Week 11: Ti-Cats No Show In Loss At Montréal

Fans of the Black and Gold have pondered whether or not their team could be considered as one of the upper echelon teams in the CFL. They have had the belief that because of their offensive weapons and a solid defense they could compete with anyone in the league. The Labour Day domination of the defending Grey Cup champions heightened such thoughts. Unfortunately, there is one glaring black mark on those claims: the Ti-Cats have not won against the Alouettes in Montréal since 2002. After this past Sunday, the aforementioned black mark continued to grow.

Montréal quarterback Anthony Calvillo continued to prove that he is "the best in the league at what he does" by dominating a Ti-Cat defense that has no real direction in secondary coverage. Calvillo completed 31 of his 45 pass attempts for a blistering 421 yards in the air; throwing to the end zone four times in the first half alone. When you dig yourself into that big a hole in the opening 30, you need to bring some serious fight to try to compete. Alas, for the Black and Gold faithful, it was not to be on this day.

Hamilton QB Kevin Glenn flipped into Bizarro World mode by going 13-for-30 for 151 yards. The problem Alouette receivers had with dropped passes at Ivor Wynne six days previously shifted over to Ti-Cat receivers. Stala, Bakari Grant, and Chris Williams could not snare Glenn's passes at McGill. What's worse, the only points the Tabbies were able to put on the board were off the foot of Justin "Mr. Money In The Bank" Medlock; including a huge 57-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter. When the only time you score is when your kicker connects with the ball, then you have some serious issues with your offense.

In the end, the Alouettes get their revenge for their Labour Day defeat by beating the 'Cats 43-13 and having the Black and Gold licking their wounds back to Steeltown.

What's On Tap...

After the Massacre at McGill, the 'Cats will attempt to regroup for this Friday night when they return to the Bastion on Balsam to take on the Edmonton Eskimos. The Eskies defeated the Black and Gold in Commonwealth back in Week 2, so Glenn & co. will look to extract some revenge of their own. The action at Ivor Wynne starts at 7:30 p.m. on TSN. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we'll be unable to be at our usual perch in Section 22; however, we will be doing our live tweeting from our residential abode in the "Dief On Cats Studios" while watching the action on TSN. Follow along on Twitter at @DiefOnCats.

Until next week Tigertown, oskee wee wee!

Week 10: Otis Floyd Inspires D at La Classique

Over the weekend, Ti-Cats linebacker Otis Floyd announced his retirement after spending twelve seasons in the CFL. Prior to this past Monday's match-up against the division rival Montréal Alouettes, the former #35 gave a spirited speech in the locker room to the troops and lead the Black and Gold onto the field during the player introductions. I don't know what was said behind closed doors, but it certainly inspired the team on a game that 'Cats are always up for: Labour Day at the Ivor Wynne, Classique Edition.

A crowd of 26,964 filled the Bastion on Balsam -- a disappointing non-sell out for a Labour Day game, but we'll attribute that to the "it's not the Argos" factor -- on what turned out to be a barnburner of a game. The action started right on the opening play when a Kevin Glenn pass caught by Maurice Mann was fumbled and returned for a touchdown by De'audra Dix. After a Sean Whyte convert, the 'Cats were down by 7 and the game was but a mere five seconds old. The Tabbies would respond on their next drive as Glenn would march them down the field -- aided by a 39-yard pass interference call on Montréal DB Dwight Anderson when Glenn attempted to find Chris Williams -- and culminated with a *bing bong* Avon (-calling) Cobourne 3-yard scamper for the game's first offensive major.

Alouettes' QB Anthony Calvillo is usually an excellent quarterback with stellar receivers to snare his passes, but the bleu, blanc, et rouge developed an acute case of the "dropsies" as the league's all-time leading passer completed only 17 of his 30 pass attempts for 215 yards. Of course, being sacked twice and coughing up a fumble would add to his list of woes. But when Calvillo did have his receivers hold onto the thrown balls, his target of choice was Jamel Richardson. #18 for les Alouettes would grab 10 passes on the day for 199 yards. However, the most glaring statistic on the Larks was that on the offensive side of the ball, they failed to find the end zone. Both Montréal touchdowns -- the opening play fumble return, and a 50-yard Pick-6 by Anderson off of 'Cats back-up QB Quinton Porter in the 4th quarter -- came on the defensive side of the ball.

The only other Alouette scoring came off the foot of Sean Whyte; who going into the Classique was riding a streak of 22 consecutive field goal attempts made. That streak would end late in the 3rd quarter when Whyte would miss a 33-yarder that Marcus Thigpen ended up conceeding a single point on. The Montréal kicker's streak ended at 24; 4 shy of tying the record for consecutive field goals made by former Saskatchewan Roughrider hoofer Dave Ridgway, set in the 1993 season. However, what the Alouette offense didn't put on the board, the Ti-Cat offense made up for and then some.

Kevin Glenn would recover from the opening play fiasco by completing 14 of 18 pass attempts for 238 yards and throwing 1 touchdown before having to leave the game due to a banged up thumb. Quinton Porter would take over for Glenn and go 2-for-3 with 1 pick for 27 yards, but would rush 7 times for 34 yards and 2 majors; including a 20-yard scamper to the Promised Land that ended with a leaping 360-degree spin to cross the goal line. Avon "Deuces" Cobourne would add to the yards on the ground for the Black and Gold; carrying the rock 19 times for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns of his own. However, the memorable play of the game came within the last 3 minutes of the first half when Glenn would find Chris Williams -- who was being covered by Dwight Anderson all game -- on a tip-drill reception for 47 yards down to the Montréal 1-yard line that lead to the first Porter touchdown. If that doesn't end up on this coming weekend's "Plays of the Week" on TSN, then I know that residential Alouette homer Jock Climie kept it off the list and Rod Black is still a douche.

In the end, the Tigertown faithful would leave the Bastion on Balsam happy as the 'Cats earned a 44-21 victory over the defending Grey Cup champions; temporarily moving the Black and Gold into 2nd place in the CFL's East Division.

Also a big thumbs up to the fans in attendance to donated to this year's "Purolator Tackle Hunger" food drive. Tigertown's generosity brought in 86,400 lbs. of food for Hamilton Food Share, a Hamilton record, and bettering last year's total by 69%. Living proof that those of us who don the Black and Gold have big hearts. Way to go, gang!

What's On Tap...

One of the things synonymous with the CFL is that Labour Day weekend and the week after is a home-at-home series. That means our beloved Boys on Balsam will be making the trek to Percival Molson Stadium at McGill University for the first of two planned visits this regular season. The game is Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. (Editor's note: Note the start time, Red.) on TSN. As always, while you're watching the game, you can follow us along on Twitter as we'll be commen-tweeting the broadcast. @DiefOnCats is the account to tap into.

Until Sunday Tigertown, oskee wee wee!

Week 9: Cats Lose Close One In Winnipeg

You can't really blame the 'Cats for trying. They knew they would be in tough against the East Division leading Blue Bombers in their contest this past Friday night in the Manitoba capital, but for what it was worth, it was a rather interesting game.

The key to the Black and Gold's success was to attempt to contain the Bombers' quarterback Buck Pierce; however, trying to keep him under wraps is like what Principal Skinner said to Sideshow Bob of Bart Simpson in Day of Jackanapes, "That kid's like the Road Runner -- he won't go down".. unless of course, you happen to be Jamall Johnson. Regardless, Pierce ended up completing 19 of his 34 passes for 293 yards; the majority of which were to wide out Terrance Edwards. The Pierce-to-Edwards connection would be made 6 times; earning the duo 120 yards and one touchdown.

At one point in the 2nd quarter, the Ti-Cats would be trailing the Blue and Gold 17-3, but they would claw back to tie the game by halftime; thanks to a 49-yard Kevin Glenn touchdown completion to Chris Williams that the Bombers disputed and ended up receiving 20 yards in penalties that were applied to the ensuing kickoff, then followed up by a 43-yard touchdown hook-up to Bakari Grant. The Tabbies would have taken the lead, but the winds at CanadInns Stadium would play havoc on Justin "Mr. Money In The Bank" Medlock as he ended up missing two long-range field goal attempts to the left.

The Cats had a prime opportunity to take the lead on the opening drive in the 2nd half when Glenn would find Chris Williams again for a 64-yard completion. Williams was just about to hit the Promised Land when the ball was stripped by Joe Lobendahn on the 1-yard line and recovered in the end zone by the Bombers. Critics say that Williams let up just before the end zone, but the replays show that his progress was impeded by the crossing of Dave Stala in front of him; definitely not a quality play by "Sticky". Despite the botch, #80 would rack up 162 yards on 7 receptions over the night. The Bombers would eventually score a field goal later in the 3rd frame, but would be followed by a Black and Gold drive that culminated with a Quinton Porter 1-yard dash to put our Boys on Balsam up by 4 heading into the Final 15.

The quarter would open the 4th with a Medlock 39-yard field goal to extend the lead, but another Pierce-to-Edwards touchdown hook-up for 12 yards -- followed later by a Justin Palardy 21-yard field goal -- would put the Waifs from Winnipeg up by 3 in the 4th quarter. The Black and Gold would try valiantly to pull even with the Bombers, but their last minute drives proved futile and the Ti-Cats would leave the 'Peg with a 30-27 loss that would put them at a disadvantage in the tie-breaker should the seemingly unlikely event the residents of Swaggerville collapse and end up tied with the Tabbies at the end of the season.

What's On Tap...

Around this time, Ti-Cat fans would be singing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" as the next game on the schedule for their beloved Black and Gold is the annual Labour Day Classic; however, this year, the crooning of the ditty will have a distinct Québecois accent as the defending Grey Cup champions return for their last of two visits to the Bastion on Balsam this regular season. The Alouettes are looking to avenge their 34-26 loss to the Cats back in Week 5, but the Black and Gold always step up their game for this one. Kick-off is this coming Monday at 1pm on TSN, but we'll be live tweeting from our roost in Section 22. Hopefully there won't be a repeat from a couple weeks ago and the skies will remain clear for the game.

I would also like to remind those who'll be attending the game that this will also be the "Purolator Tackle Hunger" game. As someone who's previously volunteered at a food bank, I cannot stress how critical the need is to help those who can't afford groceries because their other expenditures are too high. So please, if you're making the trek to Ivor Wynne on Monday for the game, donate some non-perishable food items -- some canned pasta, a jar of peanut butter, or some non-expired baby food -- or even make a cash donation and help those in need in these trying times. As a bonus, you'll be able to get your picture taken with the Grey Cup. When I did this last year, I was fortunate enough to get my photo taken not only with the prestigious trophy, but with Ti-Cat legends Cookie Gilcrest and Angelo "King Kong" Mosca.

Until next week Tigertown, oskee wee wee!

Week 8: Musings From Section 22, Bye Week 2011

With our beloved Black and Gold enjoying a little time off this week, I figured I'd offer up some thoughts on how I've seen the 2011 season go so far for our Boys on Balsam.

With the Cats starting out the regular season with 2 losses -- Canada Day at home to the Bombers, then on the road against the Eskimos -- I was becoming concerned that the team wasn't living up to the hype coming into the 2011 campaign. The defence looked lost and Kevin Glenn was starting to exhibit the same tendencies of Offensive Co-ordinator Khari Jones towards the end of his playing career: he "had plently of good reads, but the ball didn't go where (he) wanted it to." Mind you, it wasn't all Glenn's fault as some of his pass attempts were made to receivers who couldn't hang onto the ball. At that rate, there would be a good chance some of my section mates would make good on their claims to sunbathe on the soon-to-be vacant backed benches. However, things began to turn around in Tigertown.

Since the 0-2 start, the Cats have won 4 of their past 5 games. Granted, 3 of those contests were against teams who currently have a combined record of 5-19, but the impressive win 34-26 win at home over the defending Grey Cup champs in Week 5 provided a glimmer of hope in what was originally turning into a dismal season. But that was then, and the schedule is about to get tougher for the Tabbies.

The next five games are against teams with a combined 21-8 record; including a critical home-at-home against those same Alouettes we defeated at Ivor Wynne a mere three weeks ago. Only two of these next five will be within the confines of the Bastion on Balsam -- Labour Day vs. Montréal, then September 16th against a sliding Edmonton squad -- so if the Black and Gold are to succeed over the next stretch, they need to step up their game and prove they can win on the road against a formidable opponent. The first task on this quest happens to be this coming week with a playdate in CanadInns Stadium against the Bombers.

Things In My Craw...

I know I'm going to get some heat for saying this, but is it little wonder why Arland Bruce is no longer a Ti-Cat?

Don't get me wrong, he's a great player; when he chooses to perform. His antics wore thin with management in Toronto, so he got released by the Double Blue and Obie scooped him up. During his tenure in Tigertown, "Da Third" hauled in 169 passes for 2,450 yards and 17 touchdowns; impressive stats indeed. However, this season he developed an acute case of the "dropsies" and wasn't able to find the end zone. While the argument could be made that he wasn't thrown to enough, if you were thrown to and couldn't snare the ball, could you blame Glenn and Khari for being hesitant in calling your number? Mind you, when you have Dave "Sticky" (Sticky Sticky Wop Pang Zip!... Nee!) Stala having a record season for touchdown grabs, and the emergence of young receivers in Aaron Kelly and Chris Williams, it's little wonder that Spiderman suddenly became expendable. Of course, his moping on the bench towards the end of the Montréal win -- although he "claims" it was a knee injury -- didn't help matters either. Now he's found his groove back in B.C.; hauling in 9 receptions for 129 yards and 2 TDs. Yeah, knee injury, my hairy appendage.

Possibly Regretting My Wishes...

When the defensive secondary coverage has been spotty, I have openly opined that they seemed lost without the mind of former Defensive Co-ordinator Greg Marshall guiding the corps. During the off-season, Marshall finally received his dream gig of head coach and was manning the sidelines for Riderville. Now he's regretting taking the job in the first place.

The Green & White started their 2011 campaign a far cry from their back-to-back Grey Cup appearance form with an abysmal 1-7 start; including a decisive 33-3 trouncing by his former team at Ivor Wynne in Week 3. The Riders have been showing slight signs of life in recent weeks by dominating the 4th quarter, but falling short to the Stampeders in Week 7 and this week in Toronto. Speculation has it that some of the players were unwilling to play for Marshall and Offensive Co-ordinator, former Winnipeg head coach Doug Berry. Well, the ones who don the uniform got their wish as both Marshall and Berry were given their pink slips after a 24-18 loss at the Rogers Centre SkyDome Thursday night. Former coach Ken Miller resumes the role he had the previous two seasons. Will this mean a resurgance in Riderville? And what of Marshall? While I once thought a return of the Ti-Cats' former DC might help, after that 1-7 record in Regina I'm not too sure I would welcome such a prospect.

What's On Tap...

Four teams -- including the Ti-Cats -- had the week off this week while the other half played. Now it's time to switch it up and those who were off play and those who played get a breather. Week 9 will see Black & Gold make the trek to the Manitoba capital to take on the Bombers. The Cats will be looking for a little payback for the 24-16 loss handed to them back at the season opener in Ivor Wynne on Canada Day. The game starts at 8pm Friday night on TSN. And once again, we'll be commentweeting the action on the tele. Just remember to follow along on Twitter, @DiefOnCats is our account. Until Friday night Tigertown, oskee wee wee!

Week 7: Cats Rule the Night on Pre-Mature LDC

A lot has been said in the months since the 2011 CFL schedule was released about how the league botched things up when they booked the familiar Ti-Cats vs. Argos match-up at the Bastion on Balsam three weeks earlier than normal. The fans griped about how it was "messing with tradition" and that the schedule makers didn't know what they were doing. Those familiar with the situation know the real reason behind it. (Specifically, Rogers Centre SkyDome has always screwed with the Argos on dates since the media giant that is Rogers bought the half-billion dollar mausoleum for the bargain basement price of $25 million, but that's a rant for a different day.) However, it is always a special game whenever the Boys in Double Blue travel down the Queen Elizabeth Way to meet their Steeltown rivals. And for the 24,347 that walked through the gates of Ivor Wynne, they were not disappointed.

Not even the downpour during the first half could put a damper on the heated contest. In fact, it further added to the allure to the game: Toronto at Hamilton; the real Labour Day Classic; giftwrapped and presented to us earlier than normal this year. Those in attendance unwrapped the gift and basked in the magnificance of it's splendor. However, for the Tigertown faithful, at first the gift possessed the properties of a lump of coal in one's Christmas stocking.

On the opening drive, Toronto's usually spotty Quarterback Cleo Lemon marched the Boatmen down the field en route to a 21-yard scoring hook-up to Brandon Rideau for the Argos' first major. At this point, I sank into my soon-to-be damp seat (the rain wouldn't start until Toronto's next drive), with an eerie feeling of déjà vu to how the loss in Calgary last week started. The Black and Gold would return in kind as Kevin Glenn would proceed to move the offence along the turf; culminating with a 10-yard connection to Dave Stala for #88's seventh touchdown this season -- setting a new personal best in the process. The Ti-Cats would later add a 37-yard field goal by Justin "Mr. Money In The Bank" Medlock to put them up by 3 after the Opening 15.

Lemon would continue to pick apart the Ti-Cats secondary; completing 26 of his 36 pass attempts on the day for 368 yards, and one scamper for an additional 16. Glenn would respond by going 22 for 31 for 310 yards in the air. The Argos would also win the war on the ground; netting 127 yards rushing -- the bulk by their go-to Running Back Cory Boyd (16-73) -- to the Tabbies' 89. However, there were two stories to the game: the kickers, and the defence.

Medlock would have a spirited battle with his Argo counterpart Noel Prefontaine throughout the game. But when the booter for the Double Blue missed an easy chip shot field goal from 21-yards out, the pendulum swang towards the Steeltown Stalwarts. Medlock would show Pre how it's done by punching a field goal from 50-yards out to close out the 1st half, and give our beloved Black and Gold a 2-point lead going into the locker room.

After trading touchdowns in the 3rd quarter, Lemon would once again find Rideau for a scathing touchdown completion; burning the Ti-Cats defence along the sidelines for 69 of Rideau's 147 yards receiving. How did the Cats respond? Glenn would throw a 48-yard reception to Week 4 hero Chris Williams that would set up a 4-yard touchdown jog by *bing bong* Avon (calling) Cobourne. "Deuces" would end up having a 13-carry for 61 yards day to go along with his 2 grabs for 36 yards.

The game looked antsy with the Cats only up by 2 win less than 8 minutes left, but that's when the D would channel Emeril Lagasse and "kick it up a notch." The Tabbies would hold the Argos offence to only 37 yards combined on their next three drives; including a critical 3rd down stop on their Boatmen's 31. You would think a 33-yard field goal by "Mr. Money In The Bank" would have sealed the deal for the Boys on Balsam, but that would be forgetting that this is the CFL, and anything can happen.

That anything almost did transpire as the Argos would get the ball back and proceed to march frantically down the field in hopes of putting up a major to give the Double Blue their first W since Week 1, but thankfully it would never come to pass. A reception to Rideau down to the Hamilton 14-yard line would get stripped out of the Argo receiver's hands by Defensive Back Marcell Young and recovered by fellow DB Bo Smith would send the Boatmen back to Toronto with their sixth straight loss, a 37-32 decision to the Black and Gold.

It was a close game that exposed some holes in the Ti-Cats secondary, but with the "mid-season" break upon us, this will give them some extra time to tighten things up before a big match-up on the road in Week 9.

What`s On Tap...

It`s that time of year again. The Ti-Cats will enjoy a bye week this week and return to action on August 26th when they make the trip to "Swaggerville" to take on the Bombers. There will be no game tweeting until then, but make sure to come back this weekend where I will post a special "Musings From Section 22" article about how I think the Black and Gold have faired so far during the first seven weeks this season. Until then Tigertown, oskee wee wee!

Week 6: Ti-Cats Check Out of Cowtown Early

It has been eluded to by a couple people that I had become a good luck charm in recent weeks because our beloved Black and Gold had commenced a three-game winning streak when I started commentweeting and blogging about their games. One even went as far as branding it "Twitter Magic" -- a mysterious phenomena that occurs whenever one mentions or openly opines something on the 140-character or less micro-blogging web service. However, as anyone will tell you, games are not won in the stands; they are played on the field. Sure, the fans might have a factor in influencing the outcome by disrupting an opposing team's offensive play calling, but unless you can execute and adapt to the situation and environment, a team that has a belief they could walk off with a W will more than likely have an addition to the Loss column. This was the case Saturday night in Calgary.

The 'Cats started off their trek to ("I tell it like it is") McMahon Stadium with a dismal start; giving up a touchdown on the Stampeders' opening drive when quarterback Henry Burris connected with Larry Taylor for a 25-yard play to the end zone. During this drive, the Tabbies' secondary looked non-existant as Burris commenced what would eventually turn into an aerial assault as "Hank" would complete 27 of 39 pass attempts for 341 yards.

The Black and Gold would hold their own as they would put points on the board when Justin Medlock pulled out his long-range kicking missile launcher by booting a 52-yard field goal on the next drive. The Stamps would return in kind by marching down the field to set up a 35-yard punch through the uprights by Rene Paredes. Kevin Glenn and company would get the ball back and begin to drive down the field with the assist of a couple pass interference penalties; including one where former Ti-Cat Geoff Tisdale attempted to strip Bakari Grant's jersey. I'm sure if Tisdale wanted a reminder of his days in Steeltown, he could've just walked to The Tigertown Store at 1 Jarvis Street and bought a replica of his old jersey. But I guess they didn't have a #9 in his size or didn't have the money at the time, so he tried to abscond with a white #84 shirt. The call would be costly as Glenn would connect with the Hamilton-raised, and Offensive Player of the Week for Week 5, Dave Stala for a 7-yard touchdown. By the time the Opening 15 had ended, we were all tied at 10 and the 'Cats had the momentum.

The Tabbies would add to their lead in the second frame when #5 and company would go down the field on their fifth drive of the half; emphasised by a 31-yard reception to rookie wide out Aaron Kelly down to the Stamps' 6 that was followed up by *bing bong* Avon (-calling) Cobourne stroll to the end zone. Kelly was the Receiver du Jour for the Ti-Cats as he would haul in 5 passes for 92 yards. A couple of traded field goals later in the half and the Boys from Balsam would lead 20-13 going into the locker room. When they returned, the wheels fell off the cart.

Going into the second half, the Ti-Cats were leading the war on penalties; being flagged once for 15 yards compared to the Stamps' being nailed four times for 66. This would soon change when defensive back Daniel Francis drew the orange hankerchief for an unnecessary roughness call at the end of a 36-yard strike by Burris to Jon Cornish. The penalty, along with a later-in-the-drive pass interference call on DB Jason Shivers, would prove costly as Calgary running back Joffrey Reynolds would sneak in past the plane from 1 yard out. A single and a field goal later in the quarter by Paredes would give the Stamps their first lead since the opening frame to close out the third.

The bleeding would not stop there as illegal plays would continue to prove costly for the 'Cats when an Avon Cobourne 11-yard run for a first down was nullified by a holding call on O-lineman Jason Jimenez; thus styming a drive to re-take the lead. Burris was relentless in the Stamps' second half onslaught and shutting out the Black and Gold 19-0; passing for 163 yards in the final 30. The 'Cats defence appeared to be gassed out from the constant time on the field because of it. Kevin Glenn and the offence just weren't clicking and the Stamps' defensive corps were forming a Red and White blanket over the receivers that proved to shine in the previous three weeks. However, noticably absent in the 2nd half shut out was Dave Stala. #88 was kept off the scoresheet in the latter half of the game. Was it poor play calling by Glenn and offensive co-ordinator "I had plenty of good reads, but the ball didn't go where I wanted it to" Khari Jones? Did Stala suffer a case of turf toe? Or did the Calgary defensive backs make the necessary changes in the locker room and the Ti-Cat offence failed to? I think the answer is pretty obvious there.

By the time all was said and done, Calgary moved to 4-2 on the season with a 32-20 win at ("No chance in hell") McMahon Stadium while the Tabbies drop to .500 on the season with a lot of questions and a game at Ivor Wynne against a hated foe on the horizon.

What's On Tap...

Due to a conflict when the schedule was released, the Ti-Cats will be facing their rivals from down the QEW for the only time at the Bastion on Balsam earlier than anticipated. The slumping 1-5 Toronto Ar... er, the "Blue Team"..., with a bevy of quarterback issues, trek to Steeltown this coming Saturday. This is always a heated rivalry with hard-hitting action on the field and the occasional fisticuffs in the stands. Just remember Tigertown, if you're going to be making the trek to Ivor Wynne for the 7pm start (also seen on TSN), control your consumption of alcohol pre-game and at the game. Hamilton's finest will be beefed up for the game, and while I enjoy a good "No one blows like the Argos" chant as the next Ti-Cat fan, it's not all that impactful from the inside the back of a squad car or jail cell. We'll be commentweeting LIVE from "Dief's Den" in Section 22, so if you're at the game, stop by and say "hi." You only make your first trip to the Bastion on Balsam as a 40-year old once, and Saturday, August 13th will be that for me. (For those interested, I arrived at the Big 4-0 this past Thursday, and my drink of preference is Coors Light... or Diet Pepsi for the all-ages crowd.) Until Saturday, Tigertown, oskee wee wee!

Week 5: Lackluster Champs No Match For Tight D

If there is one thing the Ti-Cats can take away from this past Friday night it is the fact that for the time being they are leading the season series against the defending Grey Cup champions.

A crowd of 24,068 packed into the familiar Bastion on Balsam to witness the first of four contests in the 2011 regular season between our beloved Black and Gold and the Montréal Alouettes. Going into the game, I believed the Ti-Cats had a slim glimmer of hope to pull out the W, especially after the Als' record-breaking quarterback Anthony Calvillo had to leave last week's game against the Riders due to an alleged scratched right eye. However, with Calvillo back in the line-up and starting, I felt the Tabbies' chances of winning their third straight game of the season were next to nil against a usually dominant Montréal offence. But as the game drew on, the Maulers out of McGill were anything but.

Don't get me wrong though. Calvillo did throw for 356 yards in the game, but had only a 51.1% completion percentage (23/45) and only threw for one touchdown. The cause for this odd malady were many attempts the receiving corps of Jamal Richardson and S.J. Green could not find a handle on, but still racked up a combined 243 yards. Otherwise, credit needs to go to the Ti-Cat defence who had the Montréal pass-catchers well covered and were putting pressure on the "Born in East L.A." Calvillo; including being sacked twice by defensive lineman Justin Hickman. What the Als didn't earn by crossing the goal line, kicker Sean Whyte made up for with his boot -- going 4/4 on field goals and adding a couple PATs for when they did make it into the end zone.

On the Ti-Cats side of the ball, last week's hero in Vancouver Chris Williams was relatively silent; making 4 receptions for 54 yards. Running back Avon Cobourne, a free-agent acquisition from Montréal in the off-season, promised a big game against his former team, but fell short of expectations when all he was able to muster was 67 yards on 15 carries. No, for our beloved Striped Warriors, the game ball goes to another former Alouette Dave Stala who hooked up with Kevin Glenn 5 times for 107 yards; including a 58-yard romp into the promised land that pretty much sealed the game for the Black and Gold. #5 and #88 would connect twice for major scores to go with an earlier 4-yard bootleg dash by backup QB Quinton Porter. Kicker Justin Medlock would add 3 field goals and a couple single points to bring the Ti-Cats a 34-26 victory at Ivor Wynne.

While the 'Cats came out with the win, you just know the defending champs will be back for revenge, and they'll get their opportunity when they return to Ivor Wynne on Labour Day for Round 2.

What's On Tap...

With the Black and Gold now winning their third straight game after dropping the first two to open the season, Week 6 has them travelling out west to face another 3-2 club, the Calgary Stampeders. Henry Burris and company narrowly edged out the Riders in Regina Saturday night with a 22-18 victory. If the 'Cats hope to make it four straight wins, Hickman, Jamall Johnson, and the rest of the D will have to find a way to contain the always scrambling Hank and the stellar offensive weapons in Ken-Yon Rambo, Joffrey Reynolds, Larry Taylor, and Nik Lewis. The game is Saturday night from ("I Tell It Like It Is") McMahon Stadium at 9:30pm ET. We'll be commentweeting the game again on @DiefOnCats, so watch the game on TSN and follow along on your computer or smartphone. Hope you have a great week, Tigertown. Oskee wee wee!

Week 4: Knowlton hero on The Chris Williams Show

Every so often, a football team is blessed to have an outstanding rookie to be on their roster. Sometimes he gets called in for a few plays, racks up a few yards if he's on offence, or makes a couple of tackles if he happens to be on the defensive side of the ball. However, if fate is on his side and the opposing team is off their game, there is an opportunity for said rookie to have a phenomenal break out game. This happened to be the case Friday night for the Ti-Cats' star-in-the-making wide out, Chris Williams against the B.C. Lions in Vancouver.

A crowd of 24,117 entered Empire Field on the Pacific National Exhibition Grounds in hopes the hometown Lions would win their first game of the 2011 season. Some of the people were even enticed when one of the first families of rock and reality TV, Gene Simmons with Shannon Tweed and the rest of the main cast of "Gene Simmons: Family Jewels" made an appearance; with Dr. Love himself doing the ceremonial coin toss. On the TSN broadcast, Simmons and family were in the midst of being interviewed on the sideline when Williams caught a pass from Kevin Glenn and tore down the field; nearly being brought down after the initial reception. The end result was a 71-yard gain that set up the Black & Gold's first touchdown of the game -- a two-yard run by Avon Cobourne.

The second score of the contest came just minutes later when Glenn found Dave Stala from four yards out that was set up by a 50-yard punt return by Marcus Thigpen, followed by another Glenn to Chris Williams connection for 32-yards a couple plays later. Unfortunately, Stala celebrated the major by punting the ball into the stands and that warranted an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty that was applied to the kickoff that would eventually lead to B.C.'s first score of the game. While I admire Stala's enthusiasm, if he really wanted to draw the 15-yard detriment, he should've re-created the famous hackysack celebration in Regina from last season.

Glenn would find #80 twice more to start the 2nd frame en route to the Tabbies' third offensive foray into the end zone; thus giving them a 21-7 lead with 10 minutes to go until half-time. However, while the Lions might have been winless in their previous three games, the Pacific Pouncers have kept their games close. This proved no more evident when the Leos would score the next 14 points; culminating with pressure on Glenn by the Lions' defence that lead to a forced fumble which was recovered by nickelback Korey Banks who rumbled 37-yards for the tying score. Needless to say, the Black and Orange Brigade at Empire were partying like a "Rock Star" after that, but the Ti-Cats looked at themselves and said they "Gotta Be Somebody." The Black & Gold would hold off the Leos' attack for the rest of the half and added a little breathing room when kicker Justin Medlock booted a career-high 55-yard field goal to put the Cats up by 3 heading into the locker room.

By the time the half-time entertainment took the field, Chris Williams had become a tour de force; amassing 162 of his 189 receiving yards in the opening 30, and had scored his 3rd touchdown of the season. Given the way the Leos had taken their game up a notch in the 2nd half earlier this season, I knew this slim lead would be tough to hold onto.

The Ti-Cats would get a little breathing room in the 3rd quarter when Glenn connected with Stala in the end zone for the second time in the game to put our beloved Black & Gold up 31-21. But as predicted, the home side would come back in the final frame, thanks to a one-yard touchdown jaunt by running back Jamal Robertson followed later by a 36-yard field goal by Leos' kicker Paul McCallum to tie it up with 2:35 left on the clock. The Boys on Balsam started to mark down the field on the ensuing drive but continued to baffle their fans when Medlock, who had hoofed one through the uprights from mid-field earlier, shanked what should've been a sure 28-yard attempt right. The ensuing rouge would put our men up by a single point with the threatening Lions getting the ball on their own 35 with 1:13 left. It was this point when I began to get a sinking feeling in my stomach where I was losing confidence in our defence; especially since Leos' wide out Geroy Simon started to heat up in the second half after being practically silent in the opening 30. Fortunately, that was when a savior in black and gold showed up late in the game.

With the Lions facing 3rd and 10 on their own 46 with less than a minute to play, quarterback Travis Lulay faded back in the shotgun in a desperate hope to extend the drive, but as his arm was moving forward, Ti-Cat linebacker Marketh Knowlton got a hand on it and deflected the pass attempt out of bounds for the turnover. The next offensive play, Avon Cobourne galloped his way to the end zone for 46 of his 100 yards on the ground and an insurance touchdown. The Lulay-led black and orange offence would get the ball back and attempt to march down the field for a hopeful major and 2-point convert to send the game into overtime. However, on the last play of the game, Lulay had his swag jacked when he was picked off in the end zone by Bo Smith. Haha ha ha, indeed, as the Ti-Cats would leave Empire with a 39-31 win, and the Lions fall to 0-4.

A close game made even closer by some inexcusable penalties, but the Black and Gold leave the Wet Coast as a .500 club and hopefully one step closer to a return trip in late November while all can't be well in Wally (Buono) World.

What's On Tap..

The Ti-Cats return home and make their second straight appearance on Friday Night Football when the 2-2 club will take on the defending Grey Cup champion Montréal Alouettes. This will be the first of four meetings the Black & Gold will have with the Als season, and as any fan will tell you, a match-up against Anthony Calvillo and company is never an easy win. The game starts at 6:30 pm ET Friday on TSN, and we'll be at Ivor Wynne in our perch in Section 22 tweetcasting under the @DiefOnCats moniker again. Hope to see you at the Bastion on Balsam Friday. Until then, oskee wee wee!

Week 3: Blowing Out A Substandard Rider Squad

This past Saturday, our beloved Black and Gold finally got off the shnide and won their first game of the season; decisively defeating the Riders 33-3 in front of a crowd of 22,245 who passed through the turnstyles at Steeltown's Bastion on Balsam. While those in attendance -- which included the usual splotches of Green and White that seems to appear whenever the 3-time Grey Cup champions take their travelling road show outside of the safe harbour of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field -- enjoyed what turned out to be optimal weather conditions for a mid-summer Saturday afternoon contest, the action on the field turned out to be a match-up of extreme ineptitude with spotty patches of excellent playmaking.

The game appeared to be a complete abomination when the only scoring in the opening 15 minutes came off the foot of TiCats kicker Justin Medlock, who punched the ball through the uprights three times in the opening frame. One of the field goals was the result after the Tabbies were given a gift of having the ball on the Riders' 6 when Reanud Williams picked off a struggling Darian Durant. Unfortunately, the Kevin Glenn-lead offence weren't able to cross the plane of the goal line. Combine that with the disaster in Commonwealth last week, and I was thinking Glenn's channelling of Nealon Greene was still ongoing. Fortunately, that would begin to change in the next quarter.

In the second fifteen, Glenn and company began to shred a seemingly hollow Rider defence; culminating with #5 finding wideout Chris Williams twice in the quarter. By the time the halftime gun sounded, I was astonished to find our beloved TiCats up 23-0 on the reigning two-time Grey Cup finalists, and thought that Ivor Wynne had slipped into a portal and we had ended up in Bizarro World. I thought surely the Riders would come back in the closing 30 minutes and make it more of a closer contest. The reply I ended up getting was, "Not this time around, and don't call me 'Shirley'."

The defence returned to the fine form I have grown to know and respect over the past two seasons; a squadron I thought during the first two games this year had become lost when former DC Greg Marshall bolted for "The City That Rhymes With Fun" to take the head coaching gig with the Melonheads. However, I was proved wrong when Jamall Johnson almost made Durant the second quarterback he's squashed onto the carpet at Ivor Wynne. The D held the visiting side to just 255 yards of offence; picking off Durant three times, and exposing him to the point where he was yanked in favour of Ryan Dinwiddie to start the fourth quarter. Upon seeing the switch I began to feel like I had taken a short trip in the wayback machine to Winnipeg in the year 2007 when Dinwiddie was Glenn's backup for the Bombers; taking the starting job in the biggest game of the year after Glenn was injured at the hands of the gangland tackling by our despised rivals up the QEW in the Eastern Final that season.

However, with one of the main cogs in the Riders' offence, Andy Fantuz, temporarily moving on to the bright lights of the NFL, and the retirement of stallwart fullback, Chris Szarka, in the off-season, the Green and White's offence are showing signs of emptiness that needs rectifying as quickly as possible. Their defence is no better with a secondary that appears to be non-existant. Throw in the fact that normally money players, wideout Rob Bagg and kicker Luca Congi are on the 9-game IR, and it will be a tough challenge in Riderville to not only make it to BC Place this November for a hopeful third straight kick at the can, but to even consider making it to the post-season. Their only solace currently is the fact the Lions are also 0-3 to start 2011. However, in Week 4, the Riders face their recent Grey Cup nemesis, the Alouettes, for the second time in three weeks. Somehow, I'm hearing the faint beeping of a manure truck backing up on Piffles Taylor Way.

What's On Deck:

This week, the TiCats will make the long transcontinental flight to Vancouver to take on those aforementioned 0-3 Lions in the opening contest of Week 4. The game starts at 10 pm ET on TSN. It's going to be a late one Tigertown, so I hope you all remember to turn off your alarm clocks so you can sleep in Saturday morning after the game. As I've been doing the past couple of weeks, I will be "commen-tweeting" the action, but this time, I will be doing it from a new Twitter account. So to all interested parties that want to follow along during the game, add @DiefOnCats to your Twitter following list. Chances are if Rod Black and Duane Forde are covering the game, I'll be tweeting my disdain for the pairing; although, it'd be more the former than the latter.

Have a great week Tigertown, and I hope to "hear" from you late Friday night. Oskee wee wee!