Now or never as Cats start three games against eastern rivals

[IE]

Put it into drive.

Hamilton head coach Charlie Taaffe says his struggling Tiger-Cats have arrived at the key juncture of the season.

Starting tonight, when the 1-4 Tabbies take on the 2-3 Alouettes at Percival Molson Stadium, the Cats will play their next three contests against eastern conference opponents.

It's really a four-pack against the east if you include the Labour Day Classic against Toronto.

"I think these next three weeks are going to have some impact on where our season goes," Taaffe said. "If we can get a few of these games, it puts us right in position in the east.

"It's time. As I like to say, drive it or park it. Time to step up and see if we can make a run here in our own division. We've got three great opportunities."

Game time is 7 p.m. and TSN has the broadcast.

Taaffe said his Tabbies have played well enough to be 3-2. He cited the Saskatchewan and Edmonton losses as contests the Cats should have won.

But they didn't.

The Ticats have lost three straight. They face a heavily-favoured Montreal club that has also lost three straight.

But the Steeltown squad hasn't won in Montreal since October 2001 --a string of eight losses. And Montreal handled the Cats handily in the 2008 season-opener at Ivor Wynne.

"We're obviously the underdogs but we're one game out of first place," Taaffe said. "We're just going to go out and play and see what happens."

Taaffe said the Cats expect Air Appalachian, QB Richie Williams, to get his first start of the season. He called it a "long shot" for Casey Printers to see action.

Taaffe said Williams has become one of the most popular Cats.

"I just like Richie's demeanour. He is a great guy in the locker room, the players really respond to him.

"He doesn't get rattled, he is very calm. I think he conveys that to the team on the field."

The Cats have benched offensive tackle Charles Thomas. Peter Dyakowski will start at left guard, with Marko Cavka taking over Thomas's right tackle spot. Jesse Lumsden starts in the backfield.

Williams could fire the Cats' first touchdown pass of the season to Prechae Rodriguez, Jo Jo Walker, Scott Mitchell, Pat Woodcock or Chris Bauman. Tony Miles will miss his second straight contest with a hamstring ailment.

The Cats will play four Americans on the defensive front. Geoff Tisdale gets his first start at cornerback, subbing for the injured Jykine Bradley.

 

[IE]

Rookies need to step up

Injuries force team to start two new faces in defensive backfield


When Dave Ritchie was coaching in the Canadian Football League, especially when he was in charge of lousy teams in Winnipeg, he often said every rookie a team's forced to dress will cost it one game.

The Alouettes figure to have two rookies starting in their defensive secondary alone tonight, when they entertain the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Molson Stadium (7 p.m., TSN, RDS). Both teams have lost three straight games and are desperate for a win.

With injuries to cornerback Mark Estelle (shoulder) and safety Matthieu Proulx (hamstring), the Als figure to start import Chris Smith at safety. Either Paul Woldu, the Als' fifth-round draft choice last April, or import Rayshaun Kizer - they split the reps at practice this week - will start at strong-side cornerback for Davis Sanchez, who moves to the weak side for Estelle.


"These guys are young, but they're smart," Montreal head coach Marc Trestman said. "We'll find out a lot when the lights go on, and everybody has to get their start at some time. We expect them to play like they've done it for a long time. They're young, but we expect them to be sharp."

Sanchez, an eight-year CFL veteran who has taken the rookies under his wing this season, believes they'll have no difficulties making the transition to becoming starters.

"You have to have confidence in the guys you play with," he said. "One thing about these young guys, they work in the film room and study hard. They're (mentally) prepared. Then it comes down to the physical aspect and winning the one-on-one battles."

Montreal football fans got a brief glimpse of the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Smith on June 12 in the Als' opening exhibition game against Toronto. Since then, it has been a whirlwind odyssey for the Florida native, whose only other pro experience consisted of one exhibition game for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007 before his release.

Smith was one of the Als' final training camp cuts, only to be subsequently added to the team's practice roster for the opening game.

But he was released again after that. He returned home while recovering from groin and hamstring injuries, only to reappear on the practice roster again this week. And now, he will probably join the 42-man roster.

"I'm just trying to get situated. It's tough," he explained. "I found out in this league it's like that. There's lots of ups and downs. I've also discovered in this league, the more positions you can play, the more value you have to a team."

Smith, a natural safety, although he has practised occasionally at strong-side linebacker, believes he impressed the coaches at training camp with his aggressive play and sound tackling. And the Als will require all hands on deck to corral Ticats running-back Jesse Lumsden, second in the CFL in rushing, with 416 yards in only four games, along with a superb 7.2-yard average.

"We saw enough of (Smith) at camp," Trestman said. "He's smart, articulate and assignment-sharp. He's a good tackler."

This game should prove to be a stern test for Sanchez, who hasn't played on the boundary since 2006, when he returned to Montreal following a season in Edmonton. A cornerback on the strong-side in the CFL can get bored from inactivity and often lines up against a team's fourth- or fifth-leading receiver."On the short side, I'll focus on my guy. My job will be to stop one guy," he explained. "On the field-side, you can look around more, see things evolve and look at the game."

The magnitude of tonight's game can't be overlooked. The Als, we dare say, can't afford a fourth straight loss with the reality of playing their next two on the road against East Division opponents Winnipeg and Toronto.

Veteran linebacker Reggie Hunt called it the most important game of the year, while Trestman said it would be a mistake to take the 1-4 Ticats lightly.


"If you take a team lightly, you're disrespecting the game," Trestman said. "Hamilton has as much at stake as we do."