ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
TORONTO – It’s all about the team concept when it comes to the Toronto Argonauts defence.
When the offence wasn’t clicking, the Argonauts could always rely on the defence to make a huge stop.
So how did the defence get to this point?
After hiring Scott Milanovich as the new head coach, the club was able to land Chris Jones from the Calgary Stampeders as the defensive coordinator and assistant GM.
General Manager Jim Barker and Jones did an astounding job helping retool the defence in 2012 by adding LB Robert McCune, CB Patrick Watkins, LB Marcus Ball, LB Brandon Isaac, CB Ahmad Carroll and CB Pacino Horne; all players who started for the Double Blue in the playoffs.
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Robert McCune, a six-foot linebacker responded with his best season as a CFL pro. He played in all 18 regular season games, all three playoff games and totaled 86 tackles in the regular season with an additional 19 tackles coming in the playoffs.
Patrick Watkins –a Florida State product – finished the season tied for the most INTs on the Argos with five. He played in every single regular season before getting injured in round one of the playoffs. He had 67 tackles in the regular season to go along with his five picks and a CFL All-Star nod.
Another linebacker who had a great season was rookie Marcus Ball. The University of Memphis alum produced 75 tackles during the regular season and was a force in the playoffs, adding 15 tackles and a pair of huge interceptions in the Eastern Final against Montreal. He was also the Argos nominee for defensive player of the year.
After coming over from Calgary, LB Brandon Isaac made his presence felt on the Double Blue defence becoming known as one of the hardest hitting linebackers in the CFL. Racking up 43 tackles and four sacks, Isaac also forced three fumbles and recovered three fumbles in 2012, good for tops among all Argonaut defensive players.
Ahmad Carroll had an excellent season with the Argonauts after joining the team following a long career in the NFL. Carroll ended the year with three interceptions, including a 38-yard pick-six in the Labour Day classic against Hamilton. One of the many CFL rookies on the team, Carroll only got better throughout the year. He became an extremely reliable defensive back that the Boatmen could trust in clutch situations. Days after winning the Grey Cup, Carroll announced his retirement from football.
Finally, when people think about the Argonauts defence, the captain, Jordan Younger likely comes to mind. Younger has been a force on the Boatmen’s defence since 2004 (excluding a brief stint in Edmonton during the 2005 season). He co-led the team, intercepting five passes and adding 44 tackles in 2012.
With training camp just around the corner, let’s turn our attention to what the Argonauts defence could look like in 2013 as there are many fresh faces getting ready to show their stuff in June.
With the loss of HB Evan McCollough to the Ticats and Carroll to retirement, the Boatmen have made several additions on the defensive side of the football, especially in the secondary. Coming into the fold are free agent additions CBs Talmadge Jackson, Janzen Jackson, Jason Teague, Bryant Nnabuife, Brent Vinson and Brandyn Thompson who will look to be the “diamond in the rough” that Watkins and Horne were in 2013. With potentially two starting CB spots available, if one of these players can prove themselves a competitor, a starting CFL gig could be in their future.
In addition, Jones and company will look to expand the roles of returning players such as Jalil Carter (who started in the Eastern Final and Grey Cup for Watkins) as well as Johnnie Dixon who saw time on defence near the end of the 2012 season.
Other newcomers include non-import CFL vets CB/LB Jonathan Hood, LB James Yurichuk, LB Antwi Akwasi and DL Jermaine Reid and import free agents DEs Mohamed Marah, EJ Nduka and Kenny Horsley and LBs Ronnie Thornton, Darry Beckwith and Shane Horton.
With so many fresh faces set to open training camp in just over a month and the possible addition of players via the CFL Draft, the coaching staff will have plenty of options to consider when they decide who should start on defence and special teams on our road to the repeat.
Stay tuned to Argonauts.ca as we will have full coverage of both the CFL Draft and Training Camp as we get set for the 2013 season.