The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are Broken

There is no doubt in my mind, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a broken franchise.

The obvious fact that they hold the longest active championship drought in the CFL is a starting point.  I mean how can you ignore that in a 9 team league, they haven’t won the coveted Grey Cup trophy since 1999?

Sure, there have been appearances.  In fact, there have been many appearances.  Since 2013, they have appeared in 4 title games.  Coming away with exactly 0 victories.  Their lifetime record in the big game is a minuscule 8 wins and 14 losses, or 36.4%

But there is something else that hangs over this organization.  It’s a funk that just doesn’t seem to go away (insert tasteless Hamilton joke here), no matter the team, no matter the coaching staff, no matter the year.

Slow Starts

In the last 21 seasons, Hamilton has lost the season’s opening game 19 times.  Yes, only twice have they won to start the season.

For whatever reason, when training camp breaks and the games mean something, Hamilton comes out flat.  And that is being polite.  Currently sitting at 0-3 in the 2024 campaign, puts them right where they always seem to be to start the season.  

Always having to scratch and crawl back to get into contention for a playoff spot has to be exhausting.  Yet here we are.

Play calling

When the whole stadium knows what you are going to do at any given time, it’s time to change up your schemes.  

Have a lead late in the 4th quarter?  Well time to dial up that prevent defence and let the opposing team right back in it.

2 and 8 yards to go for a first?  Throw a short pass for 2 yards to a receiver that has 3 opposing defenders ready to snuff out the play and force the punt.

Is the running back tearing up the defence and pulling off huge runs in the first half?  Let’s completely ignore it in the second half and go away from what’s working.

The funny (and not ha ha funny) is that it doesn’t matter who the coach is, or who the personnel on the field is.  It’s the same thing.  I have been watching this team since the 80s and it’s like a broken record.

I like to imagine, deep in the dungeons of the Tiger-Cat head office, an old, battered, covered-in-cobwebs leather-bound book containing a set of plays and strategies.  And with each new hire of a coaching staff, one by one they are led down to the dungeon.  Here, they are forced to study those plays.  To learn to implement those strategies.  And to under no circumstances do anything different.

It’s the only way I can see that the last 8 sets of coaching staff do the same thing over and over again.  

The Black (and Gold) Hole

Many players have suited up in the Black and Gold.

Many players came to Hamilton as already bonafide stars.  Yet somehow disappeared under the lights in Hamilton.

Hamilton has given up on many players who didn’t cut it, only to have those very same players contribute on other teams.  Some even becoming stars.

Is there something in the water here that causes it? (Insert another tasteless Hamilton joke here).  Maybe the team is incapable of utilizing talent correctly, so players don’t live up to their potential. 

But if that is the case, how do so many established coaches also come here and then suddenly not know how to utilize the talent that is assembled to give them the best chance at winning?

Answers

I don’t have any. I don’t know what can be done to fix it.  Many things have been tried and not one thing has turned it around with any long-term results.  

Teams used to be afraid to come to Hamilton and play.  Now it seems just as likely that opposing teams are grateful for the two points.  

What I do know is the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are broken.  And until it is identified and fixed, it will not change.