Each year they've headed into games against Montreal looking for the one performance that would signal they've conquered the champs once and for all.
Each year, however, they've been sent back to the drawing board again.
This season has certainly been no exception. In fact, the rivalry between the two clubs has grown even more contentious with the movement of players from one team to the other, and from words fired back and forth by front office personnel.
Coming off two impressive wins over Saskatchewan and B.C., the Ticats host the Alouettes at Ivor Wynne Stadium this Friday with another chance to measure themselves against Montreal.
And with Als looking a little vulnerable after last week's loss to the Riders, the Ticats head into this game with a renewed sense of confidence and possibility.
No player exemplifies Hamilton's swagger more than former-Alouette Avon Cobourne. And trust me, no Ticat wants to beat the Als more than that other A.C.
Cobourne the Catalyst
All players have benchmarks by which they are judged every game. Some are obvious, like quarterback sacks for defensive ends, interceptions for defensive backs, or 100-yard games for receivers.
Many of the most important performance benchmarks go beyond simple statistics, though. And it is often those subtle aspects of a player's performance that have the most impact on the outcomes of games.
For a running back like Avon Cobourne, stacking 100-yard games is definitely a great indicator of his success on the field. But against a defence as aggressive and athletic as the Montreal Alouettes, many more elements of Cobourne's game will affect the Alouettes' ability to shut down the Ticats' offence than just his yardage total.
Throughout his CFL career, Cobourne has proven himself to be an excellent all-around back. More than just a ball carrier, he has distinguished himself in the passing game with consistent gains off swing passes and screens.
Cobourne has also developed quite a reputation as a pass protector, providing an air-tight last line of defence for Anthony Calvillo before moving to Hamilton as a free agent this season to do the same for QB Kevin Glenn.
On the field, Cobourne serves as a catalyst for every aspect of the Ticats' offence. Off the field, however, Cobourne provides a couple of intangible qualities Hamilton's been lacking up until now: championship experience and the kind of infectious confidence only championships can breed.
Revving The Engine
After a puzzlingly slow start to the 2011 that saw the Ticats outclassed and outscored in their first two outings, Hamilton has turned things around the last two weeks with a couple of strong offensive performances.
Against the Riders and Lions, Hamilton piled up 72 points in the victories to go with 741 yards of offence. More importantly, though, Hamilton has found a way to get Cobourne heavily involved in all that production.
In the past two games, Cobourne has climbed steadily up the CFL leader boards in rushing and in yards from scrimmage. Now third in rushing with 264 yards on 48 carries and fifth in yards from scrimmage with a combined 347 yards, Cobourne will no doubt be looking to build on his first 100-yard game rushing last week by taking it to his former team in front of his new home crowd this week.
Cobourne's ability to rip off 5.5 yards per carry, as well as gaining 7.5 per reception, provides a consistency to the Ticats' offence they haven't had in years. Simply put, Cobourne manufactures reasonable down and distance scenarios for Hamilton. And there's no better way to set up a rhythm passer like Kevin Glenn than feeding him a steady dose of second-and-shorts to open his full library of high-percentage passes.
Add to all of Cobourne's tangible, obvious contributions to the Ticats' offence his ability to protect Glenn's backside in the pocket by picking up free blitzers and his penchant for firing up teammates along the sidelines, and you have the big key that starts Hamilton's engine.
Make It Or Break It Match-Up
The match-up I'll be keeping a sharp eye on from the Als' first defensive series until their last this Friday night is how successful the front seven is in containing Cobourne, both on the ground and in the Ticats' passing game.
Cobourne has the ability to threaten Montreal's defence on the edge with receptions off swing passes and with outside runs. No doubt, this will slow down the Als' edge rushers by forcing them into containment roles, and it gets Cobourne into space where he can do the most damage.
It's going to incumbent upon players like Chip Cox and Diamond Ferri to use their speed advantage to corral Cobourne to take away space outside, forcing him back into the teeth of Montreal's D. Between the tackles, Cobourne has much less opportunity to do real damage against the Als' front seven since he'll be running right into the unit's strength. They don't call that "running to darkness" for nothing.
Heading into week 5, the Als are near the top in every category of the CFL's charts for defending the run. Currently, they're second in fewest net yards allowed on the ground (356), second in fewest average rushing yards per game (89), and third in fewest first downs allowed on the ground (24). All that proficiency against the run also adds up to the Als' dominance in terms of time of possession, limiting opponents to only 26:30 minutes with the ball.
To beat Hamilton in Hamilton, the Als' defence will need to continue its control over the run by limiting Cobourne's ability to break off big gains. Turning Cobourne into the heart of the Als' front seven will definitely go a long way towards curtailing his production. That, in turn, will put the ball in Kevin Glenn's hands.
Historically, the Als have had good success defending Glenn with man coverage. The combination of sticky, man-to-man coverage and great pressure off the edge by John Bowman and company has short-circuited Glenn's quick decision-making more often than not.
No win is ever on the shoulders of a single team unit, but I have great confidence that Alouettes' defence can carry their part of the load, and there's no doubt that the defence's success in shutting down Avon Cobourne and in forcing the Ticats to look elsewhere for offensive production will have a tremendous impact on this weekend's tilt.
If the Als' front seven can force Cobourne to show off his talents as a blocker for Glenn more than he exhibitss his penchants for running and catching, it tilts the field in Montreal's direction. More than that, it makes the game a shootout between the opposing QBs. And I like the Als' chances in that kind of game every time.
Roster Notes
The Alouettes have confirmed that Anthony Calvillo, Kerry Watkins, and Josh Bourke will all start Friday's game, so the offence will be pretty close to full strength heading into this crucial East Division battle. It's going to be very interesting to see how Watkins folds back into the game plan. In the past, Watkins held the responsibility of taking the top off opposing defences with deeper routes. He's one of the most precise receivers you'll see in the CFL, and he'll no doubt be a nice addition to the Als' attack.
On the other side of the ball, it looks like safety Etienne Boulay will sit out the tilt recovering from concussion-like symptoms. Boulay's absence opens the door for first-year Alouettes Tad Crawford and rookie Jeff Hecht to get some playing time.
Up Next
Check back Saturday for my breakdown of what went down on the field against the Ticats Friday night, including, as always, my five plays that swung the game.
