ROSTER | DEPTH CHART (print version)
Opponent: Edmonton Eskimos
Date: Thursday, July 10, 2008
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Commonwealth Stadium
Television: TSN
Radio: FAN590/FAN590.com/SIRIUS
Last Meeting: September 27, 2007 – Toronto 18 @ Edmonton 11
Records: Toronto (1-1); Edmonton (1-1)
Toronto Injuries: RB Andre Durie, RB Tyler Ebell, DB Chris Hardy, QB Reggie McNeal, CB Willie Middlebrooks.
Edmonton Injuries: DE Adam Braidwood, WR Dante Luciani, OL Dan Comiskey.
Starting Quarterbacks: TOR – Kerry Joseph; EDM – Ricky Ray
If you did not know who Willie Pile was before September 28, 2007, you definitely did after.
Pile, who had been one of the more surprising and impressive defenders in an already dominant Argo defence after joining the Boatmen in the 2006/07 off-season, made sure that noone over-looked him on a defence filled with stars. At the 8:38 mark of the second quarter, he hammered Eskimos’ QB Ricky Ray on a clean hit that took him out of the game and effectively sidelined the marquee pivot for the remainder of the ’07 campaign.
Now, the man known by teammates as “Willie P” returns to the scene where he cemented himself as one of the premiere linebackers in the CFL as he and the Argos take on the Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium on Thursday night in the first of back-to-back games with the green and gold.
After starting off the season with a win in Winnipeg, the Boatmen are coming off a humbling 32-13 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Rogers Centre. They will be taking on an Eskimos squad that is coming off a dramatic, last-second 34-31 win over the Calgary Stampeders. The Argos will also be facing a now healthy Ricky Ray who is coming off a CFL Offensive Player of the Week performance after passing for 468 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
The Argos will once again counter with QB Kerry Joseph as their starter, however, it is expected that QB Michael Bishop will see action at some point in the contest.
Newly re-acquired DE Ronald Flemons has been placed on the Argos 46-man roster but it is unknown at this point whether he will dress or not. Flemons replaces the man he was traded for, T.J. Acree, on the roster. The only other lineup change will occur in the Argos’ secondary as CB Willie Middlebrooks heads to the injured list with a foot injury. Linebacker #36 Andre Maddox will be activated from the practice roster as a result.
The Argonauts have won four straight regular season road games dating back to September 15, 2007 when they fell 40-7 in B.C. Since then, they have won in Edmonton, Montreal, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg. One more win this week will make their current streak the second-longest in club history. The longest streak is six, held by the 1983-84 Boatmen.
Also of comfort to Argo fans is that Toronto is 7-1-0 against Edmonton in their past eight games and 4-0-0 in their last four trips to Commonwealth Stadium, not having lost there since 2003. The last time the Double Blue were beaten by the Esks was Thanksgiving 2005 at Rogers Centre; the final score was 17-13
Finally, the Argonauts have swept the season series against Edmonton in three of the last four seasons (2004, 2006, 2007). In 2005, the Argos and Esks split the series with one win apiece and tied in total points scored at 35.
Kickoff is a 10 p.m. ET at Commonwealth Stadium and can be seen on TSN or heard on the FAN590. The Boatmen will fly back to Toronto on Friday afternoon as they begin preparation for the back end of the home-and-home series with the Eskimos at Rogers Centre on July 20. For tickets call 416-341-ARGO or CLICK HERE to purchase online.