Argonauts.ca staff
Trevor Harris is a CFL Starter:
One of the largest questions looming over the Argonauts in 2015 was at the quarterback position. With future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray still recovering from offseason surgery, the starter’s job fell to Trevor Harris, who despite being a member of the Boatmen for the past three seasons, had only one CFL start to his name entering 2015. After a solid pre-season, Harris put any questions to rest with his dynamite performance in the Argos’ season-opener in Fort McMurray, completing 24 of 27 pass attempts for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Harris recorded the second-highest single game completion percentage in Argonauts history, and led his team to victory against a heavily-favoured Eskimos side. It’s hard to make sweeping declarations over a player’s performance in just one game, but if Saturday is a sign of things to come, the Argos will be just fine without Ray for the time being.
Argos’ Defence is the Real Deal:
One of the biggest takeaways from Toronto’s final pre-season game against the Alouettes was the performance of the Argos’ defence. The secondary forced three interceptions – two of which were returned for touchdowns – and shut down Montreal’s offence en route to a victory. Saturday brought more of the same in Toronto’s first taste of regular season action, shutting down Mike Reilly and the Eskimos. RB Chad Simpson was limited to just 33 yards rushing, while Reilly could only muster 170 yards through the air. The Argos also won the turnover battle, forcing three fumbles and an interception, with another pick only nullified by a penalty. All in all it was a dominating performance for Toronto’s defence.
Brandon Whitaker is Found Gold:
When RB Curtis Steele went down with an injury in training camp, it appeared that the load at tailback would fall to rookie Henry Josey. Despite their confidence in the former Missouri Tiger, the Argos decided to add a couple of proven veterans at the position in Brandon Whitaker and Chad Kackert for some added insurance. Whitaker made his Double Blue debut on Saturday and had a near-perfect outing, recording 174 total yards and a touchdown on a 57-yard catch and run. Released by the Alouettes prior to training camp, Whitaker arrived in Toronto ready to make an impression, and he did so emphatically in his first appearance with the club.
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