October 18, 2014: Montreal Alouettes vs. Toronto Argonauts

[jerrym]

So, Grigsby quits on Winnipeg because of lack of playing time. Gee, I wonder what he will do when Gable and Madu return from injury.

I am well aware of Grigsby's attitude, as I am sure Hamilton is. But with Madu only a possibility for next week and Gable not available, Hamilton sees little short term risk in adding Grigsby. Furthermore, considering how the loss of their single RB, Madu, impacted the outcome of the last Argo game and how this game could put them in the driver's seat for finishing first (with the added bonus of putting their archrivals behind the eight ball), I think it makes eminent sense for Hamilton to add Grigsby, who will also be trying to prove Winnipeg made a big mistake as is always the case in these situations. If he becomes a problem, they can always dump him. By the way, I do remember the Argos dumping a controversial player named Bruce who came to haunt them despite his personality (Please do not reply that I am comparing the talent levels of Bruce and Grigsby - I am not). I am not nominating Grigsby for the model citizen award however.

[ArgoRavi]

According to the Sun's Frank Zicarelli, Curtis Steele has a rib injury: http://www.torontosun.com/2014/10/18...-hit-with-loss

[294life]

It was a fun day to be in TO. See y'all back in 2 weeks in our house.

[Blue90]

Another bad day at the office for Scott M...

1. why not gamble on 3rd down in the first half
2. why not give up a safety rather than give up an easy Mtl score
3. why is Ricky Ray running on the 3rd down gamble in 4th quarter instead of Gale, he's easily the worst running QB in the CFL
4. why not run the ball more, it certainly worked in the 4th quarter, ie mix up the plays you don't have to pass on every down
5. and most important....this is not a must game!!!!! what kind of attitude is that to display?

[Double Dare]

I said it after last week's game but the coaches get no credit for victories and the blame for the losses.

Don't worry, I'll criticise him all I can. According to some on here, Scottie coached the Argos to a 3 minute miracle victory against Hamilton last week (B.S.) ... so then, he has coached positively for 3 minutes of the last 120 minutes of play. He is NOT a head coach. He should go back to Montreal as a OC or QB coach ... Montreal is where his heart lies after last night's game ... he didn't inspire his players, and gave the game to the Als. Harper was in the stands last night, and he couldn't have coached more conservative : ).

[Will]

Brutal loss at home. It was frustrating to see a guy like S.J Green go up for the ball and come down with it. Whenever one of our receivers tries it goes through his hands for an interception.

[Argo57]

Brutal loss at home. It was frustrating to see a guy like S.J Green go up for the ball and come down with it. Whenever one of our receivers tries it goes through his hands for an interception.

Montreal receivers create major coverage issues for the Argo DB's due to their height, Suber and McCollough looked like little fleas trying to cover Green and Carter.

So, Grigsby quits on Winnipeg because of lack of playing time. Gee, I wonder what he will do when Gable and Madu return from injury.

Hamilton can't lose with this signing, addresses a short term need at running back, gives the opposition D something else to think about and Grigsby will be very motivated to prove people wrong about his release from Winnipeg. As far as what he will do when Madu and or Gable return who cares I'm sure they will deal with it then.

[294life]

I had accidentally ran over a squirrel on my way to the fan train just a half mile from my vet clinic. Guess that was a sign. Poor argoholic. RIP in my freezer until incineration picks you up.

[Argo]

Another bad day at the office for Scott M...

1. why not gamble on 3rd down in the first half
2. why not give up a safety rather than give up an easy Mtl score
3. why is Ricky Ray running on the 3rd down gamble in 4th quarter instead of Gale, he's easily the worst running QB in the CFL
4. why not run the ball more, it certainly worked in the 4th quarter, ie mix up the plays you don't have to pass on every down
5. and most important....this is not a must game!!!!! what kind of attitude is that to display?

I agree.

And, in addition, Harris should have played, and on the earlier side of the second half at that.
Youth, mobility, change of dynamics... nothing to lose except the loss, since the Als clearly had Ray's number and Ray was not able to do anything about it.
Harris has been in the system for years: if he cannot be relied upon in such situations then that is a problem.

We still control our destiny. Go 3-0 and we finish first. Win the next two games and we are in the playoffs, as far as I can tell (because we'd hold the tie-breaker over both Ham and Mtl). But we will have to play way better to beat either of them.

This is not why we lost the game, but overturning that PI call was astonishing. The defender was waving his arms in Chiles' face (screening) and he impeded him at the end of the play. How the booth could conclude there was no evidence of PI is beyond me.

The incidents of putrid CFL officiating are excessive, consistently so, and there seems to be little prospect for improvement.

[Argo57]

The incidents of putrid CFL officiating are excessive, consistently so, and there seems to be little prospect for improvement.

The league should look into the whole weekly officiating debacle, the video review process complete with bizarre rulings and explanations are an embarrassment!!!

[gilthethrill]

I am well aware of Grigsby's attitude, as I am sure Hamilton is. But with Madu only a possibility for next week and Gable not available, Hamilton sees little short term risk in adding Grigsby. Furthermore, considering how the loss of their single RB, Madu, impacted the outcome of the last Argo game and how this game could put them in the driver's seat for finishing first (with the added bonus of putting their archrivals behind the eight ball), I think it makes eminent sense for Hamilton to add Grigsby, who will also be trying to prove Winnipeg made a big mistake as is always the case in these situations. If he becomes a problem, they can always dump him. By the way, I do remember the Argos dumping a controversial player named Bruce who came to haunt them despite his personality (Please do not reply that I am comparing the talent levels of Bruce and Grigsby - I am not). I am not nominating Grigsby for the model citizen award however.

Grigsby also took time on twitter to rip his O-line. If he dresses, enjoy running behind Hamilton's mediocre line....I am sure they will enjoy reading how he supported his former mates. If I were the Argos I would not want him on my team.

[AngeloV]

I have to admit, I was waaaayyyyy wrong in my pre assessment of this game. I was extremely disappointed in the pass protection yesterday. I think that the Argos need to look at starting Matt Black on the corner and getting King back into his starting role on the O-Line. I like Wayne Smith, but he is too broken down to be a starter these days. This loss was definitely not on the defence. Fumbles at really bad times also hurt.

And though I don't want to sound like a ref blaming machine, two things that really bothered me.
Since when does a replay need to prove that the call on the field was correct? On the overturned PI call the explanation by the ref was that there was not enough video evidence to determine pass interference. But PI was the call. Therefore you need evidence that it was NOT PI.

Also, on the last set of penalty calls against the Als. 10 yard OC, 15 yard Roughing the passer, and 15 yard face mask...40 yards total. Ref even said "we will go up 40 yards". So please explain to me how moving from the 16 to the 46 is 40 yards? Ball should have gone to the Als 54.

May or may not have made a difference, but that is just brutal.

[Argo57]

Angelo,
Don't try to figure out the officials explanations or your head will explode!!!!
Bizarre at best.

[1argoholic]

As if yesterday wasn't bad enough 294life but you had to mention hitting that poor squirrel. Love them and feed many Reds, Greys and Chipmunks on our property.

Anyhow I've been laying off this site as it's just way to frustrating but I had to post after yesterday. What can we expect from a team that's been smack dab in the middle of the most frustrating season from it's lame owner all the way down? We started with way too many new players and trying to find a practice facility. Treated like scum by Rogers yet again. Players wanting out or getting cut thus bringing in yet more new players. Stars dropping like flies with injuries and other not stepping up. I could go on and on but it has to be tough on football operations keeping their heads in the game. At this point I think we'll be very hard pressed to make the playoffs. This game was huge for the team and that comment by Milanovich did piss me off. How could this game be anything but important?
We were out coached yesterday. Hamilton will be coming in very hungry and they don't just sit back they are always trying to improve. Now we will have Grigsby trying to prove Winnipeg wrong and running like a maniac next week. I still maintain that Barker and Milanovich believe they are just so good that they can plug new guys into the lineup and they will thrive. Well it isn't happening.
At this point I see BC crossing over and playing either in Montreal or Hamilton. We just don't seem good enough. Hopefully we can keep the core of the d together to grow and become better for next year.
I just don't see us winning our last three and we're behind the 8 ball now.

Not a great time to be a fan of pro sports in Toronto. Perhaps one day the city will turn it around and be the envy and not the laughing stock.

[doubleblue]

Another bad day at the office for Scott M...

1. why not gamble on 3rd down in the first half
2. why not give up a safety rather than give up an easy Mtl score
3. why is Ricky Ray running on the 3rd down gamble in 4th quarter instead of Gale, he's easily the worst running QB in the CFL
4. why not run the ball more, it certainly worked in the 4th quarter, ie mix up the plays you don't have to pass on every down
5. and most important....this is not a must game!!!!! what kind of attitude is that to display?

You're right on most of those comments IMO. Especially #2, not giving up the safety resulted in three points instead of two , but more importantly put the Argo offense in the hole for most of the third quarter.
I really think Scott misses Chris Jones and Mike O'Shea. I believe O'Shea would have advised Scott to take the safety and he would have listened.

[paulwoods13]

Since when does a replay need to prove that the call on the field was correct? On the overturned PI call the explanation by the ref was that there was not enough video evidence to determine pass interference. But PI was the call. Therefore you need evidence that it was NOT PI.

Also, on the last set of penalty calls against the Als. 10 yard OC, 15 yard Roughing the passer, and 15 yard face mask...40 yards total. Ref even said "we will go up 40 yards". So please explain to me how moving from the 16 to the 46 is 40 yards? Ball should have gone to the Als 54.

Both great points. I thought evidence has to be conclusive that a call was wrong -- based on the in-stadium replay on the INT call, there was at least some evidence to support the call. My daughter also noticed that we didn't seem to go up 40 yards on that insane triple penalty call. Earlier in the game the refs almost botched the yardage on a half-the-distance penalty, but they corrected it before the ball was snapped.

I'd also love to know why some penalties get declined and others get applied. There was a call in the game when two major penalties offset each other, but there had also been a defensive offside call that was apparently declined by the Argos even tho it would have given them a first down had the other two penalties not been applied. Do major penalties somehow over-ride basic penalties of execution?

[Argo57]

As if yesterday wasn't bad enough 294life but you had to mention hitting that poor squirrel. Love them and feed many Reds, Greys and Chipmunks on our property.

Anyhow I've been laying off this site as it's just way to frustrating but I had to post after yesterday. What can we expect from a team that's been smack dab in the middle of the most frustrating season from it's lame owner all the way down? We started with way too many new players and trying to find a practice facility. Treated like scum by Rogers yet again. Players wanting out or getting cut thus bringing in yet more new players. Stars dropping like flies with injuries and other not stepping up. I could go on and on but it has to be tough on football operations keeping their heads in the game. At this point I think we'll be very hard pressed to make the playoffs. This game was huge for the team and that comment by Milanovich did piss me off. How could this game be anything but important?
We were out coached yesterday. Hamilton will be coming in very hungry and they don't just sit back they are always trying to improve. Now we will have Grigsby trying to prove Winnipeg wrong and running like a maniac next week. I still maintain that Barker and Milanovich believe they are just so good that they can plug new guys into the lineup and they will thrive. Well it isn't happening.
At this point I see BC crossing over and playing either in Montreal or Hamilton. We just don't seem good enough. Hopefully we can keep the core of the d together to grow and become better for next year.
I just don't see us winning our last three and we're behind the 8 ball now.

Not a great time to be a fan of pro sports in Toronto. Perhaps one day the city will turn it around and be the envy and not the laughing stock.

Well stated, echoes the feelings of many Argonaut fans (especially this season)!!

[ArgoGabe22]

I for one thought the Argos were going to come back especially after the blocked punt. The 3 penalties at the end was a gift but Ray just couldn't capitalize and made his worst throw all game.

On 3rd and 5 in the 4th, I understand you take the points but I really thought they should have went for it instead of going for a field goal. At that point, I believe, a touchdown would have swung some momentum for the Argos.

I was kind of disappointed with a lot of fans who left early when the Alouettes got the ball with under 2 minutes to go. The defence stopped them, forced them to punt and the Argos still had some time to score a TD and attempt a 2 point convert. The 3 penalties also moved us up quite a bit. Its not over, till its over.

[ArgoRavi]

Both great points. I thought evidence has to be conclusive that a call was wrong -- based on the in-stadium replay on the INT call, there was at least some evidence to support the call. My daughter also noticed that we didn't seem to go up 40 yards on that insane triple penalty call. Earlier in the game the refs almost botched the yardage on a half-the-distance penalty, but they corrected it before the ball was snapped.

I'd also love to know why some penalties get declined and others get applied. There was a call in the game when two major penalties offset each other, but there had also been a defensive offside call that was apparently declined by the Argos even tho it would have given them a first down had the other two penalties not been applied. Do major penalties somehow over-ride basic penalties of execution?

Regarding the triple penalty near the end, the Argos didn't seem to move as far up the field as I thought they would with that but I didn't think much of it until what AngeloV and you have posted. As to your last question, Paul, I wish I had an answer to that. I guess that once the Argos took the no yards penalty that it overrode the Montreal offside but it was certainly a key penalty for the Argos to take as it likely cost the Argos some valuable points. BTW, head referee Tom Vallesi seemed to get more confused as the game progressed. There was one incident late in the fourth quarter where there were five penalties called - two against Montreal and three against the Argos - and he pointed in the wrong direction for all of them. I guess we shouldn't have been surprised that there was a miscount of the 40 yards in the final minute. And, again, the overturn of that interference call is simply baffling. I would love to hear an explanation from the league on that one.

[gilthethrill]

Ravi, regarding a possible explanation on the overturned PI call on Chiles, I am sure they will sanitize real well if they announce something, which I doubt they will...yes, Wrongway Valessi was confused during the game.....