ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
It’s been over three decades since the Argos donned the logo that was synonymous with their roots. For much of their history, the Argos sported a baby blue boat logo, one that saw two incarnations, which featured the words “Pull Together” on the mast.
“One positive that guys can take out of it (this season) is that we stuck together…After such a frustrating season, it could have been ugly in the locker room as far as guys not getting along. But that didn’t happen and guys stayed together and you can always build on that”.
– Argos SB Jason Carter how the locker room stuck together this season
Since those days, the Argos have seen some enormously successful as well as extremely lean campaigns, however, the mantra of the team has remained the same.
As players on the current Argos roster packed their bags over the last few days to head into a long off-season after a disappointing 3-15 finish, it seems like the adage of “Pull Together” is still prevalent regardless of the record.
Internal feuds, dissention and divides are often common territory for teams that miss the playoffs, however, to the outside observer it seemed that the 2009 edition of the Argos truly enjoyed being a part of a team with one another, despite the fact that the season did not go nearly how they had planned.
“One positive that guys can take out of it (this season) is that we stuck together”, said slotback Jason Carter following Saturday’s contest with the Montreal Alouettes. “After such a frustrating season, it could have been ugly in the locker room as far as guys not getting along. But that didn’t happen and guys stayed together and you can always build on that.”
Carter joined the Argos mid-season and entered an environment that had already seen its fare share of struggles. Although he had only been with the team for a limited time, the Bryan, Texas native seemed to touch on a common theme that was echoed by many of his teammates.
Veteran RB Jeff Johnson stated, “We gelled really well in the locker room and it was a good group of guys…it is very difficult to pinpoint one thing (that went wrong) but we did get along well.”
Next year will hopefully have as different outcome for the Double Blue and there will likely be a number of changes in personnel as the off-season moves along. However, the Argos can take some solace in the fact that sticking together through a tough season can only make them stronger for the seasons to follow.
Running back Andre Durie sums that theory to a tee by saying, “There’s a lot of stability here. Champions need to face losing together and unfortunately we did a lot of it this year, but I think next year will be a different story”.