Facing Hamilton is a real challenge.
To me, it starts with that defence because that’s who I have to go up against. The way they’ve been playing, they deserve all the kudos and respect they’ve been getting. They have some great leaders on that defence.
It starts with that front seven. You’ve got one of the best linebacking corps in the league and their defensive ends have been doing the job for a few years now as far as getting after the quarterback and making a lot of plays. They put a lot of pressure on the quarterback and make it tough to run with all the stunts and the speed they have in that front seven. And of course, they’ve got the defensive player of the year in Markeith Knowlton and to me, Jamall Johnson is one of the most underrated players in this league.
And that secondary is making play after play after play. To see a guy like Bo Smith, who had an Achilles tear here against us last year, come back and play with such aggression and confidence is amazing.
They’ve got a good defence and that’s the main reason Hamilton has won three straight.
Of course, we want to win at home and it’s hard to say why we haven’t been able to do that yet. We’ve been able to go on the road and perform in some of the most hostile environments in this league and come out with victories. We need to take whatever that recipe is and do it here at home.
I know everyone wants us to be 5-0 now but trust me, I’d rather deal with our adverse times now and learn from them now rather than in October like we did last year, which carried over into the West final. I want to make sure we’re becoming the best team we possibly can now and continue to get better each and every week.
It was great to go into Saskatchewan and get that win but now we have to carry that momentum home. Like they say, there’s no place like home.
I was just told that I’m very close to passing Tom Clements on the CFL’s all-time passing list and I must admit I had no idea about that. For me, that just means I’m getting older — 12 years in the league and 36 years old. You know, I’m getting up there.
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I know Tom Clements was such a good quarterback. Steve Goldman, who used to coach me at Temple, once coached Tom Clements and I know Clements had a long, successful career in the CFL.
Actually, he was a guy I studied a lot about because he was one of the quarterbacks Steve Goldman had coached here in the CFL. It feels good to be able to eclipse those numbers but of course, what I’m really trying to get is the big one — to win another Cup.
I’ll reflect on those records after I’m done playing but right now it’s all about getting this team better and winning and making sure we do what we have to do on Saturday to beat a great Hamilton team.
Henry Burris, #1
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