The No. 13 was anything but unlucky this season for Justin Hickman.
It’s the number of sacks Hickman registered this season, which was not only a career high for the Hamilton defensive end but also left him tied with Winnipeg’s Odell Willis for the league lead. And considering four of those sacks have come against Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo, the six-foot-two, 265-pound Hickman will be a key figure Sunday when the Tiger-Cats face the Alouettes in the East Division semifinal.
“Mentally I take it as a challenge with them being the defending champions because you want to play your best against the best,” the third-year CFL veteran from UCLA said about facing Montreal. “Playoff time definitely is my favourite time of year.
“It’s win or go home and big players make big plays and we’re going to find out who the players are on this team come Sunday and who wants to show up and play.”
At first glance, Hickman’s success against the Alouettes makes sense because they boast the CFL’s top passing attack. Montreal led the league in pass attempts (697) which gives defences more opportunities to rush the passer.
Montreal does a solid job of pass protection, having given up just 34 sacks in nearly 700 passing attempts. However, the Alouettes’ will again be minus tackle Josh Bourke (season-ending pectoral injury).
After registering 14 sacks his first two CFL seasons combined, Hickman emerged as the Ticats’ premier pass rusher this year, accounting for more than a third of the club’s 37 sacks. But he says a defence doesn’t have to hit the quarterback to be effective.
“Running by him you let him know you’re in his vicinity and getting him off his spot,” Hickman said. “You make his eyes shift and make him have to move his feet a little bit so he’s not as comfortable as he wants to be.”
B.C. did a great job of pressuring Calvillo in its 43-1 home win over the Alouettes on Saturday. The Lions registered four sacks but continually got to Calvillo, the CFL passing leader with 5,251 yards who was a dismal 9-of-17 passing for 63 yards in Vancouver.
So it’s no secret the Ticats plan to pressure Calvillo on Sunday and disrupt his timing.
“That’s for any team,” Hickman said. “You have to get the quarterback up in this league.”
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However, accomplishing that is so much more than a defensive player firing out of his stance and bullying his way to the passer. Footwork and speed are also crucial elements an effective pass-rusher must have, especially lining up a yard off the ball and in situations where the quarterback is in a shotgun formation.
“Pass-rushing is definitely about technique,” Hickman said. “Precise footwork and precise hand placement are important, especially up here when the quarterback is already in a shotgun and takes more steps back and the ball comes out fast so there’s no time for wasted footwork or wasted movement.
“I’m trying to manipulate the offensive lineman’s feet with my feet and trying to use my hands from allowing him to get his hands on me and then finish when I get into the backfield.”
But Hickman, 26, said Hamilton can’t focus solely on Calvillo and forget about tailback Brandon Whitaker, who had a CFL-high 1,378 yards rushing.
“A guy who leads the league in rushing, you better do something about him,” Hickman said. “He’s a real good back.”
Hamilton and Montreal split their season series 2-2 with the home team winning every time. The Ticats finished tied for the CFL’s worst road record at 2-7 but after losing home playoff games in each of the last two years Hickman figures playing in Quebec this time around will work in his club’s favour.
“I don’t understand why we haven’t played well on the road and hopefully in the playoffs guys understand that now more than ever we have to come together,” he said. “I think being on the road might be good for us because we don’t have to worry about external things like family flying in and getting tickets.
“All we have to worry about are the guys in the dressing room and showing up and playing well on game day.”
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PLAYOFF DRIVE: The three playoff-bound West Division teams certainly hit their stride late in the season.
The B.C. Lions, Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders ended the season tied for top spot with 11-7 records. The Lions got first – and the right to host the conference final – by virtue of having better head-to-head records with the other two.
Edmonton ended up second and will host third-place Calgary in the West Division semifinal Sunday.
Calgary finished the regular season with three straight victories while B.C., after starting the year 0-5, won 11 of its final 13 games, including its final two.
The Eskimos began their year 5-0 before dropping seven of their final 13 games. However, Edmonton did finish the regular campaign winning three of its final four games.
The same can’t be said for the three East Division playoff teams.
The defending-champion Montreal Alouettes dropped their final three regular-season games, including a lopsided 43-1 decision in Vancouver on Saturday night. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers backed into top spot, clinching the position with Montreal’s loss after losing 30-24 to Calgary on Saturday.
The Bombers started impressively with a 7-1 record before losing seven of their final 10 games.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished third in the East with an 8-10 record.
The only East team to finish the season on a winning note was the Toronto Argonauts (6-12), who won their final two contests but missed the CFL playoffs for the third time in four years.
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BOWMAN’s COMEBACK: Slotback Adarius Bowman enjoyed a breakout 2012 campaign with the Edmonton Eskimos.
Plagued throughout his CFL career by a penchant of dropping passes, the six-foot-three, 223-pound Bowman proved to be a big-play receiver with the Eskimos. He had 62 catches for 1,153 yards – both career highs – with four TDs. Bowman’s 18.6-yard average per reception was a league best.
He finished tied for fourth overall in CFL receiving with teammate Fred Stamps, who had 20 more catches.
Bowman broke into the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2008 before being dealt to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on April 1 2009. Bowman had 105 catches for 1,616 yards and nine touchdowns over two seasons with the Bombers but crucial dropped passes contributed to his being released.
Bowman has really stepped up for the Eskimos, especially when Stamps was forced to miss time early due to emergency surgery for a ruptured spleen. Bowman, too, missed time with cracked ribs but had 10 catches for 226 yards and two TDs in Edmonton’s 23-20 win over Saskatchewan on Friday night that clinched the team second spot in the West Division and a home playoff game Sunday against the Calgary Stampeders.
NOTES: He only played half the season with Toronto, but Steven Jyles was the CFL’s top-rushing quarterback with 429 yards on 53 carries, an 8.1-yard average . . . The B.C. Lions are the last CFL team to win the Grey Cup on their home turf, beating Baltimore 26-23 in the ’94 final at B.C. Place, the venue for this year’s championship game. B.C. can duplicate that feat this year without leaving Vancouver, clinching home-field advantage for the West Division final after finishing atop the conference standings.
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