It’s the same old story across every professional sports league. A team opens its training camp and there’s an abundance of optimism, whether the team is coming off a championship, or a 5-13 season as is the case with the Toronto Argonauts.
But something felt different this time for the Argos. Perhaps it’s because of a new head coach coupled with the enthusiasm of a new coaching staff. Possibly, it’s due to a roster turnover that sees some popular veterans gone, replaced by an influx of new talent.
Or maybe it’s because this group hit the field at the University of Guelph and was immediately able to implement what the coaches had prepared for them both physically and mentally.
“I feel good,” head coach Mike Miller told Argonauts.ca at the conclusion of the session. “It was a good first step. We’ve challenged our players and they’ve accepted it. They were executing. We want to focus on fundamentals, and they were doing that too, celebrating together and lifting each other up, that’s what we’re looking for.”
Miller has often said that he wants the Argos to “Play smart, play fast, and play physical,” all three of which were displayed on the Alumni Stadium gridiron on Sunday. Whether it be in one-on-one drills or attempting to execute as a unit, the 100 members of the Double Blue were flying around on Day One.
Greg Quick is in his first year as the defensive coordinator and was not only happy with what he saw on the field but was equally happy with the three days of camp featuring rookies and quarterbacks which wrapped up Friday.
“We had a really good rookie camp,” he told Argonauts.ca. “It wasn’t just for the players, but for the coaching staff as well. As a new staff, being able to get through it once and identifying some of the issues that need to be improved, what we did those last three practices with the rookies helped make (Sunday) what it was.”
Is there one thing that has impressed him more than anything else so far?
“I really like the buy in of the guys. They just want to be coached; every moment, every play, concurrent feedback, let’s get feedback on the film. That willingness, if we can maintain that growth attitude; recognize and affirm those things we do well and then set objectives for improvement. If we can do that on a consistent basis, we’ll be okay.”
Quick has been around the CFL for a decade-and-a-half and knew some of the players from their time in the league, while others are new to the league either from the NCAA, NFL, or U SPORTS. Sunday was their first time together as a group, and the first time Quick was able to see some of the newcomers live.
He was impressed by what he saw.
“They exceeded my expectation,” said a smiling Quick. “We’re a fast football team and not only physically. They’ve shown they’re fast mentally as well. We had limited meeting time (Saturday) night, and I didn’t see big assignment errors throughout practice. They were able to process what we wanted and then were able to play fast when we got on the field.”
Only three coaches are back this year, Miller, offensive line coach Dom Picard, and special teams coordinator Mickey Donovan, who was thrilled with what he saw on Sunday.
“Out of the five years I’ve been here, with the veterans and rookies coming together on Day One, it’s probably the best practice I’ve seen,” Donovan said to Argonauts.ca. “People were locked in. Guys were flying around; they knew their assignments and were on point through the whole practice. It’s business. The message has been sent and the guys are responding.”
While the team appears set with kicker Lirim Hajrullahu, punter John Haggerty, long snapper Adam Guillemette, and returner Janarion Grant back for another year, that doesn’t mean there aren’t players in camp gunning for those jobs along with every other spot on special teams.
Donovan said that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“We’ve got some great competition in here,” the coach explained. “It’s a key to success to be challenged day in and day out. If you’re not being challenged, you’re not going to get any better.”
There was a definite buzz among coaches following the opening practice. The key is to make sure Day Two is even better than Day One.
ARGO NOTES: It was a crisp day in Guelph with a temperature for the start of practice of just 6 C with a cool, steady wind…It’s early, but here are the Argos first groups on offence and defence. The offensive line from left to right featured Brandon Kemp, Ryan Hunter, Peter Nicastro, Dakoda Shepley, and Josh Donovan. Damonte Coxie was on the sidelines for the first practice, so the starting five receivers were Makai Polk, Dave Ungerer, Kevin Mital, and Jake Herslow, with Tyler Kahmann in for Coxie. Spencer Brown and Peyton Logan each took a lot of reps at running back, while Chad Kelly was at quarterback. Defensively, Andrew Chatfield and Jonathan Kongbo were the ends, Ralph Holley and Soane Toia were at tackle. The linebackers were Cameron Judge, Isaac Darkangelo, and Adarius Pickett. Benjie Franklin and Tarvarus McFadden were the corners, DaShaun Amos and Robert Priester the halfbacks, and Enock Makonzo the safety…Several players stood out in one-on-one drills, including Mackonzo, Priester, Derek Slywka, and Louis-Philippe Gauthier on defence, while Ungerer and Tyriq Quayson made acrobatic catches. Running back Sam Hicks was also impressive as a receiver. McFadden had an interception…When the team went to “skelly” (no linemen), Kelly turned back the clock to the 2024 Eastern Final by connecting on a 40-yard seam route for a TD, this one caught by Kahmann. Anthony Wilson had an interception during that session…It was Kelly’s first practice as QB1 since breaking his leg in the 2024 Eastern Final. Said Miller of Kelly’s performance, “Very pleased. Chad is a great competitor, he plays with great vision, he has an understanding of what’s taking place, and he’s a good teammate. He loves being in the Double Blue and was very excited to be out here today, as we are to see him.”…In the scrimmage portion, most of the applause was for the rookie Gauthier, who twice made impressive knockdowns while playing field corner…Quarterback Anthony Guercio has a unique, almost sidearm delivery, but has tremendous arm strength and can run…Guelph quarterback Tristan Aboud is this year’s U SPORTS intern with the Argos. On Saturday he was named the MVP of the East-West Bowl, an all-star game for draft-eligible U SPORTS players held at Waterloo. Aboud led the West to a 28-27 win, completing 14/20 passes for 280 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions…Defensive backs coach Jovon Johnson was a star in the CFL, becoming the first defensive back to win the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. But it turns out we’ve been mispronouncing his name all this time. He was constantly called jo-VONN as a player but introduced himself at Saturday’s introductory team meeting as JO-vonn, with the emphasis on the first syllable. He confirmed that pronunciation to Argonauts.ca following Sunday’s practice…Monday’s practice runs from roughly 9:30-11:50 at Alumni Stadium on the campus of the University of Guelph. Practices are open to the public and there’s no admission.