Ticats’ Glenn wants to subdue excitable Blue secondary

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This article was published 17/11/2011 (5418 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HAMILTON — A reporter wanted to know how Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Kevin Glenn felt, secure in the starting job, after he steered his offence to a 52-44 overtime victory over the Montreal Alouettes in the East Division semifinal.

The win, which eliminated the defending Grey Cup champions, was Hamilton’s first in the playoffs in a decade.

“What game?” Glenn said.

The reporter stammered, but the 11-year import shrugged.

“We’re not talking about the last game right now. We’re talking about Winnipeg.”

There was intentional amnesia all around Ivor Wynne Stadium on Wednesday as the Ticats began preparing for the East final in Winnipeg Sunday. Head coach Marcel Bellefeuille made certain his players had short memories after giving them two days away from the field.

“I have talked to the players, and it is not them it’s me. We’re not talking about the previous game,” he said.

The coach’s reasoning goes beyond the clichés — the next play, the next game is more important than the last. Winnipeg, the regular season’s East division winners, will be a different kind of opponent, on both sides of the ball, than Montreal.

The Blue Bombers’ Swaggerville defence led the league in most of the meaningful statistics this season. While Hamilton exposed holes in Montreal’s patchy secondary and run defence last weekend, Winnipeg led the league in fewest first downs (322), fewest offensive yards per game (301.1), most passes intercepted (25) and most quarterback sacks (55). In three losses to Winnipeg, Glenn had 647 yards passing, three touchdowns and four interceptions, and was pulled in two of those games.

“They are always running around and encouraging each other and high-fiving each other,” Glenn said of a lively Bombers secondary that includes defensive backs Jonathan Hefney, Jovon Johnson and Brandon Stewart, a trio that combined for 18 interceptions and 162 tackles. “We’re going to have to try hard not to let them make plays.”

And although Winnipeg head coach Paul LaPolice has yet to name either Buck Pierce or Alex Brink as his starting quarterback this weekend, both are nimbler than Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo. Pierce, who is recovering from a right knee sprain he suffered during a loss to Toronto on Oct. 28, looks most likely to be under centre. The 30-year-old threw for 3,348 yards, 14 touchdowns and 18 interceptions this season, and Bellefeuille will hope Hamilton’s pass rush can send Pierce scurrying out of the pocket and force him into making reckless throws.

Bellefeuille is also hoping Canadian defensive back Ryan Hinds can return from an ankle injury that has troubled him for close to two months. Since Hinds could not start last week, Bellefeuille was forced to leave popular import defensive end Stevie Baggs off the roster.

— Postmedia News