“Defense wins Championships” a saying which I personally believe to be 100% true. For years us Ticat fans have had to sit through promise after promise of a Defensive squad who were aggressive, hungry, fast, physical, dominant blah blah blah. For almost a decade we have had to suffer through TD after TD, long run after long run, dropped INT’s, blown coverage’s; everything you can think of that could have gone wrong went wrong. It seemed as though the once vaunted and feared Tiger-Cat defense of decades past is a mere memory.

Last season that stigma began to change with the influence of Defensive Co-ordinator Orlando Steinauer. A combination of solid veterans and a great group of young talented players, the secondary, which has been argued the greatest weakness the past few years, began to turn that corner and reignite thoughts of past glory. One HUGE positive is the lack of turnover this secondary has seen this offseason. Year after year there has been massive change in the secondary. This coming year that is not the case. This was a strong group coming out of last season, and with only 1 major addition, this is essentially the same secondary. CHEMISTRY, CHEMISTRY, CHEMISTRY is all I see here, and that will lead to this groups overall success.

It’s really tough at the moment to try and predict who will start in the secondary next season because honestly when I look at this list you can make an argument for almost every one of these guys. I tried to list my top 5, maybe 6, or possibly 7 but when it came down to it I choose 9 DBs. I honestly couldn’t leave one of these guys off the top list.

Dee Webb

The most consistent DB the Ticats have had over the past two and a half seasons. Webb is the lone man from the 2012 secondary to be on the roster. Webb enters his 3rd full season with the Ticats and looks to continue that strong play. A tough set of back to back injuries last season sidelined him for a total of 10 games. But Webb possesses very strong work ethic and dedication, so injuries are just a slight bump in the road for him.

Usually lined up against the opponents’ top receivers, playing Half-Back will get you those match-ups, it’s rare to see Webb get beat outright. He has great ball skills and has a knack for the big hit or two. In addition Webb is the type of player that if he’s not right behind you to knock the ball out, he is right there to make the tackle. He has proven over the last two years, if you catch the ball on him or try to return a kick on him, he can make you pay, just ask Marco Iannuzzi.

Consistency and leadership are keys for Webb this coming season. Last season, I began to notice his ability as a leader develop and I was really impressed with what I saw. Despite his injuries he was still at practice, working with the rookies, helping run drills, even a walking boot didn’t stop him. Webb is the ultimate team guy and I am proud to call him a friend.

Quick fact: Webb is the only DB to return an INT for a TD over the past two seasons and he has done it twice.

Delvin Breaux

On a side note if anyone hasn’t seen the TSN story about Breaux I suggest you watch it. For everything he has overcome and how hard he has worked to get to where he is at today he is an inspiration to any and every one. I will post a YouTube link at the bottom of this post for everyone.

Ok back to football. Breaux is a corner that any CFL team would dream of. The definition of a shutdown corner, he has the size, speed, hunger, drive, virtually any characteristic you can think of he has. To me what separates him from the other corners on the roster is his recovery speed. If a receiver thinks he has a step or two on Breaux off the line, it is quickly erased once that ball is in the air. Time and time again last season Breaux demonstrated that ability.

His run defense skills are exceptional. People think, “A DB only deals with receivers” that couldn’t be further from the truth. Especially in Steinaeurs system, which uses a lot of motion and deception, every player on the field has to know how to deal with every offensive opponent. Breaux is an asset with his exceptional ability to shed a block. When I watched his YouTube highlight pack I was surprised as to how much he was involved in run stopping. Play after play Breaux shed blocks from receivers and the odd Offensive lineman. The ability to get straight into the backfield easily comes in handy. I would expect to see a blitz or two per game next season from the corner position.

A nagging shoulder injury sidelined a good portion of Breaux’s season. From recent tweets his surgery and recovery went very well and he is training hard once again for the upcoming season. If the dang injury bug would leave our team alone this season Breaux will be a HUGE factor not only for the Ticats but by the end of next season the whole CFL will know the name of Delvin Breaux.

Evan McCollough

McCollough was brought in last season as a proven winner; as such he was highly coveted. McCollough knew what it takes to win and it was that mentality he tried to show and instill last season with a very young secondary. The former Grey Cup Champion provided a calming influence on the entire secondary and was another great veteran for the young rookies to learn from. He started in 14 games this past year. When I would watch him at practice I noticed how even-keel he was. Even if he had made a bad play (every player makes a bad play or two in practice) he didn’t seemed too bothered. It seemed like he has that “Next play” mentality. Instead of looking to far back he tends to just would look forward.

Entering this season McCollough will be counted on to foster and build on the already strong bonds this secondary developed last season. In my opinion this secondary will be under the leadership of a group of 3 guys, McCollough, Webb and Stewart.

Brandon Stewart

A free agent acquisition from the Bombers Stewart comes to Hamilton expecting to carry his stellar play which vaulted his stock in recent years. A durable player, playing in all 18 games for the Bombers last season, comes in with excellent cover skills. He talks a lot of trash, A LOT of trash. Coming from the former “Swaggerville” it seems like every one of those guys have a mouth on them, but it seems to work for him. Just as Avon Cobourne use to talk trash all the time it worked out well for him. Stewart is coming in excited about the team and the direction of the defense and adding another veteran, great cover guy only helps this team.

A personal note here, Stewart became one of my favourite players to razz last season in Guelph. He is the one player I am most looking forward to meeting at camp this summer.

Emanuel Davis

Davis came in last season as a virtual unknown. The East Carolina product started in 12 games last season and after a short adjustment time he began to solidify his role on this team. It’s tough for a DB, especially an American DB, to adjust to the Canadian game with a larger field, 12 men on the field, all the motion etc. But Davis seemed to adjust quickly and became a mainstay at corner. Playing corner is a difficult job, you’re not getting attacked much but you have to, potentially, run 20-30 yards on every play. He not only picked up the game but really became a dependable and consistent performer. Coming into his second year that improvement is expected to continue.

Arthur Hobbs

Just like Davis, Hobbs entered the year as a relative unknown to many fans. The product of Nebraska-Kearney made an impact during camp in 2013 which granted him a spot on the roster. In my own naivety at times this season I thought these Hobbs and Davis were the same guy. Both play similar styles and are really good friends so anyone could get that mixed up right? Well maybe just me then.

Coming in the adjustment seemed seamless for Hobbs, a solid cover guy fit well into Steinauers system. He really shined, his big “I have arrived” moment came in the final minutes of that week 16 battle with Toronto. Hobbs intercepted Ricky Ray to seal the victory for the Ticats, It was the first INT thrown by Ricky Ray that season. The celebration after that play really made me smile, in my opinion it seemed really galvanize the secondary because from then on the secondary began to dominate opponents.

Courtney Stephen

Coming into 2013 Stephen was considered one of the diamonds of the 2012 draft class. Drafted 8th overall by the Ticats and playing 3 Seasons at Northern Illinois Stephens had caught the ire of CFL brass. What caught their eye was Stephen’s knack for being at the right place at the right time, his instincts are exceptional. For it not for a couple of drops he could have had 4 or 5 INTs this past season. He was everywhere on the field breaking up plays, making tackles, even being in the opponents’ backfield. He has all the abilities to be a great in this league for many years to come.

Starting in 13 games at safety this season Stephen showed he could hang with the big dogs, an injury forcing him to miss Grey Cup 101 was definitely felt. Coach Austin has mentioned a possible move to corner next season, because of the acquisition of Craig Butler, but anything can change from now until kickoff 2014. I have no doubts that he will succeed at any position he is placed in next season.

Craig Butler

The big free agent fish, and Grey Cup Champion, comes to town with what seems like all the pressure in the world. Will he be able to handle that pressure is the question every big free agent faces. Judging from his character and the praise of Coach Austin it looks as if Butler will be a great fit in Hamilton.

Butler is a versatile guy who can play both DB and LB. Coming out of Western he was highly coveted. Coach Austin may have hinted his move to take over at safety, but with Coach Austin you never really know.

Playing for the Grey Cup Champion Saskatchewan Roughriders he has been to the big game and knows what it takes to win it. He will only add to the great Canadian depth the Ticats enjoy at DB. The way Coach Austin and Steinauer are you may just see Butler playing multiple positions during the same game. Butler joins now a number of former Western Alumni including Fantuz, Harold Mutobola and Pawel Kruba.

Rico Murray

I’ll admit I was one of the guys who really doubted and criticized Murray at the beginning of last season. But after a slow start, mainly adjusting to the Canadian game, Murray became a very reliable and versatile guy.

He shifted from Half-back to Corner to SAM LB throughout this past season, where he recorded 2 INTs. The fact that Murray played every position in the secondary last season is remarkable considering he was first year guy. I’ll admit I was wrong about Murray and over the course of the season I began to see him develop and thrive into a great player for the Ticats. Gaining even more respect in my book. It will definitely be a battle this season at DB but his ability to play SAM LB puts him already ahead of the game.

The Ticats have a stable of a number of young Canadian players including: Mike Daly, Neil King (who started in the Grey Cup Game), and Harold Mutobola, in addition to non-imports: Kyle Miller, Erik Harris, and James Rogers.

Check back next Thursday where I break down the Linebacker position

Here is the Link to: The Delvin Breaux Story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52j3QI1Vj1o