFL’s first touchdown of the season. The initial 10-0 deficit was too much for this inexperienced Hamilton team to handle.

Before the Ti-Cats offense was even on the same page the Alouettes were up 16-0 via two more Duval field goals and Ti-Cats penalties. Casey Printers did have an answer though, in the waning moments of the second half he lead his team on an impressive 10-play 99 yard drive. Printers utilized all of his receivers but much like the preseason they couldn’t capitalize and put the ball in the endzone.  A 17 yard field goal by Nick Setta put the Ti-Cats first points of the season on the board to make the halftime score 16-3. In the second half the Alouettes were never really threatened as they stretched their lead to 33-3 midway through the fourth quarter. Tre Smith the Cat’s rookie back for Auburn broke a 75-yard TD run to make the score a little more respectable 33-10, which was the final.

Ti-Cats fans optimistic about a fresh start in this season obviously left disheartened by their clubs effort. But there is reason to think this season could eventually be different for Hamilton. Casey Printers was 15/21 for 203 yards and seemed to have great chemistry with his receivers. Something that was clearly lacking throughout 2007. Printers also seems to have found a favorite target in the form of rookie receiver Scott Mitchell. Mitchell despite one drop and a fumble (which he recovered, according to replay, but its not reviewable) was  all over the field making five catches for 72 yards. Looking forward the Ti-Cats need to be more creative in the way they get Jesse Lumsden the ball. Although he was successful most of the night, runs up the middle simply do not count as properly using his talent. But although there finally appears to be the right pieces in place for a Hamilton rebirth it remains to be seen how long fans will wait. Last night’s attendance was at least visually the smallest I’ve seen for a home opener in years. To make matters worse I heard a season ticket holder exclaim, “Announce the 50/50 (raffle) so we can go home” early in the fourth quarter. These fans are already upset and disgruntled after just one game. There is reason to hope this year will be different, but as of yet there is no reason to actually believe it will be.

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