Dane Evans got his first start of the season against the Montreal Alouettes. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats benched Jeremiah Masoli after an 0-2 start and a major drop off in offensive production. The Ticats in 2019 had one of the best offenses in the league. That was a huge reason why they made it to championship game. A reminder that the CFL did not play in 2020. They averaged about 30 points per game at that time compared to the six they are averaging now. It wasn’t perfect, but Evans and the Ticats got the win. Evans should remain the starter for now.
Why is That?
That’s a great question. I’m so glad you asked. Right away it was clear that Evans added a spark. He had a rough start to the drive, but capped it with a 30 yard touchdown pass to Steven Dunbar Jr. It was a thing of beauty with a great catch to go along with it. Full disclosure, there were moments when both offenses stalled and struggled a lot. Part of that was good defensive play. It was the Hamilton defense that caused the momentum shift when Frankie Williams picked off Montreal QB Vernon Adams. That led to Evans throwing another touchdown pass, this time to Nikola Kalinić. He is of Serbian descent and is listed as a fullback. But the big picture here is that Evans was able to get the win and help put 27 points on the board. That was something the offense was not able to do in the first two weeks of the season. The run game also had some pep in it’s step. Evans will have a true test against the Toronto Argonauts in the next matchup.
The Offense Still Needs to Improve
The protection needs to be better. Evans was sacked six times and didn’t always have the greatest pocket to work with. The Ticats also need to get Brandon Banks more involved. The 2019 Most Outstanding Player has got off to a very slow start. Evans missed him for a wide open would be touchdown against Montreal and he only had one catch on the night. Banks has incredible speed for a 33 year old, now it’s on the coaching staff to draw up some plays for him. Banks was undrafted from Kansas and spent some time in the NFL with Washington from 2010-2012. He has been in the CFL since 2013. Evans showed even with the struggles the offense had to start the game, he can be the one to get it back on track.
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