Back from Montreal. Tired. But it was a good trip. Here's my story on the Ticats D.







Hamilton Ticats linebacker Ricardo Colclough was just wrapping up his postgame media interviews when teammate Ryan Hind jumped into the scrum to play a little impromptu reporter.

“Do you have the worst hands on the team?” Hands asked, brandishing his cellphone as a faux microphone and jamming it in Colclough’s face.

“No, I do not. I actually have the best hands,” Colclough responded matter-of-factly, raising his palms. “These are the golden mitts.”

What a difference a year makes.

The Ticat defence was a lighthearted and happy bunch after Thursday’s 33-26 CFL pre-season win over the Montreal Alouettes, addressing both their successes and failures with a new-found sense of confidence. Colclough, who started at the strong-side linebacker spot, had a team-leading six tackles and an interception but also had some balls slip through his fingers.

“I had a couple of drops, so I’ll owe the guys a couple of pushups when I get back,” Colclough said.

New defensive co-ordinator Orlondo Steinauer was brought in during the off-season to rebuild a unit that surrendered a whopping 32 points a game last season and was last in the league in a number of other statistical categories.

Though they surrendered a 50-yard completion on the game’s first play from scrimmage and allowed former Ticat quarterback Quinton Porter to engineer two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a furious comeback attempt, Steinauer was pleased by his group’s effort.

“It’s just a starting point. There’s lots to work on. Saw some good things, saw some letdowns. Saw some great coverage, saw some bad coverage — typical pre-season game,” he said. “The guys were in position to make plays and that’s the main thing.”

Colclough was acquired last September in a trade with the Edmonton Eskimos and made six starts for the Ticats last season. He says that Steinauer’s influence is having a major impact.

“It always helps to have a coach that played the game, that knows the game. Orlondo is a smart guy who is trying to groom us to know the game as well as him,” Colclough said. “He’s giving us the freedom to play ball. Last year, there was a lot of miscommunication.”

The 40-year-old Steinauer played 13 seasons with Ottawa, Hamilton and Toronto and was part of the Ticats’ 1999 Grey Cup squad. This is his first permanent defensive co-ordinator role, though he held the position on an interim basis with the Argos in 2011.

While he understands that Ticats fans are concerned about the defence after last year’s fiasco, that’s not his focus.

“I don’t really worry about last year. I understand what happened, but there’s no added pressure,” he said.

Steinauer said the dropped interceptions — defensive back Dee Webb could have had a couple, as well — as well as containing the quarterback will be points of emphasis as the Ticats return to practice this weekend.

He’s also preaching patience, noting the defence will likely go through a series of roster and lineup changes as he tries to find the right mix.

“Whether we have the pieces or not, we probably won’t know until Labour Day,” he said.