Ticats do grass ahead of Moncton tilt

Attention to detail: before departing for their business trip to Moncton for this year’s Touchdown Atlantic classic against the Stampeders, the Ticats switched stadiums for practice.

They practiced at Brian Timmis Stadium, and they’ll do the same Thursday, to simulate what they’ll be playing on at Moncton stadium: the real deal, grass.

The Ticats will head east with a 5-6 record, hoping that they can find in New Brunswick what has eluded them the last two weeks in Hamilton and Montreal: some team chemistry and a victory.

Defensive End Stevie Baggs thinks the team has great camaraderie.

“The guys are really cool with one another, but it’s hard to play for a guy and trust a guy when you don’t really know him. That’s not saying that you have to go out with someone every week, every day you know, but I think we do need to have that together time where we are learning about guys outside of the game.”

Coach Mark Bellefeuille: “It’s something that you like to do here when you’re in town but, unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of short weeks. You know, we’ve played three games in 11 days and we haven’t had extra days to be able to do that this year that we had last year so, it’s a great opportunity and I think the timing’s great.”

Playing on grass brings back good memories for Quarterback Quinton Porter.

“I love the grass, I was saying I miss it. It reminds me of high school, the smell of the grass, it brings me back to ‘OK, this is football now.’ None of this turf stuff, so I enjoy it.”

Not sure whether Porter will see any action on the grass in Moncton, but we know Stevie Baggs will.

We also know, thanks to the wonderful world of Twitter that Baggs might not be all that thrilled with the role he’s being asked to fill in Corey Chamblin‘s defence.

Twice on his Twitter page, Baggs directed his followers to an article written by former CFLer Greg Frers that suggests that the Ticats are wasting his talents – a subtle endorsement by Baggs that he agrees with what Frers is saying.

Not that quarterback sacks are the be-all and end-all when it comes to judging a rush end, but it is their job to get to the quarterback. And after 11 games, Baggs has just 4 sacks.

Two years ago with Saskatchewan he had a career high 12.