“The losing stops now!”
It is not secret, for the last several season, the Hamilton Tiger Cats have been the “Bad News Bears” of the Canadian Football League.
Poor playing, poor management and poor coaching have led the Tiger Cats into a downward spiral. A playoff berth in 2004 has been the only shed of light on the Tiger Cats franchise in some while.
Last season, Hamilton had expectations of turning their fortunes around. While they did have some bright spots in their season, when all was said and done Hamilton finished with only three wins and last place once again.
How can a team that has been in several rebuilding years in a row continue to be the laughingstock of the league?
How can Hamilton build off of a three win season?
Though they did only win three games, Hamilton did learn a few things during the season. First off, they may finally have their starting quarterback in Quinton Porter.
Porter showed promise last season and will only improve with more experience under his belt.
Hamilton’s management has given a renewed effort to improving the team through free agency, focusing more on the offensive line than in the past.
And of course, the Tiger Cats have explosive running back Kenton Keith. While he has not seen the playing field in a while, there is always a chance he will do this.
But, until these players all perform at a high level, and Hamilton starts winning ball games, it is all speculation.
Let’s take a closer look at the Hamilton Tiger Cats:
What’s New?
After Marcel Bellefeuille had taken over as head coach for Charlie Taafe during the season, people wondered if Bellefeuille would retain his job in the off-season. The Tiger Cats didn’t wait long into the off-season, signing Bellefeuille to an extension.
With the coaching staff in place, Hamilton could focus on improving their team through free agency. Hamilton had a number of holes to fill going into a loaded free agency class.
Hamilton had been rumoured to be involved in a lot of big moves, including talks surrounding prized free agent offensive lineman Rob Murphy.
In the end, the Argonauts picked up Murphy, but the Tiger Cats did find their own offensive lineman in Alexandre Gauthier.
Gauthier has been a solid tackle for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the last couple of seasons. Later in the off-season, Hamilton added Dan Goodspeed through a three way trade.
The acquisitions of Goodspeed and Gauthier, plus lineman Simon Rottier, who the team drafted first overall, should give the Tabbies some stability on the offensive line.
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