WitP: CFL Playoffs, Bess

The CFL semi-final games are being played today. Chad Owens' Toronto Argonauts take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats while Solomon Elimimian and Adam Leonard's BC Lions battle Ryan Grice-Mullen's Saskatchewan Roughriders. Check CFL.ca or TSN.ca for updates.

The Canadian Press has an article about Hamilton's focus on stopping Chad Owens.

The former Hawaii star is averaging a solid 12.6 yards on punt returns against Hamilton but hasn't taken one back for a TD and has eight kickoff returns for 164 yards (20.5-yard average). As important as keeping Owens out of the end zone is, so too is preventing him from ripping off huge returns and giving the Argos great field position, something Hamilton has also done effectively.

Hamilton's defence has also been effective against Owens, who has 11 catches for 152 yards (11.7-yard average) but no TDs, meaning Owens has yet to find the end zone this season versus the Ticats.

Owens talks to Mark Masters of the National Post about facing the Ticats.

The biggest beating Chad Owens has absorbed during his football career came at the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last month.

"I just took one shot after another, after another, after another," said Owens, the Toronto Argonauts kick-return specialist. "It was like bang, every time I caught the ball I was taking a big hit."

"It comes down to assignments and making sure we know who we have to block," Owens said. "I need to make sure I know the holes and where we're trying to set it up each return. We need to do a better job of executing our assignments."

And The Finsiders have video of Davone Bess talking to the Miami press about Chad Pennington getting the start at QB this week.