Natay Adjei is one of the few Argos remaining on the roster who played well in last year’s Labour Day Classic loss to the host Ticats, one of those games to forget from an offensive perspective.
Jason Barnes is nowhere to be found, Trent Guy is no longer with the team, Zander Robinson is back home in B.C. with a torn knee, Mike Bradwell is retired, Steve Slaton is retired, while Curtis Steele continues his rehab from a knee injury.
The Argos have changed considerably since their most recent visit to the Hammer and will have Trevor Harris under centre and not Ricky Ray as the Ticats play their home opener at a sold-out Tim Hortons Field in what is easily the CFL’s biggest early season kickoff.
For Adjei, he’s coming of a nice effort in B.C., helping the Argos to their 30-27 comeback win when he produced his first career touchdown. ...
What has endeared Adjei to the Argos has been his high football IQ and ability to block. ...
His brief experience has allowed Adjei to feel much more comfortable in this his second season in Double Blue.
“Last year was a whirlwind,’’ said Adjei, who grew up in Mississauga. “A brand new offence to learn and this year you kind of know where you need to be, kind of know the rules of the offence that much more and you can just play fast. I’m comfortable if they need me to play anywhere.”
On Labour Day last year, Adjei started and led the Argos with 44 receiving yards.
When he looks back on that game and how much change the team has undergone, he’s at a loss for words.
“It’s just crazy,’’ Adjei said. “I look back and I look at a place where we didn’t have our best success losing by one point. I know we have a better receiving core this year, definitely, and a better team, a better defence.
“I know we have what it takes to win, as long we stick together.”
The stadium’s upper bowl wasn’t open last year, but it’ll be teeming with fans on Monday.
“It’s going to be intense,’’ Adjei said. “Those fans aren’t cheering. I mean, they hate the Argos with a passion and you can hear that. They get nasty and some of my family members mentioned how those fans were nasty toward them. As a player, you feed off that because it raises your attention level. The ante gets raised.”
Adjei is scrambling to try to accommodate the ticket demands he’s received, a popular game given it is the first kickoff that doesn’t involve a flight to Western Canada.
“I’m just hoping the American guys with no ties here will give me their tickets,’’ smiled Adjei, a good character guy whose future is bright.
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