DANIELE FRANCESCHI – Argos Admrials Insider
TORONTO – For the Toronto Argonauts, all that the defending Grey Cup Champions can do is simply watch and wait. With the benefit of hosting the Canadian Football League’s Eastern Final comes the uncertainty regarding which team the Boatmen may wind up facing in their most pivotal game of the 2013 season.
Although the Double Blue will have to wait until Sunday afternoon to discover their fate, let’s take this opportunity to analyze how the Argonauts stack up in comparison to their East divisional foes as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes prepare to square off in this weekend’s Eastern Semi-Final.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Ticats enter the post-season having won four of their last five regular season games, concluding the season with a 10-8 record, sitting second in the Eastern Division just two points behind the Double Blue. If their week 16 meeting serves as any indication, the Argonauts’ defence will certainly have their hands full when lining up against the Ticats’ potent offence.
The Argos and Ticats met three times during the regular season with Hamilton getting the best of their provincial rivals on two occasions, ultimately securing the season-series and taking home the coveted Ballard Trophy with a 24-18 victory on Thanksgiving Monday at Alumni Stadium in Guelph.
Quarterbacks
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A battle between the CFL’s premier pivots would certainly make for an intriguing Eastern Final. In week one, Henry Burris and Ricky Ray went toe-to-toe as the Argonauts earned their first victory of the season, defeating the Tiger-Cats by a score of 39-34 in a back-and-forth offensive showdown. On that June evening, both Burris and Ray completed 24 pass attempts, tossing a combined seven touchdowns with no interceptions.
Overall, in the three games played against Toronto during the regular season, Burris completed 70 of 104 pass attempts for 985 yards, five touchdowns, and just two interceptions. However, despite leading the CFL in passing with an astounding 4,927 yards through the air, Burris was not named to the CFL’s East Division All-Star team. Instead, it was Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray who collected the honour as he has been nominated for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award, finishing fourth in the CFL in passing with 2,878 yards, while boasting a league-best 126.4 passer efficiency rating.
All in all, this quarterbacking matchup is one that would surely make for a thrilling Eastern Final as two of the CFL’s most experienced and respected signal callers look to earn their teams a berth in the 101st Grey Cup championship game.
Receivers
The Tiger-Cats possess one of the Canadian Football League’s deepest receiving cores, headlined by All-Star Bakari Grant who finished the regular season as the Ticats’ leading receiver hauling in 69 passes for a career-best 947 yards and two touchdowns. Additional weapons at Henry Burris’ disposal include veteran wideout Andy Fantuz as well as rookie sensation Greg Ellingson.
In the teams’ three regular season encounters, the ‘Cats’ star receiving trio combined for a total of 29 receptions, resulting in 487 yards receiving, and two touchdowns.
The Argonauts’ receiving core, meanwhile, boasts two of the Canadian Football League’s top pass-catchers in Andre Durie and Chad Owens. Despite missing five games due to injury, Owens still managed to lead the CFL in receptions with 94 while Durie followed closely behind with 92. The Boatmen had five receivers tally 650 yards or more in 2013. The Argos’ versatile and multifaceted receiving core is sure to present matchup nightmares for opposing defences in the post-season.
Running Backs
C.J. Gable finished the regular season in the top five in rushing en route to earning his first-career CFL East Division All-Star selection. Gable rushed for 100+ yards on two separate occasions during the regular season, one of which came against the Double Blue on Thanksgiving Monday at Alumni Stadium in Guelph. In the Ticats’ home-and-home sweep of the Argonauts in early October, Gable rushed for 214 yards on 33 carries and managed to find the end zone in both football games. He also played a significant role in keeping quarterback Henry Burris upright as the rookie has developed the reputation of being one of the CFL’s best blocking tailbacks.
Chad Kackert on the other hand, continued his 2013 of bad luck as he went down with another injury during Friday’s practice at Rogers Centre. Details of the injury are not yet known, but Milanovich did mention he did not think it was a minor injury. As a result, the Argos will turn to the tandem of Jerious Norwood and Curtis Steele who have had plenty of opportunity to gain CFL expericene in 2013 and will have ample time to prepare for either opponent come the 17th
Offensive Line
The Tiger-Cats field a veteran group that has done an admirable job of protecting quarterback Henry Burris in 2013 while opening running lanes that allowed C.J. Gable to rush his way into being named the Canadian Football League’s East Division Rookie of the Year.
Argonauts centre Jeff Keeping ended a 16-year franchise drought, claiming the iconic Leo Dandurand Memorial Trophy as the East Division’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. Keeping anchored an Argonauts’ offensive front that protected the East Division’s Most Outstanding Player in Ricky Ray as the Double Blue concluded the regular season near the top of most offensive categories.
Statistically, the Ticats surrendered a league-worst 65 sacks during the regular season while the Boatmen ranked sixth, yielding a total of 51.
Defensive Line
Tiger-Cats edge rushers Eric Norwood and Brandon Boudreaux pose a significant problem for opposing offensive lines. Adding third-year defensive tackle Brian Bulcke into the mix, along with a very athletic backend certainly makes the ‘Cats defence a tough unit to play against.
In three games against the Argonauts this season, the Tiger-Cats registered seven sacks. While the Argos counter with veteran defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell and youngsters such as Cleyon Laing, Jonathan Williams, and Kiante Tripp, the Ticats possess a more experienced and balanced defensive front.
Linebackers
As mentioned previously, the Tiger-Cats present significant issues for opposing teams in the trenches. Attributing to that is the ‘Cats’ hard-hitting and athletic trio in the middle, which includes the versatile Jamall Johnson, former Argo Brandon Isaac, and Simoni Lawrence. The trio registered a total of 20 tackles and two sacks in three games against the Argonauts this season.
Meanwhile, the Double Blue field a strong linebacking trio of their own led by veteran Robert McCune, who concluded the 2013 regular season tied for third in the CFL in tackles with 99. Alongside the Argos’ man in the middle are Marcus Ball and Demetrice Morley. Following the release of the aforementioned Brandon Isaac in late July, the Boatmen struggled to find the correct personnel in order to fill the outside linebacker position. However, Morley has performed considerably well since claiming the starting job, recording 13 tackles and one interception in 11 regular season games. As for Ball, the Argos’ second-year linebacker can already be classified as a proven playoff performer as he registered 15 tackles and three interceptions during the Argonauts’ Grey Cup championship post-season run a year ago.
Defensive Backs
During the regular season, the Tiger-Cats surrendered 4,858 passing yards, a total which ranked sixth in the Canadian Football League. Hamilton’s athletic linebackers often provided assistance on the backend as the Ticats’ new-look secondary struggled to prevent big plays down the field.
For the second consecutive season, Argonauts cornerback Pat Watkins found himself amongst the CFL’s top ball hawking defenders, concluding the regular season ranked third in interceptions with five. While the Argos’ secondary may be young, it is a unit that possesses immense talent and has the ability to make big plays when needed.
Special Teams
With a 107-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown against the Montreal Alouettes in week 18, former NFL’er Brandon Banks all but solidified his position as the Ticats’ kick returner heading into the post-season. Veteran linebacker Marc Beswick registered a league-best 24 special teams tackles as he anchored a Tiger-Cats kick/punt coverage unit that did not surrender a single return touchdown during the regular season.
It was back in week one at Rogers Centre that Lindsey Lamar returned a Swayze Waters kickoff 104 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. However, since then, the Argonauts’ cover teams have not surrendered a kick or punt return touchdown, a streak that has spanned a total of 17 consecutive games. Much like their provincial rivals, the Argos have a special teams demon of their own as rookie defensive back Jermaine Gabriel concluded the regular season ranked second, behind the aforementioned Beswick, in special teams tackles with 22.
Montreal Alouettes
For the 18th consecutive season, the Alouettes will play in a post-season game. However, their journey to reach their present position as the No.3 seeded team in the Eastern Division was certainly not an easy one. Following a slow start to the 2013 campaign, general manager Jim Popp elected to pull the plug on head coach Dan Hawkins, firing the first-year bench boss just five games into the regular season. After taking the reigns on the sidelines, Popp guided the Als to a 6-7 record, ultimately concluding the season with an overall mark of 8-10.
The Argonauts and Alouettes met four times during the regular season with each team earning two wins apiece and the Argos outscoring their divisional rivals 104-86 in the four contests.
Quarterbacks
In Ricky Ray, the Argonauts have a proven veteran quarterback who has a history of delivering in key situations.
For Troy Smith, meanwhile, the CFL rookie has all of three starts under his belt entering the 101st Grey Cup playoffs. While the former Heisman Trophy winner has shown glimpses of brilliance over the course of his first couple of months in the Canadian Football League, it still remains to be seen if he is capable of sustaining his high level of play in the post-season.
Receivers
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Argos All-Stars! |
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Ray, Keeping named East Division Outstanding Players -> Eight Argos Named To East All-Star Team |
Many believed that the loss of Jamel Richardson would be a devastating blow for the Montreal Alouettes. However, in actuality, Richardson’s injury appears to have been a blessing in disguise as the Als have witnessed the emergence of rookie sensation Duron Carter, who concluded the regular season ranked 11th in the CFL with 909 yards receiving in just 11 games. Add the league’s second-ranked receiver S.J. Green into the mix and the Alouettes boast one of the Canadian Football League’s most explosive receiving cores.
While the Argonauts possess a very balanced group of receivers, the Alouettes, led by young gunslinger Troy Smith, have had no problem making big plays in the latter half of the regular season.
Running Backs
Following a season in which the Alouettes utilized numerous tailbacks, it appears as though rookie Tyrell Sutton has secured the team’s starting position heading into the post-season. Sutton’s skill set very much compliments that of Troy Smith and also provides his rookie quarterback with an additional weapon in the passing game.
Again, after suffering an injury on Friday, the Argos will go forward with the Curtis Steele and Jerious Norwood tandem.
Offensive Line
The real battle is won in the trenches and the Alouettes field one of the league’s most consistent offensive fronts. While none of the Alouettes’ five offensive linemen were named to the East Division All-Star team, the veteran unit surrendered just 41 sacks, a total that ranked second in the Canadian Football League during the regular season.
The Argonauts offensive line may have collected the glamorous accolades but both offensive fronts present a significant challenge for opposing defences as they hope to slow down two of the hottest quarterbacks in the game today.
Defensive Line
While the Als’ offensive line has done an admirable job at keeping quarterback Troy Smith upright, the team’s defensive line has done their fair share of work attempting to keep opposing quarterbacks on the turf as much as possible throughout the course of a football game.
In four games against the Boatmen during the regular season, the Alouettes defensive line registered a total of 14 sacks. Despite tallying 11 sacks of their own in the teams’ four regular season meetings, the Argos defensive line has been a constant work in progress and has struggled to create consistent penetration along the line of scrimmage.
Linebackers
The Alouettes linebackers refuse to stop making game-changing plays. Their athletic ability enables this talented group to drop back in coverage when required but also unleash a vicious pass rush, as illustrated by the trio’s 24 sacks this season. Chip Cox led the CFL in tackles with 115 and accounted for 12 of the linebackers’ 24 sacks in 2013 en route to being named the Eastern Division’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
Robert McCune and Marcus Ball are also very versatile at the linebacker position. However, as previously mentioned, the Argonauts’ defence has been a constant work in progress and is still attempting to gain some traction heading into the post-season.
Defensive Backs
Jim Popp preaches aggressiveness and his philosophy is evident in the numerous blitz packages involving his defensive secondary. Led by veteran Geoff Tisdale, the Alouettes are not only one of the best coverage secondary units in the Canadian Football League but they are also one of the most relentless groups in terms of presenting a variety of different looks along the line of scrimmage.
While the Argonauts secondary may not fly around all areas of the football field, they still possess one of the league’s premier shutdown cornerbacks in Pat Watkins. His presence alone makes the Argos’ secondary a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.
Statistically, the Als’ 24 interceptions during the regular season ranked second in the CFL while the Double Blue followed closely behind in third with 22.
Special Teams
It was in week seven that Chad Owens returned a Sean Whyte missed field goal 118 yards for a touchdown, one of three missed field goal return touchdowns surrendered by the Alouettes during the regular season. In that 38-13 trouncing in week seven, the Argos’ coverage units also forced three fumbles on Als kick returner Noel Devine. However, since then, it appears as though Montreal has found a reliable return man in veteran slotback Bo Bowling.
As for the Argonauts, the team’s coverage units have been stymieing opposing returners all season long. Swayze Waters’ 47-yard per punt average ranked first in the CFL during the regular season while the Argos as a team were ranked in the top third of many special teams categories.
Extra Point – What Could Have Been
Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray set numerous league and club records in 2013. His 77.2 per cent completion rating shattered the previous all-time CFL record of 74 per cent, which was set by current Calgary Stampeders offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson. Ray was named CFL Player of the Week twice in 2013 and led all pivots with an impeccable 21:2 touchdown to interception ratio. However, despite all of that, a modest Ray was left wondering what the 2013 campaign could have looked like if he had not missed a large portion of the season due to injury.
“It’s difficult to say. It is what it is,” said Ray. “I think I was out there for 10 games, so I just tried to make the best of it. I feel good. Taking the extra time this week has been beneficial for me with the injuries this year so I feel fresh and we’re just mentally getting prepared (for next week).”