Only one starting Ticat to defend? Perhaps

With league opener just over a week away, it’s all about injuries and opportunities

It’s early, yes, but it’s not that early.

So, while injuries to core players, and regular load management, provide extra chances for several potential Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the myriad of battles for starting and backup jobs, time grows shorter. It always does.

Especially when it comes to deciding how to distribute the Canadian starter roles. For the first game, at least. CFL rules dictate teams must start at least seven Canadian players and it sure looks like the Ticats will have no choice but to go with only one on defence.

Training camp officially ends Wednesday and on Sunday the Ticats begin Day 1 of their first regular practice week in 20 months. Day 4 is the Ticats’ and CFL season opener in Winnipeg, Thursday, Aug. 5.

Coming off nearly two years of no competition of any kind, it’s unlikely that Ticat veterans who’ve spent the majority of training camp on the sidelines because of injury would play against Winnipeg if they’re not practising on Day 1. Too much potential long-term pain for too little short-term gain.

That would include surefire starters Tunde Adeleke at safety, right offensive tackle Chris Van Zeyl and longtime star defensive tackle Ted Laurent. Adeleke hasn’t played a lot yet but may be ready for Winnipeg, Van Zeyl’s injured hand makes him iffy for the opener, and Laurent hasn’t seen any onfield action, so surely he won’t dress against the Blue Bombers.

That entire trio is Canadian and Laurent and Adeleke are starters on a defence that would likely have started only two Canucks. That’s what the Ticats did in 2019 because they could start so many — seven if they really felt like it — on offence. Now, it’s likely to be only one.

In 2019, if Laurent was hurt, or needed rest, the Ticats could turn to experienced defensive linemen Connor McGough and sophomore Brett Wade to fill a Canadian spot.

If Adeleke was hurt, or shifted over to temporarily play linebacker, trusted veteran Mike Daly, the 2018 starter, stepped right up.

But McGough went to Calgary as a free agent and Wade retired and while the Ticats like the promise of their Canadian defensive linemen, they’re all rookies. So would Hamilton use Daly, or Adeleke if he’s ready, as the only Canadian defensive starter?

It’s too early to go there yet. But have we mentioned it’s not that early? So, we’ll go there. Yes they would.

Over the past three or four years, the Ticat football operations office has carefully structured the roster for in-game and in-season flexibility, both positionally and with regards to Canadian, American and global rules.

It was a banner year for that in 2019, with the arrivals of ratiobreaker Van Zeyl and the quick emergence of Canadian rookie end/fullback Nikola Kalinic and Sean Thomas Erlington starting at running back. With Mike Jones at receiver, that provided the potential for seven Canadian starters until injuries changed the running back situation.

Even with Jones gone, they could still confidently play six Canadians on offence, and let Americans handle all the wide receiving roles, as sophomore Canadian David Ungerer III gained experience and trust.

The Ticats always prepare well, particularly in training camp, but it’s obvious they’re preparing even more right now with Van Zeyl down and Mike Filer retired. Ungerer has been getting lots of A reps, Thomas Erlington clearly will have a major role, young Canadian linemen are making snaps at centre after practice.

And Kay Okafor has diligently worked his way from the 2017 practice roster to playing with the A unit much of this camp, at a variety of offensive line positions. With Van Zeyl tutoring, he’s taken over at right tackle. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him there in Winnipeg, giving the Ticats four Canadian offensive line starters and some breathing room to get to six offensive starters.

“All you look for in life is an opportunity,” says head coach Orlondo Steinauer. “This is going to be Kay’s opportunity.”

Steinauer said Monday that as the week progresses the Ticats will look a lot more closely at roster ratio decisions through the injury prism.

“There’s no reason to go there right now. We will have to go there soon. Probably by the time we have to make our roster cuts.”

Which is Friday.