Lucas Palleschi – Argos Admirals Insider
TORONTO – Seven games. Seven regular season games is all that’s left for the Toronto Argonauts and although it may be sad to see the 2014 CFL season come and go so quickly, those remaining seven weeks of football will be the most important yet for the Argos.
After a tough loss to the top seeded Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night, Toronto’s record fell to 3-8, which also saw them fall to second place in the East due to a tiebreaker. Although second place guarantees a playoff spot, the Argos are short on breathing room as the East is in a deadlock with three teams, tied at 6 points.
Assuming the teams in the East are unable to match the performance of the top four teams in the West by the end of the season, the two wildcard spots will go to the teams in the West, meaning second place will be the last playoff spot in the East.
The Argonauts will be at BC Place on Friday night to take on the fourth-seeded Lions. The last time these two teams met, BC came out on top with a 33-17 win in Toronto.
Going off of last week, this match-up should be a shootout. Despite missing Travis Lulay with an injury, the BC Lions were able to show depth during their matchup against the Blue Bombers. BC outscored their opponent 26-9 with an impressive performance by backup QB Kevin Glenn who threw for 261 passing yards, 2 TDs and a 74% completion rate.
In order to stop this offensive surge, the Argos are going to have play steady on both sides of the ball.
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They’ll also have to play tighter in the secondary. This means playing zone and watching for deep throws to athletic Lions receivers such as Courtney Taylor (45 receptions, 516 yards, 2 TDs) and Emmanuel Arceneaux (35 receptions, 615 yards, 6 TDs).
One way to limit the vertical passing attack of the Lions is for the defensive line to keep pressure on Glenn, who works best when he scrambles to buy time outside of the pocket. Keeping him inside the pocket with pressure on both sides of the line will neutralize his rushing game and will lead to forced throws.
When the Argonauts have the ball, the best place, as always, is to keep it in the hands of their veteran QB Ricky Ray. Last week Ray looked poised as he threw downfield for 337 yards, 4 TD’s and a completion percentage of 86%.
The Argos have success whenever Ray is given time to share the ball. He threw to more than 9 receiving options against Calgary, which translated into go-ahead scores.
As the BC Lions’ defensive squad remains on a hot streak, the best way for Ray to put the ball in the hands of his receivers is with short to medium downfield throws. This will create consistent gains, offensive control and a decrease in turnovers. Controlling the ball on offence will allow the Argonauts to dictate the pace of the game, clock management and to cool down the BC fans.
Toronto will also want to use their size advantage in the throwing game. Players like Bradwell (6’3), Barnes (6’3) and Adjei (6’0) will be perfect targets for man and goal-line passing plays against smaller opponents such as Marsh (5’10’), Parks (5’11) and Yell (5’10).
The Argos running game also has to be more consistent, as even the slightest improvement in the rush attack would provide more opportunities for Ray and his passing offensive.
With Coombs out and Durie fresh off an extensive injury outing, it’s up to Curtis Steele or Steve Slaton to improve the ground attack, as both had little impact last week against the Stampeders. Both have the ability to keep the ball pressed downfield with their size and speed. Moving the chains with a great throwing game combined with a good rushing game will gas the strong BC defence and open up holes for big plays.
Friday’s match-up should be treated as a playoff game. Riddled with injuries, a 1-6 record on the road and a four game losing streak, the Argonauts will have to walk into BC place and give 110% for all four quarters.
A win on Friday would be crucial as it would once again give the Argos control of 1st place in the East and more importantly a much needed confidence boost for a beaten up squad heading into a bye week.