DON LANDRY – ARGONAUTS.CA COLUMNIST
TORONTO – After the Toronto Argonauts dropped a 20-12 decision to the Montreal Alouettes two weeks ago, head coach Scott Milanovich said “we’ve gotta come up with a little bit better ways, maybe, of finding Ricky some quicker answers.”
The Alouette defence had just stymied quarterback Ricky Ray and the Argonaut offence, holding the veteran pivot to 202 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception surrendered.
Now, with this weekend’s oh so large rematch on the horizon and so much at stake, it’s up to Milanovich, Offensive Coordinator Marcus Brady and the players to scheme and execute their way to a different ending on Sunday.
They’ll need to do it against, arguably, the CFL’s hottest defence. One that has some very familiar faces, but is altered in personality.
The Alouette defence is, stylistically, much different than the blitz happy units we’ve come to know over the past few years. Blessed with an abundance of veteran knowledge and physical speed – as well as the cohesion that a consistent line-up can bring – the Als’ defence has adopted quite a different presence. One that has emerged as this season has worn on.
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“Early in the season, they started out playing man coverage,” said Ray. “They’d blitz. They’d all-out blitz. They’re still blitzing a little bit, but playing heavy zone behind it and not bringing the all-out blitzes.”
It’s a defensive concoction that confounded the Argo offence in Week 17. One that they believe they can succeed against in Week 19, with some alterations to play calling and better execution.
“They’ve really transformed throughout the year,” said Milanovich of Montreal’s defence. “Early in the season they were more similar to that (more familiar Montreal) defence, but they’ve changed quite a bit in what they’re doing. There’s less all-out types of blitzes and zero (man to man) coverage. More five man pressures with zone behind it. It’s a very different defence than that.”
“It’s not one of their top coverages, now,” said Ray, when asked about the diminishing dose of man to man employed by the Alouettes.
“They’re gonna lay back and play zone coverage and make you hit tight windows and throw underneath stuff. They don’t wanna give up the big play.”
Sounds familiar. It’s the type of reasoning often employed by Calgary Stampeders’ defensive coordinator Rich Stubler, who ran his Argo defences the same way a decade ago. Force the offence into short stuff. Make them parcel together 11 or 12 plays in order to get into scoring range. Wait for that offence to make the mistakes that end drives. Montreal defensive coordinator Noel Thorpe, it seems, has bought in.
“It’s a similar philosophy,” agreed Ray. “Some different coverages, but similar philosophy. Bend but don’t break.”
It’s been widely held, over the years, that the way to beat Ricky Ray is to play a lot of zone defence, and you might leap to the conclusion that it’s an accurate sentiment, considering Montreal’s success in shutting him down two weeks ago. It is, however, a fallacy.
No quarterback in the league sees as much zone coverage thrown at him as Ray. Most teams play that way against him, most of the time. Yet, there he is, leading the CFL in completions, completion percentage, yardage, touchdown passes and big play completions (30 or more yards). He’s second to Calgary’s Bo Levi Mitchell in the quarterback efficiency rating among starters.
No, there’s more to keeping Ray in check than just scheme. Milanovich is clearly impressed with Montreal’s personnel and the athletic abilities they possess.
“Very physical,” he said of them, noting that so many of Montreal’s veteran defenders could be captains. “They’re getting a lot of turnovers. I think they lead the league in forced fumbles (they’re third, with 21, but just one behind Winnipeg and Hamilton). “They all can tackle, particularly in the secondary. They just don’t miss many tackles, so they limit the catch and run. They do a nice job of redirecting receivers, getting hands on them.”
“They’re just a pretty well rounded, good football defence. All those guys are really good veteran football players that have been in and won Grey Cups.”
Montreal’s defence has steadily improved since Thorpe started tinkering with its set up. Relying on a five man rush to upset an opponent’s apple cart in the backfield, they get good pressure on the quarterback. They did against Ray on October 18th. They may have come away with just one sack in that game, but the unit constantly forced the issue on timing. It’s why Milanovich said that they needed to do a better job of providing Ray with quicker answers.
“We need to do a better job, at receiver, of getting cleaner releases and coaches need to do a better job of getting Ricky’s first read open,” Milanovich said after practice this week. “I think the combination of those two things, hopefully, gets it out of his hands a little quicker.”
Ray agrees, although he believes he shoulders some of the responsibility. It’s not all on the receivers.
“We’ve gotta just go out there and find the holes and I’ve gotta make good decisions.”
As well (and as usual) the Argonaut offence will adjust its playbook and pepper it with schemes and looks that it did not employ a couple of weeks back, when it failed to even once crack the Montreal 20 yard line.
“We’ll have some new stuff in and I’m sure they’ll have some adjustments and different looks that they’re gonna give us,” said Ray, aware that Montreal’s defensive designers will do their level best to keep him guessing. That might even include a return to past philosophies, he says.
“Who knows? Maybe they’ll come after us a little bit more just to change things up.”
Facing a defence like that, you need to be ready for anything.
Running back Steve Slaton – the CFL’s Offensive player of the Week – is hoping for another big workload on Sunday. With 21 touches against Hamilton, 16 of them rushes, the first year Argo excelled. Like many running backs, he says he thrives when burdened.
“You get a feel for the defence. How guys are attacking you,” he said.
Milanovich isn’t sure how things will play out for Slaton, in Montreal. A big game with lots of action against Hamilton won’t necessarily translate to the same this weekend.
“The game worked out that way for him. It’s not always gonna work out that way. We’re still gonna be a pass first offence. But, we’re gonna need to be able to run the football and take pressure of Ricky and keep ‘em honest, where they can’t just come after our quarterback.”
If Slaton’s offensive explosiveness is defused, he says he’s fine if called upon to dig in and protect his quarterback against the rush.
“Anything to get a win. At this point in time, winning’s the most important thing. So whatever your role is, if it’s blocking, catching, running, you gotta do it.”