Commissioner mum on Hamilton Grey Cup dateSteve Milton REGINA Tim Hortons Field will get its Grey Cup game, but the Canadian Football League wont say when. I cant shed light on it, but clearly part of the discussions of getting the new stadium were that we want to bring the Grey Cup to Hamilton, CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said during question period, after an upbeat state of the league address. In the new year the CFL board of governors will sit down and discuss the Grey Cup rotation. I dont want to disappoint the fans in Hamilton: were definitely putting a Grey Cup there, he said, but refused to elaborate further. Cohon didnt say on Friday morning, but his consistent advice to teams with new stadiums (Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa) is that they shouldnt consider playing host to a Cup until three years after that stadium opens to the public. There is a honeymoon period for a new stadium, Cohon reasons, that can last for three years, and its after that that the team might need the boost in local interest (and financial spike) that comes with a Grey Cup. The City of Ottawa has made the point that the countrys 150th anniversary is in 2017, and the Cup game should be in the capital. That would be the fourth year of their new stadium. Also, it is very clear that there is no longer a regular rotation to Grey Cup sites. Franchises might not expect to be in the running every eight (and soon nine) years because its suspected the three biggest municipalities — Toronto (already host of two Cups in the past six years), Vancouver (two Cups in four years) and Montreal (due soon) — will get the Cup more often to increase and maintain its media and business-world profile. So what does that mean for Hamilton and the Cup? Depending upon when Toronto next hosts, Hamilton is probably looking at 2018 or 2019 — although theres a small chance 2016 could come into play too. On Friday, the Tiger-Cats practised at the Yara Centre, a terrific indoor facility in Moose Jaw, 45 minutes west of Regina. The facility contains a full-sized football field, bordered by a four-lane track. The Ticats arrived in minus 37 weather (with wind chill) dressed in their practice uniforms, which felt very familiar, since theyve bussed to every practice in uniform this season. Some might even call it a positive omen. This is us, said equipment manager Drew Strohschein. Just like all year, baby, echoed middle linebacker Jamal Johnson. Kent Austin was asked after practice Friday if he checks the weather channel for the forecast for Sundays Grey Cup. I might do that a few times a day, he said with a chuckle. Thats the honest answer, of course I do. We have to prepare, and if its going to be wet or its going to be high gusts, we want to be prepared for that. We have to have a plan, its part of our job. Ticats defensive end Eric Norwood has made a lot of changes since signing with Hamilton in early July. He had played linebacker for two years for the Carolina Panthers and for a season in the AFL, and had an NFL body, according to defensive line coach Dennis McPhee. Ive changed my running, my eating habits, my sleeping habits, he said. I came in here at 259 pounds, and now Im at 251. Thats definitely a significant amount of weight to lose. Thats definitely a significant amount. I was coming from training camp in the NFL working out as a linebacker at 260-plus. Just coming back and changing everything and getting down to this weight is something I had to adjust to. In this game, theres a lot of scrambling quarterbacks, so kind of the lighter the better. Minimalizing the effects of running back Kory Sheets and quarterback Darian Durant (who has led the Riders into three of the past five Grey Cups) are the main keys for the Tiger-Cats defence in the 101{+s}t Grey Cup. We just gotta stay in our gaps against him, Hamilton defensive lineman Torrey Davis says of Sheets. I think we can try to confine him, kind of hold him down a bit. Riders offensive co-ordinator George Cortez, who was dismissed as Ticat head coach a year ago, describes Sheets running style this way: Kory runs hard, he keeps his pads down, so he runs behind his pads and hes hard to bring down. The man who will match wits with Cortez on Sunday, Ticat defensive co-ordinator Orlondo Steinauer, adds: They feature him, he runs hard, hes deceptive, hes patient. Obviously hes going to see the football a lot. Hes going to get yards, but we cant give up explosions, so he puts them consistently in second and short. We have to contain him a little better than we did when we played them in the regular season. A reminder from Ticats defensive end and sacks leader Brandon Boudreaux, that these are not only not your daddys Ticats, theyre not even yours. At least not yours from four months ago, when the Roughriders swept a home-and-home series from the Ticats, and outscored them by an aggregate of 69-20. We were younger then, Boudreaux says. And a lot of guys who werent playing then are playing now. And some of the guys who were playing then have evolved as players over the year. Boudreaux wasnt playing then because a combination of a foot injury and the coaching staffs belief that he had underperformed when he had a chance. But beginning in the next game at Edmonton, he rallied and finished the season with seven quarterback sacks, to lead the team. Former Tiger-Cat middle linebacker Rey Williams wont play in the Grey Cup because of an ACL injury he suffered two months ago, but hes intrigued that his old team is playing his old-new team. (The Cats got him from the Riders three years ago). It makes a good story right?, Williams said this week. Kents back in town, playing against his old team, first year back in the league and hes back in the Grey Cup. Although the Cats cut him in February, he says he has no sense of vengeance. But that doesnt mean he has the warm and fuzzies for Austin, who is not only coach, but also the general manager and therefore was ultimately responsible for his release. When the Ticats played in Saskatchewan in July Spec writer Drew Edwards wrote a strong story about Williams displeasure. He feels he got screwed in an injury settlement for not all of a $35,000 off-season bonus, and the Ticats have countered that they did right by him. He was also upset that it wasnt Austin who informed him of his release, even though he had played for him in Saskatchewan six years earlier. How do I feel personally? he asked rhetorically. They took care of me when I was there. The front office, the coaches, they took care of me when I was there. Im happy for the fans, Im happy for Marwan (Hage), this is his first Grey Cup and he deserves it. (Dave) Stala, J.J. (Jamal Johnson), those are my friends. My feelings toward one particular person, they are what they are. You dont like everybody. I wont say I dont have ill feelings, but Im not even thinking about it right now. Hes done a really good job with his team; hes a good coach, he knows how to keep guys motivated. So Ill give him that. On a personal level, its something different but, like I said, Im happy for the guys I played with, and Im happy for the city, they deserve it. Being on the team where I always thought we belonged and making it to the Grey Cup with them is redemption, Williams said. TSN has sent out a whole bunch of facts and numbers about its broadcasts this weekend, some of them relevant, some interesting, some picayune. One that stands out is that Westdale grad and broadcast legend Brian Williams has now interviewed 10 different CFL commissioners on Grey Cup Sunday. Another is that at the top of the TSN SPORTSCENTRE list of greatest CFL championship games is the 1989 Grey Cup, won 43-40 by the Riders over the Ticats on Dave Ridgways last-play field. . It says here that that was more than the greatest championship game, it was the greatest game. Period. And TSN will use 37 cameras during the Grey Cup, including a helicopter-cam that will focus on aerial views of Regina. The network will put 195 staff to work this weekend.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 23:38:07 +0000
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