Ti-Cats face string of must wins in September

With Charlie Taaffe’s club sitting at 2-7 they are now in dire straits. To be fair this season has been much better for Hamilton. They had the league best Roughriders beat, came within inches of a game winning TD over Edmonton, and came up just short Monday of a season sweep of the Argonauts. But as they say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. The Cats may in fact be better than their 2-7 record implies but they need to show it this month. If not this Ti-Cats season and likely Taaffe’s tenure in Hamilton will be over.

Before we hit October the Ti-Cats will play three teams that on paper Hamilton should be able to compete with. They have a home and home with the B.C. Lions, visit Edmonton, and host the Blue Bombers who have not won a game on the road this season. As things stand right now the Cats are tied for third place in the East with Winnipeg at 2-7. Obviously at this point in time the Western crossover is very much still in play. The Lions at 4-5 would currently secure the final playoff spot in the East. The Argonauts who currently sit in second place in the East are also at 4-5, which means over the second half of the season the Ti-Cats must out play one of these clubs by two games. The Cats do have the small advantage of holding the tiebreaker in both cases, having beaten Toronto two out of three and the fact Western clubs must have a better record to crossover.The obvious answer would seem to be sweep the Lions this month, but Hamilton hasn’t swept a Western opponent in the five years Bob Young has owned the club. I think the Ti-Cats actually have a better shot at catching Toronto then B.C. The Lions appear to be a better team on paper, and their speedy back Stefan Logan will give the Cats defense fits. With Casey Printers and Jesse Lumsden healthy the Ti-Cats need to consistently put points on the board if they are to have any shot at a playoff berth. At the very least Hamilton must go 5-4 in their last nine games to have any shot at the playoffs.

Schedule Breakdown: Winnable (W) or Not so much (N)

Week 11 vs. B.C. W

Week 12 @ Edmonton N

Week 13 vs. Winnipeg W - Must win for Hamilton if the Blue Bombers pass them it’s all over but the crying.

Week 14 @ B.C. W- Cats have played well in B.C. recently, with a playoff fight possibly in the making this game should be very entertaining.

Week 15 vs. Montreal W- Tough game for Hamilton, better hope Als are in cruise control by then.

Week 16 @ Montreal N- Cats haven’t won in Montreal ever… well thats a stretch but seriously better hope Als have too much turkey.

Week 17 @ Saskatchewan N - Cats might have a better shot at winning the Grey Cup then this game. Ditto on the need for cruise control.

Week 18 vs. Calgary W- Stamps traditionally struggle in the Hammer.

Week 19 @ Winnipeg W- Battle for the last playoff spot or meaningless game, we’ll soon find out.

At the very best I think the Ti-Cats can finish at 6-3 which means they will need B.C. or Toronto to match their 4-5 record in the back nine of the season. With the Ti-Cats season on life support they need to take a line from Journey who is in Toronto tonight, “Don’t stop believing…”

Like this post? Share it »

Last post (s) by Nich Hall

• BCS National Championship: Florida Gators vs. Oklahoma Sooners Preview - January 8th, 2009
• WJHC Final: Tre Konor a closer look - January 5th, 2009
• Vikings hang tough, but Jackson shows true colors late - January 4th, 2009
• Connecticut runs to International Bowl win - January 4th, 2009
• International Bowl Preview: Buffalo vs. UConn - January 2nd, 2009