The Hamilton Tiger-Cats would be forgiven if they entered this year with the team they finished with last season. The Henry Burris-led squad finished second in the East Division before advancing to the Grey Cup where they ultimately fell to the home field advantage wielding Saskatchewan Roughriders. For a team that finished 6-12 the previous year, and hadnt made a Grey Cup appearance since winning the trophy in 1999, that qualifies as progress, a significant amount. And more than that, you could argue the team was on the cusp of greatness, a couple tweaks away from finishing the job in 2014. But the Ticats opted against trotting out the same lineup – or a very similar one at least – to take another shot this season. Instead they went for a big shakeup at a key position, one that may lead to some immediate regression, but that could pay off handsomely in the future. Gone is Burris, one of the teams leaders the past two years, and his league-leading stats. After throwing for 10,292 yards and 67 touchdowns the past two years with the Ticats, head coach and general manager Kent Austin allowed Burris to leave in free agency where he signed with the Ottawa Redblacks. The team opted instead for promising youngster Zach Collaros, who proved he more than belonged in the league – and may offer a lot more with extended play – with the Toronto Argonauts last year while Ricky Ray was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Despite Burris taking the Ticats to the peak of the mountain last year, theres a perception hes maybe not the guy to get a team over the mountain, and the Ticats decided to cut bait and build with a quarterback they feel more confident in. For all Collaros heroics filling in and keeping the Argos in contention last season, hes still a young quarterback with just 298 CFL passing attempts to his name. While the Ticats are convinced theyre in for big things with Collaros at QB, and theyre not the only ones as evident by the mini bidding war that went on to secure his services, some growing pains should still be expected with a 26-year-old pivot, especially one learning a new offence. So while Burris may have been the better option for Hamiltons prospects in 2014, considering his age and difficulty winning the big one, going with Collaros upward trending career is the smarter move for ultimate success. Hamilton hopes theyre taking one step back to make two steps forward. This reasonability of this move is buoyed by the general strength of the roster surrounding Collaros. Hell be in the backfield with one of the most exciting running backs in the league in CJ Gable, who finished fourth in the league in rushing with 782 yards but was the clear frontrunner in highlight reel spin-o-ramas frequently seen on Sportcentre Honour Rolls. And the Ticats already robust receiving corps added more talent this off-season. Joining Andy Fantuz, Bakari Grant, and Greg Ellingson will be Cary Koch, an underrated threat who spent the first four years of his CFL career split between Saskatchewan and Edmonton, really breaking out with the Eskimos the past two years. And while the addition isnt likely to help Collaros directly, Craig Butler joins an improving defensive unit. Notes Expansion Draft The Tiger-Cats got off easy in the first two rounds of the expansion draft before a surprise pick in the third. Backup running back Chevon Walker and FB John Delahunt were grabbed in Round 1 and 2 before Marwan Hage, surprisingly still available, was taken by the Ottawa Redblacks in the third round. It was clear the Ticats were moving on from Hage after he was left available in the final round of the draft. Hage Retires Hages time in Ottawa wasnt lasting, and the affable offensive lineman did the right thing in returning to Hamilton to retire. It was as good an ending to a solid 10-year career that Tiger-Cats fans could have hoped for, not having to see him in another teams colours. Free Agency Its hard to argue the Ticats werent the winners of free agency after landing their quarterback of the present and future in Collaros, another weapon in the receiving corps in Cary Koch, a decent offensive line replacement in Steve Myddleton, front seven defensive help in Ted Laurent and Abraham Kromah, and a solid Canadian safety in Craig Butler. CFL Draft The Tiger-Cats took a chance on their second of two first round picks and paid for it when Manitoba defensive lineman Evan Gill, a player they traded up for, decided he would return to school and try his luck at an NFL tryout next season. Gill entered the draft a bit of a risk with a quad injury but the Ticats selected him anyway, perhaps opting for the long play. The team also selected Western LB Beau Landry, one pick before Gill in the first round, who later signed with the team. After the first, Hamilton didnt make another pick until the fifth round, taking Toronto LB Christopher Johnson. The Ticats wrapped the draft up with sixth-round defensive linemen Mathieu Girard (Montreal) and Stephen Mawa (UBC), and seventh-round defensive lineman Martin Pesek from Acadia. Tim Hortons Field After a successful campaign at the University of Guelph last season, the Ticats return home to Hamilton for 2014, to the same location Ivor Wynne Stadium once stood. Tim Hortons Field projects to be ready for Hamiltons home opener in Week 5 against the Redblacks. Wholesale Basketball Shoes . And on Sunday against the Houston Astros they were pleased to see his work finally pay off with his first win since May 24. Clearance Basketball Shoes .com) - Fair Grounds commences its road to the Kentucky Derby Saturday with the 71st running of the $200,000 Lecomte Stakes. http://www.wholesalebasketballshoes.us/ .5 million, two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, a deal that covers his final two arbitration seasons. Wholesalle Basketball Shoes China . Jones, from Winnipeg, built a 3-0 advantage after three ends by scoring two in the second and one in the third. Chinas skip Bingyu Wang cut that lead to 3-1 in the fourth before Canada added another three in the fifth for a 6-1 lead. Cheap Basketball Shoes Online . For the Bombers it has been a combination of things coming together at the most inappropriate moments in time. Quarterback, injuries, Canadian talent or depth and leadership are all issues. Trust me when I say being a Bomber is no fun right now in a city that embraces football the way Winnipeg does. While Buck Pierce will be getting another shot, I think Max Hall does deserve another opportunity.Arizona could take the first loss of the season. Since no team had gone undefeated in more than three decades, it felt almost inevitable. Falling out of the top spot in the poll wasnt bad, either; the goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the season, not the middle. Losing Brandon Ashley, thats going to be a little tougher for the second-ranked Wildcats to take, a development that will force them to shuffle things around and potentially put a dent in their national championship aspirations. "Its a huge loss for us not to have Brandon for the rest of the season," Arizona centre Kaleb Tarczewski said. "But we still feel that even without him, we still have a great team." With Ashley, Arizona hummed along to the best start in program history, beating teams like Duke, Michigan, UCLA and San Diego State while winning its first 21 games. The Wildcats fortunes took a bad turn Saturday night in Berkeley, when they lost the game 60-58 on Justin Cobbs last-second shot and lost Ashley to an awkward landing while going up for a rebound in the first half. Ashley injured his right foot on the play and faces the possibility of surgery. Arizona (21-1, 8-1 Pac-12) now faces playing the rest of the season without one of its best, most versatile players. "No one expected us to do as well as we have this year; we kind of just let our play do the talking," Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell said. "People can write what they want and say that were not a national championship team, but were going to work hard every day and they cant take that away from us." A 6-foot-8 sophomore, Ashley was a difficult matchup for opposing teams on offence, an athletic player who could score in the post, driving to the basket and, after spending countless hours working on his shot during the summer, from the 3-point line. Ashley is Arizonas third-leading scorer at 11.5 points and in rebounding at 5.8 per game. He shot 47 per cent from the floor, including 36 per cent from the arc and often gave opposing teams fits with his ability to keep offensive rebounds alive with his long arms. Ashley also is one of the Wildcats most versatile defensive players, a long, mobile defender who has the reach to block shots inside and out, the agility to keep smaller players in ffront of him.dddddddddddd. "Are we going to miss Brandon Ashley? No doubt about it," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "But we still can be an excellent team." The loss of Ashley will force some shuffling for the Wildcats. Defensively, Arizona should be OK without him. Freshman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, whos expected to slide into Ashleys starting spot, is an active and willing defender. At 6-7, hes just an inch shorter and may be better at defending perimeter players than Ashley, playing that end of the floor more like an upperclassman than a first-year player. Replacing Ashleys offence may be a little tougher. Hollis-Jefferson isnt quite as polished as Ashley on offence and doesnt have the same range, hitting 1 of his 6 attempts from 3-point range this season while scoring most of his points on drives and putbacks. With Hollis-Jefferson in the starting lineup, 3-point specialist Gabe York moves into the sixth man role and the rest of the roster moves up a spot. Miller has kept a fairly tight rotation this season, so now players who hadnt seen many minutes outside of mop-up duty will be counted on more. Guard Jordin Mayes was a regular contributor the past two seasons, but has seen his minutes decrease this season. Matt Korcheck, who redshirted last season, is an active player with a solid build at 6-10, 230 pounds, though he has played in just 10 games this season. Freshman Elliot Pitts, whos appeared in eight games, will likely see more minutes as well. Miller said forward Zach Peters, a transfer from Kansas whos battled concussion issues, isnt ready for consistent minutes yet. Playing time among the players vying for minutes will likely be based on circumstance, depending on how well theyre playing, the opponent and what the Wildcats need during specific points in games. "If we did nothing different other than just give the players who have played, minus Brandon, more of an opportunity, thats part of our solution," Miller said. "With that in mind, we know foul trouble and fatigue can certainly weigh against you, but we dont have to do this for 30 games, just nine regular-season games and then were in the post-season." Arizonas stretch run without Ashley starts Thursday night at home against Oregon. ' ' '