Wild Goose Chase

Chase Clement “did not feel that the Candian [sic] style of football was something that he could be passionate about.”

It’s been one day since Chase Clement left the Ticats rookie camp and the world has not ended. The team has had a bit of an embarrassment but will survive and perhaps be more careful in future recruiting. The real victims are free agent QBs like Erik Meyer and Josh Betts who were cut to make way for Clement.

I’ve been enjoying reading the blog and news updates of US college football analyst Nate Griffin. He got the scoop on the family’s explanation for Chase’s quick departure: “He did not feel that the Candian style of football was something that he could be passionate about. He knew right away—(Craig [the father] quotes Chase) he says— “it’s completely different—lots of schemes—a lot of motion. It’s just not what he was trained to do.”

I’m not so sure about the claims in Mr. Griffin’s blog about the pro-football potential of Mr. Clement: “For those of you reading this, I think I can safely say as a College Football Analyst, at the very core, Chase’s leaving camp had nothing to do with his abilities. … Meanwhile, what teams do you think might give him a shot at making their roster?”

Not so sure this affair will have improved his resume in the eyes of NFL or AFL2 teams.

The Chase is over

US College Star QB Chase Clement Quits TiCats Rookie Camp after 1 Day

The Hamilton media is reporting that former Rice QB Chase Clement has quit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats rookie camp to pursue “business interests”. It seems like it was just yesterday that the CFL team announced his signing – well, actually it was three days ago.

The player came accompanied by a big reputation, as promoted on websites like examiner.com:

This analyst expects Clement to surprise a few people! However, one of the first things to which Clement will have to become accustomed is how the Canadians spell offense and defense…they spell them…offence and defence!&^*(&*(!

 Well, he sure surprised everyone – even though he didn’t last long enough to learn the local etymology.

The question remains, however, as to what these urgent “business interests” actually were. Here are our top ten alleged possibilities:

10. A position opened up with Casey Printers’ agency for motivational speakers.

9. Just one word: Plastics.

8. He wanted to invest in that General Motors everyone keeps talking about.

7. Just three words: Texas Style Poutine.

6. Who needs football when you can get 200% interest from Madoff and Associates?

5. Shamwow needed a celebrity endorser.

4. “Would you like fries with that sir?”

3. The next big thing: Polaroid. “The photos develop all by themselves.”

2. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire… The A-Team.

1. The bankruptcy proceedings of the NHL Coyotes presents a unique opportunity to bring pro-hockey back to Arizona.

Ti-Cat training camp starts this week

The wait is almost over. Now it’s time for football - real football!

After an endless series of changes, the sort of changes you need when your team only wins 3 contests a season, Obie’s latest group of future stars is ready to start training for the new CFL season. While every area of the squad has been renewed, most notably the O-line with the addition of veteran all-stars like Dan Goodspeed and Alex Gauthier from the Blue-Bomber meltdown and top Canadian draft choice Simeon Rottier, the big area of interest has to be the QB position.

Porter supporters

The Quarterback saga from November 2008 up until now:

Casey Printers is gone, unwanted by any other CFL team, and the expectation is that the Quinton Porter era is about to start. However, always quick to exploit new Winnipeg boss Mike Kelly, Obie was able to bring in 2007 mvp Kevin Glenn as a super-sub potential alternative starter. Richie Williams got showed the door, consistent with his lack of playing time under the Bellefeuille regime at the end of 2008.  The team also signed journeyman QBs Josh Betts and Erik Meyer but they have already been cut in favour of NCAA Division 3 Mr everything, Jason Boltus. The expectation is that Rice star QB Chase Clement will also be coming up to compete. Last but not least, 2008 third stringer Adam Tafralis is still around.

May the best player win.

Good job Obie!

Ti-Cats are starting to look like contenders in the CFL East

A great man, ever since he left Toronto

Yesterday’s signing of Offensive Tackle Dan Goodspeed in a complex three way trade is the latest improvement Bob O’Billovich has made to the Hamilton Tiger-Cat roster in recent weeks. Like the Kevin Glenn free agent signing, Obie seems to have taken advantage of novice Winnipeg GM Mike Kelly and improved a problem area at the expense of a divisonal rival. There’s no doubt that the offensive line was the most glaring defect in a mediocre squad last season. Now we have 2, count ‘em 2, of Winnipeg’s starting tackles from 2008.

 Of course these player departures may all be part of Kelly’s big Blue-Bomber plan. Maybe he’s freeing up salary cap space to sign Ti-Cat reject Casey Printers…

So how long before the Ti-Cats make it to a Grey Cup?

Nice and Comfy

Do you have any hope?

Another Grey Cup has passed and, consistent with the rest of the Bob Young era, the Hamilton Tiger-Cat football team was not involved. Of course, there were many former Ti-Cats on the field but that, as they used to say on the kid’s show with the guinea pigs, is another story…

The big question for Ti-Cats fans is when we will we have the chance to enjoy a Grey Cup as participants. Indeed, even an away playoff game would be nice.

So what do you think? Respond to our latest Tazeworld Ti-Cat poll:

 

Ti-Cats End Season

Casey Printers goes out with a whimper

At last it’s over. Another useless season. Only 3 wins.

A 44-30 loss to a Winnipeg team who couldn’t care less, using the meaningless match to try out the backups.

But we learned a few more things in this last game:

1. 1. Casey Printers is done – I had been keeping the faith but couldn’t see anything positive today.
2. 2. No team spirit - Casey took a cheap sideline shot and Cat players stood by and watched.
3. Adam Tafralis – looked much better than Printers (but it was junk time in a meaningless game).
4. We need an O-line – Do I need to explain?
5. We need a serious upgrade on defence - coaching, pass rush, defensive backs.
6. Hero tabs – the best sponsors CHML could get for the last broadcast of the season.

Ti-Cat News Flash:

Marcel Bellefeuille named permanent Hamilton head coach

Marcel at work

To quote the announcement in the Hamilton Spectator:

 Bellefeuille, 1-6 since taking over,said

he welcomes the chance to rebuild the Cats.

I like what Bellefeuille has done since he took over from Charlie ‘apathy’ Taaffe on an interm basis but I am not sure that 1 win in seven games is the greatest resumé for a professional football coach.

So what do the fan(s) think:

Ti-Cat Polls:

We ask the questions…

 

1.

2.

Na, na, hey, hey, good riddance.

Charlie “5-23″ Taaffe gets the sack

I make you laugh? I'm here to f-----' amuse you? Whattya you mean funny? Funny how? ...

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats finally made the right move this week and pulled the plug on the team’s worst coach in a decade. The only problem is that they handed the reins over to Marcel “Bellefool” Bellefeuille and immediately traded Zeke Moreno, their best defensive player, for a 1st round draft choice. Well, they traded him for a draft choice after Tom Canada of Winnipeg refused to report and then caught a nasty & convenient case of ruptured spleen (don’t get me started on the farce of this trade).

The team’s promise to compete for the playoffs has as much integrity as a Bottecchia Top Sprinter BS 100… the one with stupid fake carbon black paint. Like the Bottecchia bike, only the Ti-Cat name remains to remind us of past greatness.

Are this season’s Ticats the worst CFL team ever?

Or should that “distinction”go to the 90-91 Ticats?

David Beckman: Note the quotation marks around the word Coach

For years it seemed as if the thorough destruction of a storied franchise undertaken by Dave “high school coach” Beckman was the absolute bottom in Hamilton Tiger-Cat football history. A moment of insanity (and penny-pinching) by then owner David Braley led to the dismantling of the previous year’s Grey Cup finalists and a 2-12 record by an utterly unqualified coach. Now the bad times are back with Charlie “5 – 23″ Taaffe.

After last night’s debacle at No – Wynne Stadium, getting crushed 35-12 by the BC Lions without any sign of resistance (or even a tackle), the Tabbies are well on their way to becoming the worst CFL team ever. The game isn’t on You tube yet – probably because the documentation of such a malignant performance would be classified as a virus.

By all accounts the team won’t get any better. The current ownership, who shelled out on an excessive multiyear contract to alleged pro coach Taaffe, is too cheap to pay for a new coach to come in and pick up the pieces before the end of the season. The management’s spin is that “the team needs consistency” – obviously the kind of consistency that comes from losing almost every game over a number of years…

Pfui.