Could the Argos have won the 1991 Grey Cup without Ismail?

[Will]

I was thinking about this over the summer. The 1990 Argonauts arguably had as explosive an offense as the 1991 edition, but just could not overcome the hurdle of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. I think there is a case to be made for both "yes" and "no" in regards to this question.

Yes

- The Argonauts would still have had a lethal receiving corps without Ismail. You had Darrell K. Smith who was coming off a season that only Terry Greer and later Derrell Mitchell would eclipse as far as receiving yards go. Jeff Boyd was a dependable 1,000-yard receiver in 1990 and add to that mix Paul Masotti and Pinball. I read in one of the Toronto Star articles that the Argos had been pursuing David Williams (who they ended up getting anyways in September 1991) before they signed Ismail.

- The Argos were already dangerous at special teams with the Pinball.

- The defense was underrated that season finishing 2nd in PA to Winnipeg. The front four of Campbell, Warren, Hallman and Harding was excellent as was the LB corps of Gaines, Ford and Moen. The secondary were ballhawks with Brazley, Berry, Wilson and Pleasant leading the fray.

No

- What was the nature of Jeff Boyd's departure of the team in 1991? Was he unhappy with his diminished role in the offense due to the arrival of Ismail or was there another contributing factor? If it was the latter then the receiving corps may have been weakened a bit, although if Williams had been signed it would have made for an effective corps.

- Pinball did miss some time in 1991 and without Ismail it is possible that special teams may have suffered a bit. IIRC, Ismail did miss a few games that year as well.

- I've got the sense that the dual threat of Pinball and Ismail may have made up for some of Foggie's struggles. If you look at game summaries from later in the season it was clear that the Argos were winning in spite of some spotty play by Foggie.

So what say you could the 1991 Grey Cup have been won without Ismail?

[Argo57]

I was thinking about this over the summer. The 1990 Argonauts arguably had as explosive an offense as the 1991 edition, but just could not overcome the hurdle of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. I think there is a case to be made for both "yes" and "no" in regards to this question.

Yes

- The Argonauts would still have had a lethal receiving corps without Ismail. You had Darrell K. Smith who was coming off a season that only Terry Greer and later Derrell Mitchell would eclipse as far as receiving yards go. Jeff Boyd was a dependable 1,000-yard receiver in 1990 and add to that mix Paul Masotti and Pinball. I read in one of the Toronto Star articles that the Argos had been pursuing David Williams (who they ended up getting anyways in September 1991) before they signed Ismail.

- The Argos were already dangerous at special teams with the Pinball.

- The defense was underrated that season finishing 2nd in PA to Winnipeg. The front four of Campbell, Warren, Hallman and Harding was excellent as was the LB corps of Gaines, Ford and Moen. The secondary were ballhawks with Brazley, Berry, Wilson and Pleasant leading the fray.

No

- What was the nature of Jeff Boyd's departure of the team in 1991? Was he unhappy with his diminished role in the offense due to the arrival of Ismail or was there another contributing factor? If it was the latter then the receiving corps may have been weakened a bit, although if Williams had been signed it would have made for an effective corps.

- Pinball did miss some time in 1991 and without Ismail it is possible that special teams may have suffered a bit. IIRC, Ismail did miss a few games that year as well.

- I've got the sense that the dual threat of Pinball and Ismail may have made up for some of Foggie's struggles. If you look at game summaries from later in the season it was clear that the Argos were winning in spite of some spotty play by Foggie.

So what say you could the 1991 Grey Cup have been won without Ismail?

Wouldn't we all like to have this defensive personnel on our current team!!
Quality players top to bottom.

[ArgoRavi]

Boyd retired after the '91 season. As I recall, he had a job lined up in L.A. (I think as a youth counsellor) so I just think that he was ready to move on from football.

Could the Argos have won the Grey Cup without Ismail in '91? I think that they would have made the Grey Cup game without Rocket but where he may have had the greatest impact was in that particular game with his kickoff return for a TD just after Calgary had closed the gap to one point in the fourth quarter and with the Stamps clearly having the momentum.

[Will]

Boyd retired after the '91 season. As I recall, he had a job lined up in L.A. (I think as a youth counsellor) so I just think that he was ready to move on from football.

Could the Argos have won the Grey Cup without Ismail in '91? I think that they would have made the Grey Cup game without Rocket but where he may have had the greatest impact was in that particular game with his kickoff return for a TD just after Calgary had closed the gap to one point in the fourth quarter and with the Stamps clearly having the momentum.

I did forget to factor in Dunigan's injury in my analysis.