"In that regard, you have to be able to play man in the CFL to

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats would be forgiven if they entered this year with the team they finished with last season. The Henry Burris-led squad finished second in the East Division before advancing to the Grey Cup where they ultimately fell to the home field advantage wielding Saskatchewan Roughriders. For a team that finished 6-12 the previous year, and hadnt made a Grey Cup appearance since winning the trophy in 1999, that qualifies as progress, a significant amount. And more than that, you could argue the team was on the cusp of greatness, a couple tweaks away from finishing the job in 2014. But the Ticats opted against trotting out the same lineup – or a very similar one at least – to take another shot this season. Instead they went for a big shakeup at a key position, one that may lead to some immediate regression, but that could pay off handsomely in the future. Gone is Burris, one of the teams leaders the past two years, and his league-leading stats. After throwing for 10,292 yards and 67 touchdowns the past two years with the Ticats, head coach and general manager Kent Austin allowed Burris to leave in free agency where he signed with the Ottawa Redblacks. The team opted instead for promising youngster Zach Collaros, who proved he more than belonged in the league – and may offer a lot more with extended play – with the Toronto Argonauts last year while Ricky Ray was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Despite Burris taking the Ticats to the peak of the mountain last year, theres a perception hes maybe not the guy to get a team over the mountain, and the Ticats decided to cut bait and build with a quarterback they feel more confident in. For all Collaros heroics filling in and keeping the Argos in contention last season, hes still a young quarterback with just 298 CFL passing attempts to his name. While the Ticats are convinced theyre in for big things with Collaros at QB, and theyre not the only ones as evident by the mini bidding war that went on to secure his services, some growing pains should still be expected with a 26-year-old pivot, especially one learning a new offence. So while Burris may have been the better option for Hamiltons prospects in 2014, considering his age and difficulty winning the big one, going with Collaros upward trending career is the smarter move for ultimate success. Hamilton hopes theyre taking one step back to make two steps forward. This reasonability of this move is buoyed by the general strength of the roster surrounding Collaros. Hell be in the backfield with one of the most exciting running backs in the league in CJ Gable, who finished fourth in the league in rushing with 782 yards but was the clear frontrunner in highlight reel spin-o-ramas frequently seen on Sportcentre Honour Rolls. And the Ticats already robust receiving corps added more talent this off-season. Joining Andy Fantuz, Bakari Grant, and Greg Ellingson will be Cary Koch, an underrated threat who spent the first four years of his CFL career split between Saskatchewan and Edmonton, really breaking out with the Eskimos the past two years. And while the addition isnt likely to help Collaros directly, Craig Butler joins an improving defensive unit. Notes Expansion Draft The Tiger-Cats got off easy in the first two rounds of the expansion draft before a surprise pick in the third. Backup running back Chevon Walker and FB John Delahunt were grabbed in Round 1 and 2 before Marwan Hage, surprisingly still available, was taken by the Ottawa Redblacks in the third round. It was clear the Ticats were moving on from Hage after he was left available in the final round of the draft. Hage Retires Hages time in Ottawa wasnt lasting, and the affable offensive lineman did the right thing in returning to Hamilton to retire. It was as good an ending to a solid 10-year career that Tiger-Cats fans could have hoped for, not having to see him in another teams colours. Free Agency Its hard to argue the Ticats werent the winners of free agency after landing their quarterback of the present and future in Collaros, another weapon in the receiving corps in Cary Koch, a decent offensive line replacement in Steve Myddleton, front seven defensive help in Ted Laurent and Abraham Kromah, and a solid Canadian safety in Craig Butler. CFL Draft The Tiger-Cats took a chance on their second of two first round picks and paid for it when Manitoba defensive lineman Evan Gill, a player they traded up for, decided he would return to school and try his luck at an NFL tryout next season. Gill entered the draft a bit of a risk with a quad injury but the Ticats selected him anyway, perhaps opting for the long play. The team also selected Western LB Beau Landry, one pick before Gill in the first round, who later signed with the team. After the first, Hamilton didnt make another pick until the fifth round, taking Toronto LB Christopher Johnson. The Ticats wrapped the draft up with sixth-round defensive linemen Mathieu Girard (Montreal) and Stephen Mawa (UBC), and seventh-round defensive lineman Martin Pesek from Acadia. Tim Hortons Field After a successful campaign at the University of Guelph last season, the Ticats return home to Hamilton for 2014, to the same location Ivor Wynne Stadium once stood. Tim Hortons Field projects to be ready for Hamiltons home opener in Week 5 against the Redblacks. China NFL Jerseys .Y. -- The New York Islanders were merely content with a lopsided victory. Wholesale Football Jerseys . The Blueshirts hope to stay alive once again when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins in Sundays Game 6 battle at Madison Square Garden. http://www.wholesalenfljerseysstore.com/. Its not intended to be some magical formula and doesnt apply any context, like, for example, taking injuries into account. This remedial statistical method has gone 9-5 in picks through the first three rounds. NFL Jerseys For Sale .com) - Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James will sit out Thursdays game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with left knee soreness. Cheap NHL Jerseys .com) - Nathan MacKinnon scored the winning goal in the shootout as the Colorado Avalanche rallied for a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. TORONTO -- Scott Milanovich didnt have to look long or far for his new defensive co-ordinator. The Toronto Argonauts head coach needed just one phone call to find a replacement for Chris Jones, who left last month to become the Edmonton Eskimos head coach. On Thursday, the Argos unveiled Tim Burke, the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach, as their new defensive co-ordinator. "As soon as Chris left and I knew Tim was available he was the only one I talked to," Milanovich said during a conference call. "I think Tim and I see eye-to-eye on defensive philosophy in the CFL. "It was an easy decision for me. It took about 30 seconds on a phone call to Tim and when he said he was available that was the end of it." Milanovich and Burke certainly have a history together. They won Grey Cup titles with the Montreal Alouettes in 2009 and 10 as the offensive and defensive co-ordinator, respectively. "Scott and I are real good friends and we bounced a lot of ideas off each other during that time," Burke said. Burke came to the CFL in 2005 as a defensive backs coach with the Calgary Stampeders. He joined the Alouettes as the defensive co-ordinator under head coach Marc Trestman from 08 to 10 before heading to Winnipeg as its defensive co-ordinator in 2011. After helping Winnipeg reach the Grey Cup in 11, Burke was named interim Bombers head coach in August 2012 after Paul LaPolice was fired before becoming the full-time coach after the season. Burke was fired following the 2013 campaign after Winnipeg posted a league-worst 3-15 record. Overall, Burke compiled a 7-21 head-coaching record. The Bombers hired former Argos special-teams coach Mike OShea as Burkes successor on Wednesday. Burke left Winnipeg with time remaining on his contract, but sitting out the 2014 campaign wasnt an option. Burke said his prior experience as a head coach will help him in Toronto. "One thing I learned from other coaches whove been in this situation is they always thought you become a better assistant after youve been a head coach," Burke said. "Youve been in the head coachs chair before so you undersstand where hes coming from all the time.dddddddddddd. "You always understand theres a big picture and its not just about your defence or your position group. The other thing is Im much more aware of gametime decisions and seeing how everything works during the game." Toronto finished atop the East Division standings with an 11-7 record, thanks in large part to its pass-happy offence under the leadership of all-star quarterback Ricky Ray. Defensively, the Argos were a bend-but-dont-break unit, finishing third in fewest points allowed (25.4 points per game) despite being ranked last in yards allowed (390 yards) and passing yards (298.2) and second-last in sacks (38). During his time as a defensive co-ordinator in both Calgary and Toronto, Jones earned a reputation of being unconventional in his schemes and gameplanning. Jones was never afraid to either drop defensive linemen into coverage or bring players from any spot on the field to confuse offences or pressure quarterbacks. While Burke must still spend time evaluating Torontos defensive personnel, he said his defensive approach has some similarities with Jones. "Chriss basic philosophy would be to try and play as much man as possible," Burke said. "In that regard, you have to be able to play man in the CFL to win so that will be the base of our defence. "Chris is very inventive, Id say innovative, in what he does defensively. I tend to be more a guy who believes in a base defence that you have to be able to play when its a clutch situation. Its a defence you really believe in and were very technique oriented and were very fundamentally sound." Milanovich must still find a replacement for OShea, and is bracing for more possible departures as both Jones and OShea look to fill their respective coaching staffs. "Im so happy for Chris and Mike, I expected to lose some of these guys even a year ago," Milanovich said. "I think its a credit to our organization that were hiring the right people and clearly there are other organizations who want what we have and I think we have to take that as a compliment." ' ' '