Das Feller-Forum » concerned about stopping drives to the basket

HAMILTON - Nic Grigsby has quickly become a key part of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats offence.In just three games the five-foot-11, 195-pound Grigsby has emerged as a bona fide rushing threat in a predominately pass-oriented offence. And thats something the Montreal Alouettes must account for Sunday in the East Division final at Tim Hortons Field.Grigsby has 146 yards rushing since joining the Ticats on Oct. 21 after being released by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. But Grigsby had 93 yards and a TD on 19 carries in a 29-15 home win over Montreal on Nov. 8 that clinched Hamilton first in the East Division and home-field advantage for the conference finale.And the swirling winds at Tim Hortons Field combined with the likelihood of rain Sunday could make Grigsby an important contributor for the Ticats, who are looking to secure a second straight Grey Cup berth. Hamilton lost last years title game 43-25 to the hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders.The running game in the playoffs is very important, Grigsby said. You just cant throw the ball all four quarters.Youve got to establish the run to win the game. Youve got to establish that presence, move the ball, move the chains and hold the ball.Hamilton was ranked sixth overall in rushing (91.2 yards per game) despite posting the second-fewest carries (304). By comparison, the Ticats attempted 622 passes, second only to the Toronto Argonauts (681).A balanced offence is much more challenging to defend than one thats one-dimensional. But when the weather turns cold and windy — and impacts the passing game — being able to run effectively becomes crucial.The more versatile you can be, especially this time of year, the better, said Ticats head coach/GM Kent Austin. If you have multi-facets to your offence that they have to defend, its not just the production but its also the adjustments that have to be made that may buy you time with respect to staying ahead in the gameplan and playcalling.The run game was certainly important for Montreal in its 50-17 East Division semifinal win over the B.C. Lions last weekend. The Alouettes rushed for over 200 yards and four TDs in the contest.They rely on the run game and getting the ball to their playmakers, Austin said. We understand weve got to be stout against the run.Hamiltons defence has been tough to run against all season, allowing a league-low 76.8 yards per game. The Ticats also held Montreal to just 17 rushing yards in their last matchup.The key is just to be disciplined, said Ticats linebacker Simoni Lawrence. You have to trust everybody around you . . . and just make plays when its time to make plays.Last weekend, I thought Montreal did a great job making plays. B.C. was caught off guard a little bit, they werent where they were supposed to be and with Montreal you have to be very disciplined and do what you have to do.Lawrence said Hamiltons defensive gameplan Sunday will be a simple one.Its to play as hard as we can, take care of our business and understand were a good enough team that if we play our best were going to win, he said. As long as we prepare, there shouldnt be any pressure.Pressure is only for people who dont come prepared and I feel we do a great job of preparing for games.And after roughly a month in Hamiltons offence, Grigsby says hes feeling more comfortable these days.Theres less pressure than jumping in right away with all the expectations, he said. It loosens you up now that you get the feel of your offensive linemen up front and the game slows down a little bit.It relaxes you and lets you just play.Grigsby said establishing the run creates two advantages for an offence: It keeps a defence on its heels while setting up other elements of the offensive gameplan.It opens a lot up because the defence must pick its poison, Grigsby said. It must come down in the box or sit back and defend against the pass because we have great players on that side with Speedy (Brandon Banks), Sink (Terrell Sinkfield), Bakari (Bakari Grant), Task (Luke Tasker) and Fantuz (Andy Fantuz).We have many guys who can open stuff up.However, Grigsby said it all starts with quarterback Zach Collaros and Hamiltons offensive line.Zach is very mobile so that takes a lot of pressure off us that he makes plays on his own, he said. Our offensive line is also starting to come together right now, they know whats at stake, theyre hungry up there and its good to have that.But Montreal held B.C. to just 102 yards passing with two interceptions last weekend. Defensive back Jerald Brown had one of the picks and a 104-yard fumble return for a TD.Montreals defence will be physical so you have to strap up every play and be ready to go, Grigsby said. If youre not, theyre going to hit you in the mouth.Of course were going to take the positives (from Nov. 8 win) but well also take the negatives and evaluate them and see what we have to do to get better . . . we must execute no matter what. Shoes Canada Shop . As they are wont to do, the Spurs made things real easy. The Spurs signed Parker to a multi-year contract extension on Friday, ensuring that the six-time All-Star point guard will be in the fold whether Duncan and Ginobili are able to continue their careers or not. 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Formula One Teams Association secretary general Oliver Weingarten says the organization collapsed over unpaid subscription fees and a failure to strike an agreement for 2014 with all 11 teams.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Justin Martin had 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds on Saturday, and Xavier led most of the way during a 75-69 victory over No. 9 Creighton in front of the largest crowd in the 14-year history of the Musketeers arena. It was a long-awaited rematch for Xavier, (20-9, 10-6), which lost one of the Big Easts most wide-open games at Creighton in January. Martin led the way. The junior guard helped Xavier control the tempo and build a 13-point lead early in the second half that was more than enough. Creighton (23-5, 13-3) couldnt catch up despite 27 points by Doug McDermott, who leads the nation in scoring. McDermott had 35 points during the Bluejays 95-89 win at home on Jan. 12, a game that showed the reconfigured Big East was a whole different conference. Xavier had more going for it in the rematch. Semaj Christon scored 21 points, Dee Davis added 15, and the Musketeers shot 50 per cent from the field. Xavier got its first victory over a Top 10 team since it beat No. 8 Indiana 80-65 on Nov. 24, 2007. Right after their loss at Creighton in January, several Musketeers said they couldnt wait for the rematch. Xavier sold standing-room tickets for the first time in the Cintas Centers 14 seasons, resulting in a record crowd of 10,483. Xavier led for most of the first half, pushing the lead to six points on several occasions. The Musketeers built it to double-digits with a seven-point run that featured Davis 3-pointer and a pair of baskets by Christon, making it 41-30 with 2:22 left in the half. The Mussketeers took a 43-34 lead into halftime despite not shooting a free throw.dddddddddddd Instead, the Musketeers shot 57.6 per cent from the field and went 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. Martin led the way, getting nine points and matching his career high with 12 rebounds. Martin came out aggressive again to start the second half. He hit a pair of 3s and Xaviers first two free throws for a 54-42 lead with 15:49 left. At that point, Xavier was 8 of 10 from beyond the arc, with Creighton more concerned about stopping drives to the basket. Christon fell down while nearly getting a steal, got up and swiped Creightons next pass and was fouled as he headed for the basket, bringing the crowd to its feet. His free throw gave Xavier a 13-point lead. Creighton couldnt make any headway as Xavier controlled the boards and pushed the pace for layups. McDermott scored 11 points in the first 7 minutes of the half, but nobody else hit any shots consistently. Xavier finally hit a cold spell, and Creighton took advantage with a 10-2 spurt. McDermotts fall-away 3-pointer cut it to 61-58 with 5:18 to go, prompting a Xavier timeout. Davis made an uncontested 3, and Jalen Reynolds drove for a lay-in that rebuilt the lead to 68-60. Creighton never got closer than five points the rest of the way. Creighton redshirt freshman guard Isaiah Zierden went down hard on a fast-break play in the first half and hurt his right knee. He was on crutches in the second half with ice wrapped on the knee. Zierden averages 11 minutes and 3.3 points. ' ' '