Ticats’ defensive issues overshadow what their offence has accomplished

If someone was looking to attend the highest-scoring CFL game in a particular week, their best bet would be to buy a ticket to whatever matchup involved Hamilton. Through seven games, the Tiger-Cats have led the league in both points for (207, 29.6 per game) and points against (230, 32.9 per game). Defensive stinginess may be closely linked to the epidemic of blowouts the league has seen lately, but it hasn't been terribly evident on either side in games involving Hamilton. The Tiger-Cats' offence has generally clicked along (minus some bad turnovers), but as Scott Radley wrote this past week, playing the Tiger-Cats has been an excuse for many opponents to rack up the stats. That's concerning for their defence, which seems to be getting frustrated, and went as far as to call a players-only meeting this week. From Drew Edwards:

While Williams certainly has a point, his quote doesn't tell the entire story. Yes, the Hamilton defence has been atrocious, and that goes well beyond just allowing the most points per game. The Tiger-Cats are last in the league in net rushing yards against (970, a brutal tally of 155 more than second-worst Winnipeg and more than double the 477 league-best B.C. has allowed), rushing yards against per game (138.6), total first downs allowed (163) and net yards of offence against per game (427.8). Now, some of that's because opponents have frequently had the ball against Hamilton, thanks to both the effectiveness of the Tiger-Cats' offence and also their propensity for turnovers; teams have run 576 plays from scrimmage against Hamilton, more than any other team. However, the Tiger-Cats' defence is just as terrible when you go to some of the rate statistics; they're allowing a league-high gain per rush (6.5 yards), and despite all their opportunities, they're dead last in interceptions (three) and quarterback sacks (eight). The hue and cry over the defence is well warranted, and they'll have to do better if they want to succeed in the long run.

A team isn't solely as good as its defence, though; there are offensive and special-teams units to consider as well, and the Tiger-Cats' successes on those fronts have been obscured by the defensive issues. Those units have a lot to do with Hamilton being 3-4 and a game out of first place in the East, though; if the Ticats were only as good as their defence, they'd be in the cellar. Henry Burris is having a remarkable renaissance, and although his turnovers this week were costly, he's still been very effective on the year. Burris is second only to Anthony Calvillo in total passing yards (2,175 to 2,378), and he's completed a higher percentage of his passes (66.7 to 63.2 per cent) and has a better touchdown to interception ratio (18 to six versus 17 to seven). In fact, if end of the year hardware was being handed out right now, Burris would have a strong case for the Most Outstanding Player award.

The Tiger-Cats have also received solid production from most of their star receiving corps, albeit often at different times. They've also benefited from the emergence of Chevon Walker at running back, too, and even though he's injured at the moment, they've got a great replacement in the wings in Avon Cobourne. The special teams haven't been consistently upper-tier, but the cover teams have frequently looked good and returner Chris Williams, punter Josh Bartel and kicker Luca Congi have all had their moments, too. Thus, while there may be problems on the defensive front, Hamilton fans can take optimism from their team's performance in other areas.

Is everything rosy in Steeltown? Of course not. Having the league's worst defence is a massive concern, and it's worth noting that even with the league's best offence on a points-per-game basis, the Tiger-Cats are still allowing three more points against than they're scoring. That's not exactly conducive to long-term success, and this team will have to get better on defence if they want to get anywhere this year. It's just worth noting that there are some remarkable things happening on this Hamilton offence. The offensive success is being overshadowed by the defensive issues right now, but if the Tiger-Cats can at least marginally improve that side of the ball while maintaining their offensive performance, they may not be as far away as it might seem.