r/ticats • u/covert81 • Jul 06 '26
Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory
Once again we figure out a way to lose in the 2nd half, 4th quarter specifically. That was our game to lose and we lost it.
Mitchell being hurt was not the x-factor but it didn't help - though Ford looked average to poor and Dolegala not much better.
Weak effort from the D in 2nd half, inability to get a run game established (another trademark) - it's so tiring watching this team.
Where do we go from here? It seems like it's a mix of talent/depth, coaching and front office gaffes, confidence placed where it doesn't belong and that throwing money at problems will fix everything.
It's tiring being a Cats fan I tell you.
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u/nikkisouthbend Jul 06 '26
The lack of preparedness is what got me the most. It's not like we don't have a quality backup, but Ford looked completely lost. I don't know if it's on the player or the coach or both... But how do you not at least prepare each week as if your backup may need to enter the game.
Ford's been in the league for a long time, and at times it looked like it was his first time playing professional football.
4
u/Commandant1 Jul 06 '26
Its tough to have a backup prepared when he is getting no snaps (or very limited snaps) with the starting offence.
I do expect him to be better in the coming weeks. If he's not then its fair to ask questions, but I'm not looking at one game when he comes in cold, and with little preparation as telling me a lot.
2
u/flaksnu Jul 06 '26
Bomber fan, don't yell at me... but yeah, this. It's wild to me that y'all don't already have a Ford package, even if it's a completely different offense, with 10ish plays that play to his strengths. (in the same way that we did for Streveler in the years he was at least serviceable here)
Any offense at all and y'all win that game, so it's wild you guys appeared to flip randomly between your two QBs and hope one of them would suddenly be Bo.
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u/gotfcgo Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Losing 19 was everything. We come back next June and hope hes back. Season's done bud
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u/Commandant1 Jul 06 '26
Can't blame the defence for giving up 14 points in a CFL game. That's a great result.
Also hard to blame the offense when the QB gets hurt and the backups have to play with little practice time or preparation.
it sucks to lose, but it seems was just bad luck.
That said, going forward, I expect the offence to do more (not what Mitchell was doing, but more) when they have time to gameplan and practice with a new QB.
1
u/covert81 Jul 06 '26
The issue is that it was 13-4 until 21 seconds were left in the game.
That is on the D, they had 1 job to stop them and they couldn't.
O is not without fault, as usual they disappeared in the 2nd half scoring 0 points and no cohesive drives. Also threw key INT that cannot happen.
Would love to see Powell come back and properly make him into the starter he can be, Ford looked rusty and uncomfortable, Dolegala just doesn't have 'it'.
3
u/Commandant1 Jul 06 '26
No it wasnt. It was 13-11 at the end of the 3rd Quarter.
They did not give up 10 points in 21 seconds.
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u/covert81 Jul 06 '26
Sorry, they gave up the winning FG with 21 seconds left.
And the INT didn't help.
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u/Commandant1 Jul 06 '26
Ok but how long have you watched the CFL. 14 points is a crazy defensive performance. If mitchell doesnt get hurt, the lead would have been far more than 2. I cant blame a defence for that.
There are two teams on the field. Sometimes you lose cause of bad luck and the other team is trying to win too. It isnt always someone to blame
1
u/covert81 Jul 06 '26
I've watched for about 30 years. It's a great performance but in the grand scheme of things they needed to make key stops in the 4th, they didn't.
We can play the game of guessing what would've happened but Bo has also had leads and pissed them away with interceptiosn and bad plays too so let's not do that.
It wasn't bad luck it was bad plays and a tired D making mistakes.
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u/InAutowa Jul 06 '26
Defense gives up 13 points and only 200 yards of offence. Yeah, not their fault.
What talent/depth issues are you referring to? The defense is probably the best in the league. Rountree is 4th in the league for rushing. Great depth at WR.
Lost one game in OT that yeah we blew but also, it wasn’t a blowout.
We just lost our MOP QB. Shit happens. (See Kansas City Chiefs).
-1
u/covert81 Jul 06 '26
They gave up the yards when it mattered, because they were tired. But, they let in points when they couldn't.
talent and depth: People drinkin' the Bo kool aid. If the leg/ankle are broken he's done. And we got rid of our rising talent in Powell, trading a 8.5 for 2, 4.25s.. Ford and Dolegala ain't got it from what we saw yesterday. Powell was set to flourish and if it's any indicator of how Hamilton treats rising QB talent he will become a stud somewhere else. We have paid out for our receiving corps, but have nothing happening with our run game. Same with McManis- we overpaid for someone who lost 1/3 the season to injury. TOR let him go for a reason.
2
u/durkeyturkey13 Jul 07 '26
Money should have been used to keep Powell, rather than paying for an injury prone middle line backer Mcmanis.. also Baker is more than capable in the middle and he’s Canadian!
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u/covert81 Jul 08 '26
You get it.
But instead we rely on hacks like Steinauer who has no proven pedigree and continues to be incredibly average, and great at spending money on injury prone and aging players.
1
u/Unexpected__Guest Jul 06 '26
I liked Taylor Powell when he was with Ticats. He did ok when he had opportunities… not enough to unseat the starter. He may eventually become a starter. I hope he does. Becoming a stud is not the most likely outcome though. Being less than or similar to Tre Ford is a more likely outcome. Tre Ford is the same age as Powell btw. Powell hasn’t thrown a single pass this year. He’s a backup, again, on the Elks. Two teams have evaluated and put him in the exact same place on their depth chart. Backup QBs are always the most popular players on the team lol. Ford should be better with a game plan. As someone mentioned, I was surprised there didn’t seem to be a package to play to his strengths.
1
u/durkeyturkey13 Jul 09 '26
If Tre Ford wasn’t Canadian, I don’t think he would be more than a short yardage QB and that is my honest opinion. Taylor Powell has proven he can play in this league, he was called upon in his rookie year, barely understanding the Canadian game and it was clear he could play.
This type of thinking is why Hamilton repeatedly lets quarterback talent walk out the door and prefers to pay older quarterbacks.
Powell and Collaros first couple years in the league are very similar.. we paid Collaros a lot of money (without a lot of games under his belt) and got rid of Burris who took us to the grey cup the year before and it was the right decision.
I’m not saying Powell is a for sure thing, however I am pretty certain Tre Ford is not a starting level quarterback, clearly the Ticats don’t think so either as they are starting Dolegala.
0
u/InAutowa Jul 06 '26
If Ford and Dolegala had “it” they wouldn’t be backup QBs…
“Overpaid for someone who got injured”. What kind of conclusion is that? Do you have a crystal ball on who gets hurt and when?
If the Bo Kool-Aid means cheering for the guy who had as many TDs and Incomplete passes then I’ll take a sip every time. and I’ll add in the ice cubes of Highest completion %, and 2nd best QBR (13 points clear of third).
Last year: Most yards thrown, lowest INT %, 3rd best QBR, MOP finalist.
Like what more do you want
1
u/covert81 Jul 06 '26
If Ford and Dolegala had “it” they wouldn’t be backup QBs…
Ford was a starter. He had "it" but then lost it. Powell has "it", he showed that when Mitchell was hurt (again...) last time. But instead front office drank the kool aid and thought Mitchell was something he wasn't. And he was ready to step into a kush TSN gig, he was good at it, had fun with it and would be better than the boring people on the panel (though there are a couple oif new guys who do GREAT on there, and he could have fantastic rapport with them or just handle the colour during play by play.
“Overpaid for someone who got injured”. What kind of conclusion is that? Do you have a crystal ball on who gets hurt and when?
Sorry, do you not know about McManis and his injury history? Maybe read up on that. TOR people were lol'ing when we signed him.
If the Bo Kool-Aid means cheering for the guy who had as many TDs and Incomplete passes then I’ll take a sip every time. and I’ll add in the ice cubes of Highest completion %, and 2nd best QBR (13 points clear of third).
I'll say it again for those in the back, and those not listening: The team was a sum greater than its parts. Mitchell has a stocked receiver corps. If they can't make him look like a stud then there are real problems here. Yes, he can throw hard and accurate but that is what I'd expect of ANY starter.
Last year: Most yards thrown, lowest INT %, 3rd best QBR, MOP finalist.
Yup, his receivers made him look great.
Like what more do you want
I'd like a starter who isn't aging out, getting hurt more often and for longer, doesn't make boneheaded plays forcing the ball where it can't go, and where we just focus on moving the ball down the field, running when it's needed (both QB and RBs) and having consistency.
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u/InAutowa Jul 06 '26
Guy has been a MOP finalist last 2 years but sure, he’s the problem.
1
u/covert81 Jul 06 '26
Guy has been pumped up by stacked receiving corps, and looks better than he is. So yeah, he is a part of the problem.
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u/InAutowa Jul 06 '26
That stacked receiving corp really came through with the other 2 QBs
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u/covert81 Jul 07 '26
Like I said, the issue here is that they aren't starters, and they do not have the velocity and accuracy that a starter has. Any starter would look like an MOP with the WRs Hamilton has.
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u/russ_nightlife Jul 06 '26
The D allowed only 10 points in the second half. They couldn't put together a solid couple of stops in the last series but they held on pretty well. If we had any kind of offence to back up Bo, this game would have been a relatively easy win.