Ticats will be elite… but only if healthy

The final score does not matter, frankly, it never does when it comes to preseason CFL football.

Win or lose, or tie, it is the preseason.

There are no points up for grabs.

But that doesn’t mean the exhibition schedule isn’t important for teams from B.C. to Montreal.

So what did I glean from Thursday night’s Ticats-Redblacks preseason contest in Ottawa?

Well, to be honest, with more than a dozen starters not in Hamilton’s lineup there weren’t a lot of players that stood out to me in terms of potentially challenging for a starting job come opening night this season.

Defensive back Will Hill is definitely one player I’d keep around.

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It’s just a matter of where he lines up.

Virtually every other unfamiliar name you noticed Thursday night will either end up on the training camp cut list, on the practice roster or the injured list.

And that brings me to this point:

If the Tiger-Cats have any hope of going to, and winning, the Grey Cup this year they must — MUST — remain healthy.

They have altered their practice schedule, inserted recovery days and it doesn’t hurt that most of their starters had the night off Thursday.

Plain and simple, if Hamilton remains a healthy unit in 2017 — something they haven’t been able to do in recent years — they have the talent to be an elite team in the league.

Short of that, and it will be a dog fight to get back to the capital this November.