As the Hamilton Tiger-Cats prepare to play their 2nd preseason game of the 2022 season it is important to remember the purpose of pre-season games in professional football. The primary objective for the Tiger-Cats coaching staff will be to evaluate players as they prepare to make their final player cuts going into the 2022 regular season. We do expect to see a large number of reps from the 2nd and 3rd string players who are battling to make the team for the 2022 season.
Growling Question #1:
Can the Tiger-Cats hold the Argos passing game to under 5.0 yards/pass attempt?
Last week vs. the Montreal Alouettes the Tiger-Cats defense allowed the Alouettes offense to gain 7.9 yards/pass attempt. The solutions are to get more pressure on the quarterback so that he has to rush his read and throws, and then be in position to produce turnovers and pass break ups.
Growling Question #2:
Can the Tiger-Cats hold the Argos running game to under 3.0 yards/rush attempt?
Last week the Tiger-Cats held the Alouettes running game to 1.33 yards/rush attempt. If they are able to do a better job of containing the passing game then it will be interesting to see if they can maintain the ability to limit the running game.
Growling Question #3:
Can the Tiger-Cats offense average over 7.8 yards/passing attempt while attempting 30+ passes in a game?
If a CFL team is capable of averaging 7.8 yards/passing attempt or more while throwing the ball 30+ times then their chances for winning increase significantly. Last week, the Tiger-Cats average 6.9 yards/passing attempt on 17 passing attempts. This will need to be an area of growth for the Tiger-Cats offense.
Growling Question #4:
Can the Tiger-Cats running backs average over 3.0 yards/carry?
Last week vs. the Alouettes, the Tiger-Cats offense averaged 6.0 yards/carry. If you focus on non-quarterback runs, the Tiger-Cats gained 52 yards on 15 carries. This is an average of 3.5 yards/rush. The running backs need to be able maintain this level of production so that the Tiger-Cats have balance in their offensive attack.
Growling Question #5:
Will the Tiger-Cats be able to obtain a positive +/- rate?
Last week the Tiger-Cats defense produced 1 interception. The offense did not turn the ball over. This gives them a +/- rate of +1. To win games it will be critical to have more takeaways than turnovers.
Each week of the CFL season these metrics will allow us to determine the productions levels of the Tiger-Cats vs. each opponent. If they can win 3 out 5 of these areas each week, their chances of winning the game that week is very high. Against the Alouettes in pre-season game #1, the Tiger-Cats won in 3 out 5 of these areas of analysis. It will be interesting to see if the Tiger-Cats can continue this trend this Friday vs. the Toronto Argonauts in pre-season game #2.
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