Argos-Ticats a meaningful game? Believe it

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With either the Argonauts or the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (or sometimes both) bringing up the rear of the Canadian Football League standings for the past several seasons, few can remember a time when a game between the two clubs at this point in August had the potential to be significant.

?It?s an age-old rivalry, so games against the Ticats are like playoff games every time, even if both teams have been out of the playoffs,? Argos running back Jeff Johnson said. ?These are huge games.?

The Argos (5-2) play host to the Ticats (3-4) on Friday night at the Rogers Centre.

Once the East Division teams have completed their bye week, the two clubs will hook up in Hamilton on Sept. 6 for the annual Labour Day Classic.



Work to do

?They are hearing Argos this and Argos that, and the bottom line is this team has not done anything,? Argos head coach Jim Barker said. ?We have played seven games, and we?re making progress. This is about (whether) we can do this, week in and week out.

?This is going to be a great game. We have a team down there (in Hamilton) that is coming off a great year and has high hopes, and they are a good football team.?

The Argos, meanwhile, will be without cornerback Willie Middlebrooks (groin), who had been day to day. Josh Abrams or Michael Grant will take Middlebrooks? spot. Barker is keeping his fingers crossed that Middlebrooks and defensive tackle Adriano Belli (foot), who has missed the past two games, will play in the Labour Day Classic in Hamilton.
 

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For Cats, life is a highway


Hittin? the road has become commonplace for CFL club



My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior.
? Open narration from the film The Road Warrior, 1981.

It's hard to imagine the affable Alex Gauthier -- a gentle giant if there ever was one -- swaggering down the middle of a post-apocalyptic highway with a shotgun over his shoulder like a leather-sheathed, carnage-inducing Mel Gibson in his cult classic Mad Max trilogy.

But Gauthier, the Hamilton Ticats tackle, can certainly relate to the difficulties of the life of a stranger in a strange land. He and his teammates will play their fourth road game in five weeks tomorrow, travelling down the 403 for a date with the Toronto Argonauts.

And, while the rigours of air travel and hotel living don't especially bother the big man -- Gauthier is 6-foot-6, 325 pounds -- playing in unfriendly confines can be a challenge, especially out there on the end of the offensive line.

"It's tough to go on the road. I don't mind the trips but the crowd noise can be a challenge," he said.

Hamilton has already played road dates in Winnipeg (twice), Montreal and Saskatchewan, the loud, louder and loudest stadiums on the CFL circuit. And, while they've gone just 1-3 away from home thus far, head coach Marcel Bellefeuille says there is an upside.

"The fact that we've been on the road quite a bit allowed us to insulate ourselves as a team and I think it will be a positive when we're all said and done," Bellefeuille said. "It's helped us develop some mettle, some mental toughness."

The team is also well positioned going into the second half of the season, when it will play six of its final 10 contests in the cosy confines of Ivor Wynne Stadium as well as a second away date just down the road in T.O. -- seven games that will allow the team to sleep in their own beds the night before.

"That's going to be good for us in a critical part of the year when things really start to pick up in terms of earning playoff spots," Bellefeuille said.

And, while Toronto is definitely enemy territory, Gauthier said the cavernous nature of Rogers Centre makes it a less imposing place to play.

"The stadium is so big that it's tough for the crowd to make it noisy enough that it can affect us -- even with 25,000 people in there, it's still half empty, so we should be able to deal with it," he said.

It was the roar of the crowd in Winnipeg that led to the offensive line's inauspicious start, allowing seven sacks in a season-opening loss.

But, in the six games since, the unit has allowed just seven combined quarterback takedowns.

"That first game wasn't representative of what we are as an offensive line," Gauthier said, noting the team fell behind early and allowed the skilled Bomber defensive line to go straight for pivot Kevin Glenn. "The last few weeks, we have been pretty balanced with the run and the pass and that makes it easier."

The rushing attack is the final piece of the puzzle, Gauthier says, and DeAndra' Cobb's 22-carry, 86-yard effort in last week's win over (who else?) Winnipeg is a positive sign.

"One half of football isn't enough to say we've turned the corner with the running game -- we have to put together some games in a row," he said. "But that might be easier to do at home, too."
 

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Double duties for Stala


Dave Stala made like Pele one week in Regina, then brought back memories of Hank Ilesic in a post-touchdown celebration when he heaved the pigskin through the end zone at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

On Friday night, Stala may be asked to handle the punting and kickoff duties for the visiting Ticats, who are bracing for the loss of import punter Eric Wilbur.

In the two games since Wilbur was brought into Steeltown, the Ticats have won both, but Wilbur injured his left ankle (his plant foot) late last week in Winnipeg.

The Ticats auditioned Matt Fodge, but this former winner of the Ray Guy award, which is given to the NCAA?s top punter, was released on Wednesday.

During the team?s workout, Stala was kicking the lights out of the ball, mainly as a placekicker.

Head coach Marcel Bellefeuille said following Wednesday?s workout that Wibur was feeling a lot better than he did on Tuesday.

Bellefeuille has no reservations if Stala, who lines up at slotback as a starter, has to see double duty.

?It wouldn?t be an issue for a week,?? said Bellefeuille.

The Ticats, like the Argos, don?t play until Labour Day when they reconvene at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
 
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