Can the Return of Sean Thomas-Erlington Help the Tiger-Cats Dominate the Eastern Conference Once Again in 2020?

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats enjoyed a terrific 2019 season, ending the year with a 15-3 record which helped propel them to the Grey Cup Final. It proved to be the franchise’s best-ever finish in the CFL and helped them put a distinctively average 2018 campaign firmly behind them. The Ticats were exceptional throughout the season despite the loss of Sean Thomas-Erlington in week 4, and with the versatile running-back returning to full fitness, many are expecting them to go one step further this time around.

Having played an accumulative 28 games during his first two seasons in Hamilton, the Montreal-born star will have been disappointed to see his campaign curtailed after absorbing a low hit against the Alouettes in July. The runner had accumulated 224 rushing yards on 33 carries during the first three games of the season and put in some eye-catching performances along the way. He caught 11 passes for 193 yards and prior to his setback, he had ranked second in the CFL with 6.8 yards per touch. The Ticats won each of their first three matches with the 27-year old in the side, and fans will understandably be delighted to see him return to action following knee surgery.

Thomas-Erlington’s stats for 2019 are extremely impressive, and if he can recapture last season’s form, he will surely be one of the standout players in the CFL once again. Fans will be hoping that he can improve upon his moderate 2017 and 2018 numbers and become one of the league’s top performers. Stats are invaluable at every level of sport, and analysts will always focus on the key numbers before making predictions. Canadian football writers also use these stats to help create narratives and the importance of data in all sports and pastimes cannot be overlooked. In soccer, the emergence of xG data has become a major talking point and the use of this data on flagship TV shows has helped integrate it into everyday life. Soccer fans are highly likely to use these numbers before making wagers and in turn, it has also enabled betting companies to price matches up with greater accuracy.

Data is also used in many other industries with the global stock markets heavily reliant upon accuracy in this department, whilst other sectors such as health, commerce and retail will also have a team of statisticians who help to keep their respective businesses on the right track. Stats are also utilised in iGaming to enhance the experience such as how every player can use hit percentage to inform decisions when playing on NetEnt’s roulette online game for free. However, some players have devised their own unique system based on previous outcomes.

In Canada, football coaches also use historical data to break down the numbers and work out a game plan. However, despite having access to these figures, opposition coaches may still find it difficult to keep tabs on a fully-fit Thomas-Erlington this year.

Tyrell Sutton proved to be an able deputy in 2019, however, the returning running back is highly likely to be selected ahead of the stand-in this season. Maleek Irons and Jackson Bennett provide some much needed depth in this position and offer the Tiger-Cats plenty of options in this area. The franchise chose not to retain veteran receiver Mike Jones, however re-signing quarter-back Jeremiah Masoli looks like an extremely savvy move. The returning star enjoyed a tremendous 2018 campaign, being named the East Division’s Most Outstanding Player after recording 5,209 passing yards and 28 touchdowns. Frankie Williams’ decision to remain at Tim Horton’s Field also gave the fans something else to cheer during the offseason.

Hamilton will be hoping to end their Grey Cup drought this season after going incredibly close in 2019. They’ve been defeated in the championship game three times in the last eight years and a fully-fit Sean Thomas-Erlington may just give them the edge and enable them go one step further this time around.

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