Can Ticats spoil the party at new Argo home?
The storyline for Toronto: After years as the neglected tenants in the cavernous confines of the Rogers Centre, the Argonauts are moving to the renovated BMO Field and making it their permanent home. The brand is in dire need of rejuvenation and while the road is long, the early returns are promising. Speaking of returns, quarterback Ricky Ray is fully healthy after being limited to just nine games and two starts last season.
Key injuries: Defensive back A.J. Jefferson (18 starts in 2015), receiver Diontae Spencer (1,146 combined yards last season), and Canadian defensive tackle Brian Bulcke, a former Ticat still recovering from a knee injury suffered last season, are the notable injuries for Toronto. There's some inexperience on the field side of the Argo secondary.
Five funky Toronto stats:
1. Ray will be making regular season start No. 192 on Thursday, moving him past Danny McManus for No. 5 on the CFL all-time list. His Ticat counterpart Jeremiah Masoli will be starting game No. 2 (not including two in the post-season.)
2. The Argonauts have played more regular season games than any other CFL team, and Thursday's game will be 1,304 since 1907. Their all-time record is 621-656-26.
3. The Argos have faced the Ticats 224 times since 1950, with Hamilton holding a 129 to 93 advantage, with two ties.
4. Toronto's roster features 28 players who will entering their first or second CFL season, representing 51 per cent of the total. That's the highest percentage in the league where the average is just 37 per cent.
5. With the 2016 opener set for BMO Field, the venue will be permanent home stadium No. 6 in franchise history. The others: Varsity Field-Stadium (1907), Rosedale Field (1908), Scarborough Beach Park (1922), Exhibition Stadium (1959), and SkyDome-Rogers Centre (1988).
The storyline for Hamilton: The Ticats begin the season without starting quarterback Zach Collaros as he recovers from the torn ACL suffered last September. Jeremiah Masoli, who led the team to a thrilling playoff win over Toronto last season, gets the start. After a stretch of remarkable continuity on the field and in the coaching ranks, the Ticats have undergone significant change this off-season.
Key injuries: Collaros was put on the six-game injured list on Wednesday and all-star defensive tackle Ted Laurent is also out with a lower body injury and the team is also without a Canadian backup running back.
Five funky Hamilton stats:
1. Hamilton starts 2016 with the largest roster in the CFL at 62 players, including nine players on the six-game injured list.
2. After winning 10 games last season, the Ticats will be trying to reach double-digits in consecutive seasons for the first time since back in 1999. They've done it just once since 1965.
3. The Tiger-Cats have made the playoffs in six of the past seven seasons, a run that was last matched from 1995 to 2001. They can make it 7 out of 8 years for the first time since making it in every year from 1978 to 1989.
4. The Ticats have finished second in passing yards every year under head coach Kent Austin (2013 to 2015.)
5. Ticats finished tops in the CFL with a plus-14 turnover ratio last season. They also scored eight defensive touchdowns, best in the league.
The storyline for Toronto: After years as the neglected tenants in the cavernous confines of the Rogers Centre, the Argonauts are moving to the renovated BMO Field and making it their permanent home. The brand is in dire need of rejuvenation and while the road is long, the early returns are promising. Speaking of returns, quarterback Ricky Ray is fully healthy after being limited to just nine games and two starts last season.
Key injuries: Defensive back A.J. Jefferson (18 starts in 2015), receiver Diontae Spencer (1,146 combined yards last season), and Canadian defensive tackle Brian Bulcke, a former Ticat still recovering from a knee injury suffered last season, are the notable injuries for Toronto. There's some inexperience on the field side of the Argo secondary.
Five funky Toronto stats:
1. Ray will be making regular season start No. 192 on Thursday, moving him past Danny McManus for No. 5 on the CFL all-time list. His Ticat counterpart Jeremiah Masoli will be starting game No. 2 (not including two in the post-season.)
2. The Argonauts have played more regular season games than any other CFL team, and Thursday's game will be 1,304 since 1907. Their all-time record is 621-656-26.
3. The Argos have faced the Ticats 224 times since 1950, with Hamilton holding a 129 to 93 advantage, with two ties.
4. Toronto's roster features 28 players who will entering their first or second CFL season, representing 51 per cent of the total. That's the highest percentage in the league where the average is just 37 per cent.
5. With the 2016 opener set for BMO Field, the venue will be permanent home stadium No. 6 in franchise history. The others: Varsity Field-Stadium (1907), Rosedale Field (1908), Scarborough Beach Park (1922), Exhibition Stadium (1959), and SkyDome-Rogers Centre (1988).
The storyline for Hamilton: The Ticats begin the season without starting quarterback Zach Collaros as he recovers from the torn ACL suffered last September. Jeremiah Masoli, who led the team to a thrilling playoff win over Toronto last season, gets the start. After a stretch of remarkable continuity on the field and in the coaching ranks, the Ticats have undergone significant change this off-season.
Key injuries: Collaros was put on the six-game injured list on Wednesday and all-star defensive tackle Ted Laurent is also out with a lower body injury and the team is also without a Canadian backup running back.
Five funky Hamilton stats:
1. Hamilton starts 2016 with the largest roster in the CFL at 62 players, including nine players on the six-game injured list.
2. After winning 10 games last season, the Ticats will be trying to reach double-digits in consecutive seasons for the first time since back in 1999. They've done it just once since 1965.
3. The Tiger-Cats have made the playoffs in six of the past seven seasons, a run that was last matched from 1995 to 2001. They can make it 7 out of 8 years for the first time since making it in every year from 1978 to 1989.
4. The Ticats have finished second in passing yards every year under head coach Kent Austin (2013 to 2015.)
5. Ticats finished tops in the CFL with a plus-14 turnover ratio last season. They also scored eight defensive touchdowns, best in the league.
