OTTAWA, CANADA - JUNE 20: The Toronto Argonauts on the road for a regular season CFL game against the Ottawa Redblacks at TD Place. (Photo by: James Paddle-Grant/Toronto Argonauts)
The dynamic between a group of football players and their positional coach is an interesting one. The athletes spend more time with the assistant coach than they do with their head coach or coordinator, unless of course the coordinator is pulling double duty.
Every once in a while, you’ll see a particularly strong bond develop between the group and its coach, which is something the Toronto Argonauts are experiencing right now with defensive line coach Demetrious Maxie.
A two-time All-CFL defensive lineman who won three Grey Cups as a player, including 1996-97 with the Argos, Maxie played for five different teams, with two stops in Toronto, over a 13-year CFL career. That allowed him to learn the positive and negative traits from a myriad of coaches, and when asked which coach had the biggest impact on him, the answer came instantaneously.
“Don Matthews, that was easy,” he said of the question. “He was straight up with me. When it was time to play, we had fun. When it was time to get down to business, we got down to business. I never had to guess (what he thought). He always made sure that if he had an issue with my play, he would tell me. I think I probably got cut every day with Don Matthews.
“I’m a firm believer that as long as you communicate with the players that you have in your system, then your system is going to be great if they buy into that thought process.”
Head coach Mike Miller brought Maxie back to Toronto in January. The two won a Grey Cup together in 2024, and when asked why “D-Max” was his choice, Miller’s reply came as easily as Maxie’s Don Matthews answer.
“Because I think he’s the best.”
Ask a silly question, get a direct answer.
“Maxie and I maintained our relationship after he left,” Miller explained to Argonauts.ca. “He’s a guy I always respected. I respect how he goes about his business, he’s a pro’s pro. He works incredibly hard and his players work even harder for him.”
Before becoming the head coach in December, Miller had been the team’s quarterback coach for four seasons, meaning for the entire ’24 campaign he faced Maxie’s group every day in practice. He was always impressed by how well prepared, and how sharp the defensive line was.
“I thought they played defence the way I always thought it should be played,” said Miller. “I think we’ve always been on the same page with that; just relentless physicality, pursuit, and (played with) great passion. That’s who he is and that’s who his players are.”
The front four has been effective as a group, tough to run against, and of late, difficult to throw against because of the amount of pressure it’s been applying on opposing quarterbacks. In the first six games the Argos had nine sacks. In the last four, they’ve brought down QBs 15 times to take the CFL lead with 24.
There’s no coincidence that the team’s improved pass rush has been in the four games that Shawn Lemon has played. Left on the CFL scrap heap for the first two months of the season, the Argos brought in the man who celebrated his 38th birthday on Tuesday.
“He’s a quarterback magnet,” said the coach of the player. “That’s just what he does, right? He brings a spark and some energy to the defensive line, but we have some great players, and they want to get after the ball carrier no matter if it’s run or pass.”
Lemon continues to move up the list on the all-time sacks list, both in the CFL and with the Argos. With his six sacks in his four games, he’s passed Mike O’Shea, Kevin Huntley, Ron Flemons, Glen Kulka, and yes, Demetirous Maxie, to move into a tie with Mike Campbell for seventh on the Argos all-time list.
But Lemon isn’t the only Argo to return to the team who has contributed. Dewayne Hendrix wore Double Blue for two seasons before leaving for Hamilton and BC. He signed with the Argos in January, was released at the end of camp, then brought back one day after Lemon signed in late July. He’s played in the same four games as Lemon and chipped in with a pair of sacks of his own.
They pair has added to a group that has been impressive against the run all season, now adding to its value by significantly increasing its sack total.
How are they able to be effective at both?
“I’m a speed to power guy,” Maxie explained. “I really believe in setting the tone of the game with speed to power, running through the man instead of running around them. Speed to power eliminates the run and it gets you to the quarterback quicker in a straight line.”
The Argos travel to Regina this week to play a Roughriders team that uncharacteristically gave up three sacks last week in Vancouver.