The Tiger-Cat‘s start to the 2023 season did not go as well as Hamilton hoped for during their 42 to 31 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. A slow start to a season is not new for the Tiger-Cats, but after making personnel moves to rebuild their roster, hopes were high. Building a successful team takes more than changing players; it takes time for those players to develop chemistry.
Wide receivers Tim White and Duke Williams mentioned that developing team chemistry, especially on offence, will require time and practice reps to get on the same page with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.
While many things have changed for the Tiger-Cats coming into the 2023 season, three things are still a part of the Tiger-Cats’ reality. Those things are turnovers, penalties, and inconsistency. A wealth of these factors led to a disastrous first half in Winnipeg, but after halftime, the Tiger-Cats started to play better in all aspects. Coupled with some uncharacteristic mistakes Winnipeg made, Hamilton got back into the game and gave themselves a chance to close the gap.
If Hamilton wants to have a chance to play for the Grey Cup, they need to develop new habits related to turnovers and penalties. Luckily for the Tiger-Cats, those two aspects are factors that Hamilton control as a team and, therefore, can improve each week. Consistent personnel, reps, and time will also eliminate Tiger-Cat’s inconsistencies.
Along with working on the field to improve, the Tiger-Cats have made a series of personnel moves as they prepare to face the 2022 Grey Cup champions, the Toronto Argonauts, on Sunday, June 18th, at 7:00 pm EDT in Toronto.
New Players Signed In Week 2
The Tiger-Cats have signed American running back Tyreik McAllister and American defensive lineman Jarrod Hewitt. Both players come to Hamilton after spending time in the NFL. It will be interesting to see how long it will take each of these players to be in a position to contribute to the Tiger-Cat’s offence and defence.
Tyreik McAllister is a 5’11”, 180-pound running back from Latta, South Carolina. McAllister played college football at the University of Charleston from 2017 until 2021. While at Charleston, he had 355 carries for 2.561 yards for 26 rushing touchdowns and 113 receptions for 1,047 yards and four receiving touchdowns. In 2022, the Denver Broncos signed him as an undrafted free agent, and he spent time on the Broncos practice squad during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Jarrod Hewitt is a 6’1″, 280-pound defensive lineman from Venice, Florida. Hewitt played college football at Virginia Tech from 2017 until 2020 and played in 45 games. While playing at Virginia Tech, he produced 92 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. The Seattle Seahawks signed him as an undrafted free agent.
Players Released From The Roster
While the Tiger-Cats work to develop better chemistry and make roster adjustments, Hamilton has released two defensive linemen. The Tiger-Cats released National defensive lineman Kwaku Boateng. The Edmonton Elks drafted Boateng during the 2017 CFL Draft. In 2022, he signed with the Ottawa Redblacks and injured his Achilles tendon during training camp. Hamilton has also released American defensive lineman Nyles Pinckney.
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