There ain’t no rest for the wicked as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats were back to work on Monday following their 24-16 win over Toronto in their preseason opener.
One positive from head coach Scott Milanovich came regarding the passing attack, which managed only 132 yards despite Bo Levi Mitchell and Taylor Powell, the team’s two top quarterbacks, sharing all the reps against the Argonauts.
“The passing game wasn’t as bad as I initially thought it was,” Milanovich said. “We were close on about four plays. It still wasn’t the level we expect to execute at, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought.”
With one more preseason game against those same Argonauts before the regular-season opener in Calgary, the Black and Gold were looking to keep intensity levels high. One key matchup is between high-priced free-agent addition Kenny Lawler and veteran defensive back Jamal Peters.
“I just like to compete. Having a guy like Kenny is going to make me 120 times better and I know I’m going to do the same for him. It’s great competition. He catches some balls on me and I get some (pass breakups) on him, so it’s fun,” Peters told reporter Steve Milton. “It’s all love at the end of the day, we’re just trying to work and make each other better.”
“I thought it was a great energetic practice only two days after a preseason game when they’re sore,” said head coach Scott Milanovich. “It was a little chippy, and I’m okay with that. It underlies the urgency the players and coaches feel. We only have two more practices, a preseason game, and then we tee it up for real.”
Lawler, a nine-year CFL veteran, led Hamilton’s receivers with five receptions for 39 yards. Kiondré Smith finished second with three catches for 24 yards, while perennial all-star Tim White managed two receptions for 19 yards.
One area in which the Tiger-Cats fared well was along the ground as the duo of Greg Bell (eight carries for 49 yards) and Johnny Augustine (five carries for 51 yards and one touchdown) excelled. Hamilton will also likely try to keep Treshaun Ward around, possibly as a return man after his drive-of-the-game performance capped his stat line at eight carries for 79 yards and a touchdown.
“It starts with the guys up front,” said Augustine. “They made it happen. I think if you put anybody back there who has decent athleticism and common sense, they’re going to do what we did. No matter who it is, we execute our best because we know our coaches are going to put us in the best position.”
Augustine and the Tiger-Cats will play their second and final preseason game against Toronto on Friday, May 30 at Alumni Stadium in Guelph. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST.
The post Scott Milanovich not panicked over Hamilton Tiger-Cats lack of preseason passing: ‘It wasn’t as bad as I thought’ appeared first on 3DownNation.
