The foundation of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats philosophy is a consistent approach while focusing on a particular process rather than individual outcomes. When a team has a process-based philosophy, it allows teams like the Tiger-Cats to have a plan to overcome the challenges that they will face throughout a 23-week CFL season. Historically those challenges have been seen as injuries along the Tiger-Cats offensive line, and Hamilton looks for the next man up to fill in as the injuries accumulate.
In 2023, that injury bug struck the Tiger-Cats quarterback rooms. In Week 2, Bo Levi Mitchell was injured and added to the Six-Game Injured List; backup Matthew Shiltz stepped in to lead the offence. In Week 6, Matthew Shiltz injured his leg allowing quarterback Taylor Powell to step in. Powell will get his first start of his CFL career against the Toronto Argonauts.
Each time a player gets hurt, the Tiger-Cats look around and find the “next man up,” but what happens if there is a shortage of next men up? The Tiger-Cats have addressed that issue by signing quarterback Kai Locksley, and now they have signed another quarterback to fill their quarterback room.
The Tiger-Cats have announced that they have signed veteran CFL backup quarterback Antonio Pipkin. Pipkin is a 6’3″, 225-pound quarterback from Gary, Indiana. Pipkin is a five-year CFL veteran, and he has spent time with the Montreal Alouettes, Toronto Argonauts, BC Lions, and now the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Recently, Pipkin dressed in four games with the BC Lions and has produced 29 completions for 393 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also ran the ball 43 times for 137 yards and seven rushing touchdowns while playing for the Lions. During his five years in the CFL, Pipkin has 141 completions on 260 passing attempts for 1,846 yards and six passing touchdowns. He also has 128 carries for 586 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns.
Pipkin played college football at Tiffin University in Ohio, and he played in 44 games during his collegiate career. While playing for the Dragons, he had 979 completions on 1.513 passing attempts for 10,941 passing yards and 88 passing touchdowns. In 2017, the Arizona Cardinals signed Pipkin before he moved north to the CFL.
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