By Kevin Thompson
Can you give us a summary of your recent scouting trip to check out some NFL camps?
BO – “I personally went to three of them including Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Chicago and we have had scouts out on the road to cover most of the NFL camps. This way we have covered all our bases and can effectively evaluate the talent out there.”
Since our last talk at the beginning of August, the team beat Edmonton and dropped their next game to Saskatchewan to bring their record to 4-3 heading into the bye week. Can you assess the team’s recent performance?
BO – “I think we are making good progress. We weren’t happy with the way we played in the last game, in particular the first half, but this team is setting a trend as we have a lot of resiliency.”
“The problem is that in the games that we lost, we gave up too many points in the first half and we bounce back but it is a little too much to overcome. That is somewhat of a good quality because it’s a “never say die” attitude, which is good for the fans and keeps us in every ball game.”
“We just have to keep getting better and improve in those areas where we think we can get better including moving the ball with more consistency on offence when we get into the red zone. We have some very talented guys now on the offensive side of the football and somehow we have to feature them more and get more big plays out of them than we have had to date.”
We are seven games into the regular season and the team’s record stands at 4-3. What is it about this year’s Cats that have been keys to their success?
BO – “Better players, better coaching and better effort. All the way around there are more positives going on than negatives so we are trying to get better with each game. I think we have gotten over the hump in terms of improving the overall talent that this team, our team speed is much improved from what they had here previously and our quarterback situation is much more stable than it has been in quite a while.”
“There are a lot of positive things happening so it is just a matter of our newness and youngness of this team playing together that once they get to know each other better and gain more familiarity with each other I think we will start being more consistent.”
Early in September, the Black and Gold’s schedule will feature back-to-back games against Toronto. How critical is it for the team to take two wins from their division rivals?
BO – “Any time that you play teams in your conference those are like four point games so you just take them all one at a time but the ones in your conference add up a little more because we’re trying to stay ahead of our counterparts in our division so we can make the playoffs.”
“We have five remaining games with Toronto and Winnipeg so all those games will be really important for us to establish ourselves and find a playoff spot.”
DeAndra’ Cobb has received two CFL Offensive Player of the Week honours so far this season. Can you comment on his performance and contribution to the Ticats offensive unit?
BO – “He is a talented player and we haven’t seen the best of him yet. I think he has done some outstanding things in the two games that you mentioned to be noticed. We are still looking for more consistency from him as well and our offence has to do a better job of utilizing him better to expose his overall talent a little more by doing other things to get him the ball more often. He has been a very pleasant surprise especially when we lost all three of those veteran running backs through injury, DeAndra’ seized the opportunity to play.”
So far this season many consider the Ticats a second half team as they are outscoring their opponents 95-44 in the second half. What are your thoughts about their second half success?
BO – “For a lot of teams it takes them the first half to get into the game, see what the other team is doing and put things together to be more successful in the second half. It says something about our coaching staff that they are making good adjustments at half time and their able to come out and be more productive.”
“As far as the other teams and what is going on in the first half that is just a slow start by us. There have been games where we’ve had excellent field position, we have moved into the scoring area and we have to settle for field goals instead of getting touchdowns. I think it’s just a case of finishing off drives and doing it right from the get go rather than having to warm up for a couple quarters.”
A handful of Tiger-Cats are among the league leaders in various stat categories (Dylan Barker’s 10 special teams tackles, Jamall Johnson’s 47 defensive tackles, Marquay McDaniel’s 977 combined yards), can you comment on their individual efforts and success?
BO – “Those players are doing really good jobs. Dylan Barker is a young guy that we expect big things out of that’s why he was the number one draft pick. He is starting to come into his own, playing really well on special teams and that is good to see.”
“Jamall Johnson has been a very pleasant addition to our football team. He’s all over the place, making tackles on one side of the field to the other, playing with a lot of enthusiasm and giving us a little shot in the arm with his style of play.”
“Marquay McDaniel is a very steady returner, we are still waiting to see him break the big one but he has been very good at getting what he can, he’s very sure handed and he’s drawn a lot of no yards penalties as a punt returner. He has had some misfortune of having some good returns called back because of holding calls and those kinds of things on kickoffs in particular. He’s been doing a good job and for a rookie being the first time in the league there are a lot of positives so we’re just waiting for him to break the big one and get us a little bit more.”
There seems to be a buzz around TigerTown this year due in part to the early success this season. What are your thoughts on the fan support the team has received?
BO – “We have to have better fan support by putting butts in the seats that’s my biggest issue. I believe that every team likes to think when they play at home that they have the advantage because they have the thirteenth man on the field. For instance, at our game in Saskatchewan, there were no empty seats and a fanatical crowd even though the weather was poor.”
“Those kinds of fans give the players a lift, get them excited and probably get them to due things they wouldn’t do otherwise. I’m looking forward to the Ticats fans coming out in bigger numbers, having a good time at the game and getting our players excited.”
In your opinion, what does the future hold for the Ticats this season? And what are your expectations for the team overall?
BO – “Well I said at the start of the season that we aren’t going to be happy with anything less than a winning football team. Whether we win 10, 11 or 12 games, whatever it’s going to be I don’t care, I want us to be a winning football team to break the trend.”
“I am confident that we will be in position for making the playoffs, which is the goal. If you can make the playoffs, host a game, finish in first and have the bye week, that is key… it’s a tough chore for us right now because Montreal is playing so well. But if you make the playoffs anything can happen.”
