GAME THREAD - Week 5: REDBLACKS @ Argos

[jerrym]

National Malcolm Williams looked did a good job catching 4 passes for 39 yards while looking quite comfortable on the field in his first game as a WR.

[OV Argo]

A win is a win, and good to survive all those injuries on defence - Tuggle looked pretty good.

Not much downfield passing, but Coombs and Edwards are looking good and Malcolm Williams was solid; not so much Fuller; Wilder looks good at times but overall seems a bit tentative and not powerful enough for such a big back.

Continued iffy calls by CFL refs? - that PI call on Gavins was pretty questionable and really helped the Argos. Argos got away with one on that punt fumble - why do CFL coaches not instruct young return guys? - should have put some vet back who understands the game better and told him let the ball go into the endzone.

Ottawa played tough and could have stole a win there.

Again - anybody can beat anybody in this year's CFL IMO; nothing close to a powerhouse team.

[argotom]

A season-high BMO Field gathering of 15,801, although a pathetic number it's increasing.

[argotom]

A win is a win, and good to survive all those injuries on defence - Tuggle looked pretty good.

Not much downfield passing, but Coombs and Edwards are looking good and Malcolm Williams was solid; not so much Fuller; Wilder looks good at times but overall seems a bit tentative and not powerful enough for such a big back.

Continued iffy calls by CFL refs? - that PI call on Gavins was pretty questionable and really helped the Argos. Argos got away with one on that punt fumble - why do CFL coaches not instruct young return guys? - should have put some vet back who understands the game better and told him let the ball go into the endzone.

Ottawa played tough and could have stole a win there.

Again - anybody can beat anybody in this year's CFL IMO; nothing close to a powerhouse team.

Agree on that call on Gavins, brutal and still after the review.

[Argo57]

A season-high BMO Field gathering of 15,801, although a pathetic number it's increasing.

You have to start somewhere, hopefully word spreads that this team plays hard and is pretty entertaining.

[Wobbler]

Good summary, OV.

- We CONTINUE to take too many penalties (more than our opponent, as always)
- The O-Line was pretty good, but ugh, that third-and-short play late in the game... that can't happen.
- Bear Woods has been pretty average, IMO, and it was great to see Tuggle do well when called upon.
- The TSN guys really like "the Wilder Jr. narrative" despite his mediocre performance to date, and I've found that annoying. But... he does seem to be improving.

[Argo57]

Agree on that call on Gavins, brutal and still after the review.

I thought it warranted an ejection from the game!!😛

[Argo57]

Good summary, OV.

- We CONTINUE to take too many penalties (more than our opponent, as always)
- The O-Line was pretty good, but ugh, that third-and-short play late in the game... that can't happen.
- Bear Woods has been pretty average, IMO, and it was great to see Tuggle do well when called upon.
- The TSN guys really like "the Wilder Jr. narrative" despite his mediocre performance to date, and I've found that annoying. But... he does seem to be improving.

Argos have been excellent at third and short all season, that attempt was rough though.
Not sure about Wilder, should be a bruising type back but has been mediocre at best.
I think Woods has been pretty solid so far this season.

[paulwoods13]

We sat Mathews and Jones today, so Prukop dressed (again).

But, uh... the game stats show that he had a special teams tackle in the first quarter. That can't be right, can it?

Not a mistake. He's on punt cover, just as Fajardo was last year.

[Wobbler]

Not a mistake. He's on punt cover, just as Fajardo was last year.

Thanks, Paul.

In the near future, crowd PBP will mention these things.

[Topshelf]

Crowd felt way bigger than 15000.
Why not kick the single for the win at the end? Is there something I'm missing? Are we not allowed to just send the punter put to send it to the food building rather than risk a fumble or block ?

[ArgoGabe22]

Wilder was a disappointment, until the final drive. And I think that's why McDaniel got some reps in. Wilder should be so much better than he shows.

I felt the line improved, and even though they were mostly incomplete, Ray really went deep a few times. More than the "washed up" under Milanovich.

Woods might be back, Butler might be better than first thought but Laing's didn't look good. Looks like his knee - ACL, MCL, who knows.

Not fair to assess Ralph after one game with like one pass going his way all game, but did Williams ever look good and quite possibly just beat out Ralph as the "next man up".

[ArgoRavi]

Crowd felt way bigger than 15000.
Why not kick the single for the win at the end? Is there something I'm missing? Are we not allowed to just send the punter put to send it to the food building rather than risk a fumble or block ?

They would have been punting into the wind and there is no guarantee whatsoever that the ball would have made it out of the endzone. The FG attempt was absolutely the correct call. I still have nightmares of the Argos trying unsuccessfully to punt for the win against Hamilton in the 1984 East Final.

[ArgoRavi]

I didn't like going for the first down on our 30. I preferred making them go most of the length of the field.

You have to be able to make 3rd and inches anywhere on the field. That was simply poor execution by the offence but the call to go for it was the correct one IMO.

[Will]

Credit the Argos for working through 3 significant injuries to the defence and coming out with a W. I think the defence deserves a ton of credit last night. They held Trevor Harris to under 200 passing yards and by extension did not allow Sinopoli, Spencer or Ellingson to hurt them in any significant way. Butler's injury may not be as serious as initially feared and Laing's might be, but Alan-Michael Cash is set to return shortly which means that the impact will be more ratio related rather than on-field talent related. Rico Murray continues his strong play at the corner.

Offensively, the Argos still have some of the same problems that have plagued them all season. Costly penalties and inability to finish drives, but that's something that can still be worked on. The OL did play considerably better this week albeit against a tired Ottawa team.

[ArgoZ]

You have to be able to make 3rd and inches anywhere on the field. That was simply poor execution by the offence but the call to go for it was the correct one IMO.

Easy to second guess after the decision fails. I agree with the call. They run that 100 times and probably convert 95 of them, gotta go with those odds. There up 7 anyway and convert that and the games almost won. With a yard off the ball, it takes a total mess up, (like running straight into the centre) to not convert. I can't say I would disagree with any of Trestman's calls. He would look even better if the recievers didn't drop so many deep balls.

[ArgoZ]

They would have been punting into the wind and there is no guarantee whatsoever that the ball would have made it out of the endzone. The FG attempt was absolutely the correct call. I still have nightmares of the Argos trying unsuccessfully to punt for the win against Hamilton in the 1984 East Final.

Interesting scenario, especially if they were closer. Is a punt that much of a safer play? Longer and bad snaps, shanked kicks and blocked punts are all possibilities. Drilling the ball wide and away from the blockers from a field goal would be the safest play IMO. I'd like to be a little closer though.

[gilthethrill]

So nice to win the season series against a division rival. Great atmosphere last night, great to meet members from the Grey Cup Dynasty...well done Argo organization.

[Neely2005]

You have to start somewhere, hopefully word spreads that this team plays hard and is pretty entertaining.

The next game is on a Thursday night and no Flutie / Bobbleheads so that might be the toughest sell of the season.

[paulwoods13]

My take:

Great performance by the defence to overcome the loss of three of their top five players for the second half. Held Ott to less than 200 yards passing, and had many two-and-outs -- one of the best defensive performances we've seen from this team in some time.

Kudos to the training staff for taking Woods' helmet away. It was kind of comical to watch him opening bags looking for the helmet, but the best thing to do for him was keep him off the field. Thankfully this is not the good old days of guys getting "their bell rung" and going back in without a care.

The subs on defence looked very solid, especially Finley and Davis -- the d-line applied a lot of pressure even without Butler and Laing. Tuggle also did fine at MLB, and we still have Plummer to dress if Woods can't go.

Watching Butler on the sideline right after his injury was depressing. He had his head down as if feeling his great comeback was over. Guys were coming over constantly to cheer him up. Later, he seemed to be able to walk without crutches so let's hope the "pop" he heard was not too serious. That said, I've been worried since week 1 about d-line depth and it will really be tested now. Getting Waud and Cash back (hopefully) will help replace Laing, but we need at least one more defensive end to back up Lemon and Davis.

Great game, again, by Coombs. He is really coming into his own as a reliable receiver and YAC guy.

Our receivers dropped at least five catchable passes. Ricky likely would have been over 400 yards again if that didn't keep happening. The two-minute drive at the end was vintage Ray.

I've complained before about Wilder turning his back on tacklers rather than barreling over them, and he did it again once or twice last night. But when we really needed him last night in the fourth quarter, he was very strong. Showed what he can be if he stops dipsy-doodling. I didn't like McDaniel at RB at all -- he looks too small to be effective as a blocker.

We started (and played all night) W. Campbell at LT instead of Washington. Overall the line was pretty good apart from three or four penalties. Deane also got a lot more reps at RG than Watman. So what we saw last night is probably the five starters for the foreseeable future. J. Campbell played a lot of sets at TE/sixth blocker. Good to see him get lots of reps to further his development.

Ott did a superb job on kick coverage to limit Jackson's returns. Our own kick coverage was also great except for the one short punt that resulted in a 15-yard no-yards penalty as well as an alert return by Spencer.

I agreed with the call to go for it on third down late in the game. Fajardo had not failed to get a first down all season so it was reasonable to expect we'd succeed again. Fortunately, Ott scored so quickly that Ricky was left with tons of time on the clock.

Great to see the 1996-97 boys there, as well as Matthews' and Casola's family members.

The crowd was really into the game and it actually looked like more than 15,000 to me. The newbies were treated to a great game (after a slow first quarter) and hopefully lots of them will return.