It’s Deja Blue, with the Argos passing like it’s 1983 again

[Will]

Article by Curtis Rush

The pass-happy Argonauts have the most one-dimensional Toronto offence in years, one that is similar to the 1983 Argos. And that could be a good thing.

The Argos terrorized defences in 1983 under head coach Bob O’Billovich, with 80% of their offence coming from their passing game. That team went on to win the Grey Cup. Today’s Argos have relied on the pass for 81% of their offence, the highest in the CFL this season.

Only the 1998 Argos passed more, with 86% of their total yardage coming through the air.

In 1983, quarterbacks Joe Barnes and Condredge Holloway had the luxury of having a one-of-a-kind catcher in Terry Greer, who amassed a league-record 2,003 yards (36 per cent of the Argos’ passing yardage that year) in a 16-game season. Emanuel Tolbert added another 1,225 yards.

Today’s Argos are just as pass-happy, but quarterback Trevor Harris has spread the ball around more evenly to a package of four receivers that includes Vidal Hazelton, Kevin Elliott, Tori Gurley and the injured Chad Owens.

Argos head coach Scott Milanovich says he isn’t trying to abandon the run.

“When you’re behind,” he said, “if you’re not running it for more than four yards, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to continue to run it because you’re putting yourself in second and six, and it feels to me we’ve had too much of that.”

In Saturday’s 30-26 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Argos called only eight rushing plays and running back Brandon Whitaker had only four carries for 25 yards. Whitaker began the season with 117 yards on the ground, but has just 111 in his last four games.

In 1983, the run was an important part of CFL teams’ offences, until O’Billovich’s Argos showed that you didn’t have to rely on a strong running game to be successful. The offence was designed to get the ball to the receivers quickly and tailback Cedric Minter was used more as a catching threat on swing passes or short passes in the flats.

“I used to tell everybody, ‘Yeah, we’re going to run the ball after we catch it,” O’Billovich, 75, said with a laugh. “That was our philosophy. Everybody else was using two backs.”

The 1983 Argos super-sized their passing attack with the use of motion in the backfield, and the CFL now has made it even easier to pass with new rules to reduce interference on receivers.

“Team were pretty static back then,” O’Billovich said. “When we started using the run-and-shoot, combined with unlimited motion, it just made us a pretty potent group. At the time, it was relatively new. Eventually, defences adjusted.”

In the run-and-shoot, it was up to the quarterbacks and receivers to read the defences and make the same adjustments.

Barnes, 63, said that when he played with Montreal before coming to Toronto, the Alouettes used two tight ends, who were more blockers than receivers.

“When I came to Toronto, Mouse Davis was the offensive co-ordinator, and, of course his deal was pass, pass, pass,” Barnes said. “You don’t run the ball unless they take the pass away.”

Bob Bronk, now 55, the fullback on the 1983 champions, said his position “is now just a dinosaur,” although he said not every team can be, or wants to be, as pass-happy as the Argos.

“If you have a Jon Cornish (in Calgary) or an Andrew Harris (in B.C.), you’ve got to run the ball,” Bronk said.

[Will]

I'd half expected that the 1991 Argos were pass-heavy but that percentage turned out to be only 71%.

[mchesher03]

could this haunt us in the future? sure
will people read way too far into it and start clamouring for us to run the football more? 100%

all I look at is that we are 4-2 with some great receivers (even in spite of losing Durie, Owens and Coombs at least for last game) and Milonovich is always running a pass happy offence which is wise given the CFL is a pass happy league. Anyhow, guess I'm just saying I trust the coaches and obviously our current plan is working....

[Will]

It is a matter of keeping defenses honest. With the 1983 Argonauts, you knew that although they were pass-heavy team that Cedric Minter was a capable running back. In 1990 and 1991, the Argos were pass-heavy but defenses had to appreciate Foggie and Dunigan's scrambling ability.

Avoiding starts like the Argonauts have so far this season will also go a long way to establishing a viable running game as well.

[ArgoRavi]

Avoiding starts like the Argonauts have so far this season will also go a long way to establishing a viable running game as well.

I think that they would like to run the ball more but falling behind in games isn't conducive to that. Honestly, as long as they are moving the football, I really don't care how they do it. I know many love a good running game but I have always been partial to the pass myself.

[Will]

I think that they would like to run the ball more but falling behind in games isn't conducive to that. Honestly, as long as they are moving the football, I really don't care how they do it. I know many love a good running game but I have always been partial to the pass myself.

As long as whoever is lining up in the backfield is credible enough to keep teams honest.