GAME THREAD - Week 3: Toronto Argonauts @ Ottawa Redblacks

[gilthethrill]

How is it a stupid rule? Because the NFL doesn't do it?

Its football. You should be allowed to kick the ball. In the NFL that would be an illegal kick, because the "kicker" didn't kick the ball. There shouldn't be such a thing as a kicker, until that player kicks the ball. Don't try to contrive the rules like the NFL has to the point of the game no longer being football.

Why did you make the NFL comment?

[AngeloV]

How is it a stupid rule? Because the NFL doesn't do it?

Its football. You should be allowed to kick the ball. In the NFL that would be an illegal kick, because the "kicker" didn't kick the ball. There shouldn't be such a thing as a kicker, until that player kicks the ball. Don't try to contrive the rules like the NFL has to the point of the game no longer being football.

IMO it's stupid that when you need 21 yards for a first down that you can kick the ball 1 yard down field and recover for a first down. No issue with on side kicks, but the ball should at least have to go past the first down marker.

[paulwoods13]

What a stupid rule. Time to remove that from the rulebook.

I have to disagree. It's one of the rules that make the CFL unique and unpredictable, like the kick-it-in/kick-it-out rule.

[gilthethrill]

I have to disagree. It's one of the rules that make the CFL unique and unpredictable, like the kick-it-in/kick-it-out rule.

I love the kick it in kick it out rule as well.

[Wobbler]

There's no real plan b in that play. Once you try it, that's it.

Sure there is. Sinopoli should have taken a look before kicking it, and just run the ball if there was an Argo within 15 yards who wasn't retreating. He wouldn't have gotten a first down, but they could still have punted.

[paulwoods13]

Sure there is. Sinopoli should have taken a look before kicking it, and just run the ball if there was an Argo within 15 yards who wasn't retreating. He wouldn't have gotten a first down, but they could still have punted.

It's funny -- we seldom see all 24 players on TV at once, but right before that snap, TSN showed a distant shot and it was clear that the Argos' back eight were all about 15 yards downfield in a sort of "prevent" look. I can totally see why Ott ran that play, because it almost certainly would have worked if Murray hadn't read it and reacted as well as he did.

[OV Argo]

Sure there is. Sinopoli should have taken a look before kicking it, and just run the ball if there was an Argo within 15 yards who wasn't retreating. He wouldn't have gotten a first down, but they could still have punted.

Exactly; and watching that play from where I was in the stadium, it looked like Sinopoli just fumbled the ball and it went off his foot; if you're going to try that play, the punt should be well down the field to make it worth your while, not a 4 yard dribbler - he could have easily run for more yards.

[Wobbler]

It's funny -- we seldom see all 24 players on TV at once, but right before that snap, TSN showed a distant shot and it was clear that the Argos' back eight were all about 15 yards downfield in a sort of "prevent" look. I can totally see why Ott ran that play, because it almost certainly would have worked if Murray hadn't read it and reacted as well as he did.

I don't think I saw that shot - my video stream was not very reliable yesterday. The isolation video made the play look like a complete no-hoper.

Exactly; and watching that play from where I was in the stadium, it looked like Sinopoli just fumbled the ball and it went off his foot; if you're going to try that play, the punt should be well down the field to make it worth your while, not a 4 yard dribbler - he could have easily run for more yards.

I think very few people understood what was happening while that play was running. The TV explanation was that the goal was to get a "free" first down by recovering a minimum-distance kick, OV, instead of trying to get the 20 yards.

[jerrym]

I have to give credit to Ellington for his many catches in traffic including the last one that put the Redblacks within a point. Fortunately, they blew the convert for a one point Argo lead.

[C-Mag]

Everybody on the bus/plane and hurry up. We just stole that game.

[jerrym]

One of the craziest games I've ever seen. SJ Green's 210 yards on 10 catches the difference.

[argotom]

Great comeback.
Having said that we almost gave it away at the end.
I don't get it, we got the ball with 1:20 left in the game.
Ottawa had no time outs so we should have basically run out the clock, then we call a timeout to stop the clock.

[ArgoRavi]

Although coach knows better, surprised so far this year and especially this so far uninspiring showing, that a few packages involving Fajardo are not thrown in.
Let's try something to throw the D off?

Trestman likes to ride his #1 QB. Don't hold your breath waiting for special packages for Fajardo as that has never been Trestman's style.

Great comeback.
Having said that we almost gave it away at the end.
I don't get it, we got the ball with 1:20 left in the game.
Ottawa had no time outs so we should have basically run out the clock, then we call a timeout to stop the clock.

No, the Argos ran almost as much time off the clock as they could. They only took a timeout after running 18 seconds off of the clock after the previous play.

[paulwoods13]

No, the Argos ran almost as much time off the clock as they could. They only took a timeout after running 18 seconds off of the clock after the previous play.

That's correct. With 1:20 to go, you can't run out the clock unless you either get a first down or have some very slow-developing plays. The timeout was called when it had to be -- if they didn't call it, we'd have taken a delay-of-game penalty and lost a down. Ottawa got the ball back with about 10 seconds left so we did about as well as we could have without getting a first down.

[1971GreyCup]

Hats off to the entire RedBlacks organization. Another sellout. Electric environment in stadium and for blocks in all directions. Big turnout of Millennials, GenX and GenZ and the traditional greying fans. All wore CEL/RedBlacks merchandise. The scoreboard welcomed a number of minor league football teams from Ottawa and Gatineau areas.

We stepped out of the stadium and onto free transit that whisked us right downtown to our hotel.

They created and established a successful brand in four years. Business schools will teach this stuff someday.

This is something to look forward to someday.

[argotom]

Hats off to the entire RedBlacks organization. Another sellout. Electric environment in stadium and for blocks in all directions. Big turnout of Millennials, GenX and GenZ and the traditional greying fans. All wore CEL/RedBlacks merchandise. The scoreboard welcomed a number of minor league football teams from Ottawa and Gatineau areas.

We stepped out of the stadium and onto free transit that whisked us right downtown to our hotel.

They created and established a successful brand in four years. Business schools will teach this stuff someday.

This is something to look forward to someday.

Sounds good.
Too bad the snoots and US wannabes here in the city can't appreciate the exciting league and now improved team.

[jerrym]

Hats off to the entire RedBlacks organization. Another sellout. Electric environment in stadium and for blocks in all directions. Big turnout of Millennials, GenX and GenZ and the traditional greying fans. All wore CEL/RedBlacks merchandise. The scoreboard welcomed a number of minor league football teams from Ottawa and Gatineau areas.

We stepped out of the stadium and onto free transit that whisked us right downtown to our hotel.

They created and established a successful brand in four years. Business schools will teach this stuff someday.

This is something to look forward to someday.

Jeff Hunt knows how to build and market a franchise as he has done before with the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League.

[1971GreyCup]

Jeff Hunt knows how to build and market a franchise as he has done before with the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League.

I noticed that the Executive Suites, on the new South Side stands, were sold out. There also seemed to four suites available for hire in the condo building and they were packed too. Sellouts, full executive suites plus significant merchandise sales translates into profitable operations and more money to reinforce the current fanbase and grow new ones. I didn't see one NFL jersey or hat in the crowd. I don't see that the problem is with Torontonians per se, I see it's how the team has been presented to Torontians. When they finally get this right, BMO Field will be rocking too!

[OV Argo]

Hats off to the entire RedBlacks organization. Another sellout. Electric environment in stadium and for blocks in all directions. Big turnout of Millennials, GenX and GenZ and the traditional greying fans. All wore CEL/RedBlacks merchandise. The scoreboard welcomed a number of minor league football teams from Ottawa and Gatineau areas.

We stepped out of the stadium and onto free transit that whisked us right downtown to our hotel.

They created and established a successful brand in four years. Business schools will teach this stuff someday.

This is something to look forward to someday.

I hope you are right about that type of CFL success being duplicated in Toronto; but somehow, there is something deeply wrong there. You are right about all the younger crowd that turns out to party at Lansdowne now for RedBlacks games, and a lot of them decked out in gear - hats, Ts, jersey's , etc. But in Toronnawannabe land this may never be possible, because too many lemming/sheep have been convinced that the CFL is not cool or "major league" and they may never get into it? IMO - this is due to years, no, decades of all the pathetic little wannabe dweebs in the media in TO looking down their noses at the CFL, with negative or mocking or lacking coverage of the Argos & the CFL; and nobody else in the media with the guts to stand up to those wannabes; and too many former Argos fans keeping silent or being intimidated by the B$ ?

How to overcome this ???

[jerrym]

Jim Popp's signing of Bear Woods is returning major dividends as he came up with seven tackles tonight, many of them critical.