As the 1-5 Tiger-Cats prepare to host the 2-4 Montreal Alouettes this Thursday at 7:30 pm they are trying to gain momentum as they head into a 6-game stretch against the Alouettes and Argonauts. Coming to this week the Tige-Cats has been defined by turnovers and 4th quarter failures, the exception being their home win against the 0-6 Ottawa Redblacks.

Receiver Bralon Addison mentioned the Tiger-Cats struggles “we shoot ourselves in the foot, untimely penalties and missed opportunities.” So what do the Tiger-Cats need to do to get a win this week? Coach Orlondo Steinauer says that it is all about staying the course “you lean on your core values and execution, on the field it is about executing and winning football games.”

Defensively, the Tiger-Cats need to make game-changing plays by forcing turnovers. Defensive back Tunde Adeleke said, “we know where to fix things, (eliminate) turnovers, and create turnovers.” By creating turnovers the defence would not only be preventing the opponent’s offence from scoring but would also create more scoring opportunities for their offence.

Coach Steinauer emphasized this point “we need to score more points and take the ball away.” Creating turnover and scoring go hand-in-hand and if Hamilton can get hot in these areas they have a good opportunity to recover from their poor start to the 2022 season.

Offensively, Hamilton needs to finish drives, finish games, produce explosive offensive plays, and score touchdowns in the red zone. The Tiger-Cats offence has shown the ability to play well at times, but they have to put it all together for a complete game.

Bralon Addison mentioned, “we have to play complementary football for 4 quarters.” As Hamilton prepares to face the Alouettes they need to maintain their focus and play at a high level for the full game. If they can play a complete game on offence they have a great chance at home to get their 2nd win against a CFL East opponent.

Mid-Week Injury Report

As the Tiger-Cats prepare to face the Alouettes they have had to manage several injury situations this week. To start the week the list of Tiger-Cats not able to practice was long. WR Papi White (back/knee), WR Anthony Johnson (hand), LB Nic Cross (knee), LB Simoni Lawrence (groin), DL Mo Diallo (foot), and OL Chris Van Zeyl (hip), were all held out of practice to start the week.

But the Tiger-Cats did choose to move Simoni Lawrence off of the 6-game injured list, and he was able to practice fully as the week progressed. OL Kyle Saxelid (ankle), DL Autry Lee (shoulder), and DL Tre’ Crawford (hamstring) started the week practicing on a limited basis. But later in the week, Lee and Crawford were held out of practice. The Tiger-Cats will be activating DB Cariel Brooks and WR Lemar Durant for the first time this season after both have been held out for injuries for the first 7 weeks of the season.

Additional Personnel Changes

The Tiger-Cats did announce today that they are trading veteran punter Jon Ryan to the Edmonton Elks for an 8th-round draft pick in the 2023 CFL draft. Ryan was acquired by the Tiger-Cats a few weeks ago, but since then Michael Domagala has been serving as the punter and kicker for kickoffs. Hamilton is also activating Cariel Brooks from the injured list, Brooks has been a high-quality defensive back for the Tiger-Cats historically.

Adding Brooks back allows Hamilton to use Alden Darby Jr. in a variety of different ways which should benefit the Tiger-Cats defensive secondary. The Tiger-Cats have also activated receiver Lemar Durant who has been on the injured list with a hand injury. It will be interesting to see what effect Durant can have on this Tiger-Cats offence.

Full coverage of the 2022 season on CFL News Hub.

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