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CFL Obituaries: How the Tiger-Cats fell just short of another Grey Cup trip

CFL Obituaries: How the Tiger-Cats fell just short of another Grey Cup trip

Here's the next entry in our CFL Obituaries series, looking at the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats' 2015 season passed away Sunday in Ottawa, surrounded by some fans who had made the trip, but also a significant group of Redblacks' partisans. The season had been in dire circumstances for some time, thanks in particular to late-season injuries to quarterbacks Zach Collaros and Jeff Mathews, but it put up a valiant fight to the end, and even had a chance of survival late Sunday following a stellar end-zone catch from slotback Luke Tasker to tie the game and an opportunity for defensive end Arnaud Gascon-Nadon to seal the win with an interception. Gascon-Nadon dropped it, though, and Ottawa quarterback Henry Burris struck the final blow on the next play, converting a second-and-25 with a pass to Greg Ellingson that went for a 93-yard touchdown.

The Tiger-Cats' fight to stay alive was rather remarkable. Many teams might have packed it in after losing their starting quarterback for the year, but Hamilton continued to fight even following Zach Collaros' season-ending torn ACL in September. Rookie Jeff Mathews took over at first and showed great potential before going down himself with a head injury at the end of October. That led to inexperienced quarterbacks Jeremiah Masoli and Jacory Harris getting chances, and Masoli did very well with his, keeping the Tiger-Cats competitive in the season finale in Ottawa (which mattered for home-field advantage), leading them to a first-round playoff win over the Toronto Argonauts and veteran pivot Ricky Ray and giving them an excellent shot to win Sunday in Ottawa, particularly impressive considering his lack of CFL game experience. It's unclear what exactly the future holds for Hamilton's various quarterbacks: Collaros, Mathews and Harris are under contract, but Masoli's set to become a free agent.  Collaros will likely be returning as the Tiger-Cats' starter, but Mathews and Masoli did promising things this season (Harris looked okay at times, too), and they may have roles to play in this league going forward.

Despite all the quarterback changes, the Tiger-Cats' offence was very good overall. Hamilton finished second in the league in offensive points (24.3 per game), plus first in yards per pass (8.9) and passing efficiency (102.5) and second in passing first downs (228). Much of that was thanks to how well Collaros played, but Mathews and Masoli turned in decent production after he went down. The Ticats' substantial creativity also deserves praise, both on offence and special teams; from an onside punt for a touchdown in the regular-season finale (their second this year, but just the third league-wide since 1999) to a slotback pass from Tasker to Andy Fantuz Sunday, they used their bag of tricks to substantial advantage, and that willingness to try unusual plays speaks well for them going forward.

In the end, while quarterback injuries certainly were a significant factor in Hamilton's demise, they weren't necessarily the primary cause of death. Losing your starting QB is always a big blow, but Mathews and Masoli both played well in their opportunities, and Masoli's showing Sunday (30-of-42 for 349 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, plus 44 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries) was a very competent one that kept the Tiger-Cats in the game and gave them a substantial chance to win. Really, it was the defence that let them down, first with Gascon-Nadon dropping a pass that Burris threw right at him (he shouldn't get too much blame here, though, as he was starting his first career CFL game thanks to an injury to Eric Norwood, and even veteran DEs aren't always able to make a play on an unexpected ball like that) and then with the two Ticats in the area proving unable to cover Ellingson on second-and-25.

The defence was one of the Tiger-Cats' strengths this year (first in opposing yards allowed per pass and opposing completion percentage, third in points allowed and passing yards allowed, fourth in yards allowed) and it generally did all right Sunday, holding Burris to 326 yards and a touchdown with a 53.1 per cent completion rate and RB William Powell to 60 rushing yards and a touchdown. However, in the deciding moments, they were the Hamilton unit that wasn't able to make plays.

The Tiger-Cats' season will be survived by head coach and general manager Kent Austin, and that's as it should be. Despite a few rough spots initially, Austin got Hamilton to Grey Cups in his first two seasons (2013 and 2014) and came extremely close this year, and he seems to be adapting to the CFL well and learning from some early mistakes. (For example, there was much more continuity with the Ticats' roster this year, which helped avoid the slow start they got off to in 2014.) He's built a very good team, and while some significant parts of it may leave in free agency (the Ticats have a reported 34 pending free agents), there's reason to believe he'll be able to replenish the losses and have this squad ready to contend again in 2016. Thus, while Hamilton fans may be in mourning for now, their future looks pretty bright.