The Week That Was In Argoland

ARGONAUTS.CA

Another busy week wraps up in Argoland. It was one that saw the battle with the Edmonton Eskimos come down to the final moments, a trade with a western foe and a major announcement regarding the Argos and the future of the CFL in Eastern Canada.

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From Argoland to Riderville for Washburn
The Boatmen began the week with a change on the offensive line. After returning to Toronto on Sunday from a frigid Saskatchewan cold whip, the Argos completed a trade with the Green and White, sending import OT Cliff Washburn to the Riders for a fifth round draft pick in the 2010 CFL Draft and a conditional pick in the 2011 CFL Draft.

Washburn returned for his third mini-stint with the Argos two weeks earlier. He’d spent the first half of the year with the Houston Texans of the NFL.  The Argos coaching staff has seen a strong upside in Washburn over the last few years, however, with the addition of Rob Murphy this season, it was becoming evident that an injury to a starter was going to be the only avenue for the Citadel product to find his way into the lineup. Washburn is also in the option year of his contract and was poised to become a free agent in February.

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Readying Reaves
Quarterbacks Kerry Joseph and Cody Pickett had been stealing headlines for the majority of the season but this week it was a rookie pivot that was in the spotlight early in the week. Stephen Reaves prepped for his first regular season game as a pro.

An injury to Pickett forced Reaves to take more than the usual number of snaps in practice and eventually dress as the Argos’ #2 pivot, backing up Joseph Friday night versus the Eskimos.  With the Argos loss this week, perhaps Reaves could see playing time as the Double Blue close out the regular season in the next three weeks.
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Injury Bug Bites Boatmen
As the season goes on, players eventually begin to ware, and bumps & bruises become more the norm than happenstance.  The injury bug, which has been relatively easy on the Argos in 2009 in comparison to recent years, bit the Double Blue hard and often – primarily on offence.

Before the Argos and Esks even kicked off, RB/KR Dominique Dorsey was seen limping around the Argos practice facility with an injury sustained against the Roughriders the week before and was deemed a healthy scratch for the matchup versus Edmonton. He wasn’t the only victim in Regina as Canadian receiver Chad Rempel was added to the 9-game injured list with an injured fibula, making him the sixth Argo added to the long-term IR this season.

Perhaps the hardest bite came in the first quarter of the Argos’ Friday night contest when two key parts of their offensive line went down simultaneously on the same play.

Right Tackle Brian Ramsay and Left Guard Jeff Keeping went down with what appeared to be leg and arm injuries respectively and by the time the second half rolled around, the two could be seen in street clothes.

With injuries to their two cornerbacks already hampering the secondary, the Argos and their fans held their collective breath when CB/S Will Poole left the game with an injury but luckily would return a few drives later.
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Frozen By the Eskimos
Despite the injuries, the Argos battled hard down the stretch going almost shot for shot with the Eskimos. Despite the effort, they once again fell short and effectively ended their playoff hopes. The 22-19 loss was indicative of how most contests have played out this year with the opposition making just a few more key plays than the Argos make.
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Touchdown Atlantic Version 2.0
On Thursday afternoon, the Canadian Football League announced that the Argos have been chosen as the home club for the league’s eastern venture to Moncton, NB. The event will see a regular season game played in September 2010 against an opponent (likely a west division club) that will be decided at a later date.

The Argos have ventured out East once before, partaking in a pre-season game versus the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2005 in Halifax, NS in front of a sold-out crowd. This will be the first ever regular season CFL game played in the Maritimes.

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Season Ticket Prices Lowered
In conjunction with the league’s Moncton announcement, the Argos announced that they will be lowering the cost of season tickets on a per game basis in 2010. Moreover, the Rogers Centre seating map has been recoloured resulting in a further price reduction in 37% of seating at Argos games.  A new and even more affordable season ticket category has also been added for 2010.  Perfect for families on a budget, “Blue” season tickets are available for $161, or less than $20 per game.  For more details on the new price structure, please see below.

*9 Games