EAST DIVISION FINAL GAME THREAD / Nov 19 / Saskatchewan @ Toronto

[paulwoods13]

The one thing -- the only thing -- that worries me at the moment heading towards Sunday is our kicking game. Lirim has missed some makeable FGs of late, and has been inconsistent punting. The miss at the start of the third quarter gave Sask hope that might have otherwise been crushed had he made it. I hope he is ready to put his game together on Sunday.

[Will]

The one thing -- the only thing -- that worries me at the moment heading towards Sunday is our kicking game. Lirim has missed some makeable FGs of late, and has been inconsistent punting. The miss at the start of the third quarter gave Sask hope that might have otherwise been crushed had he made it. I hope he is ready to put his game together on Sunday.

That wind wreaked havoc with the kicking game. The thing is as you rightly imply is that wind conditions may not be any better on Sunday.

[jerrym]

The one thing -- the only thing -- that worries me at the moment heading towards Sunday is our kicking game. Lirim has missed some makeable FGs of late, and has been inconsistent punting. The miss at the start of the third quarter gave Sask hope that might have otherwise been crushed had he made it. I hope he is ready to put his game together on Sunday.

I agree that Hajrullahu has been somewhat inconsistent in his FG attempts. However, I am also concerned about the offence to some extent. The Argos have had a poor record all year in the red zone. While Wilder has been phenomenal, teams have become to key on him, as the Riders did and I expect the Stampeders will do also. The offence cannot afford to be stop and go against Calgary, as it was against the Riders and often other teams during the regular season, because the Stampeders' ST are likely to give them good field position repeatedly under those circumstances. While I would rate Martese and the rest of our ST as only slightly below Calgary's, it and our defence cannot be expected to be repeatedly placed in poor positions because of the offence stalling and still stop Calgary. Ray, Wilder and the receivers need to be top form throughout most of the game, in order to avoid having to hope that we can turn it around in the last minutes against the league's best defence.

[Argo]

Man - very cold in the second half - both due to wind chill and our offence. Thankfully, Ricky was calm in the 2 minute drive to move us down field. Was glad we were stopped inside 2 yard line and use 2 runs t9 run more time off the clock.

I too was nervous that we forced Glenn out of the game - initially (3rd quarter) we held Bridge under control.

[IIRC, from the highlight reel...] That last drive, 3rd down, pass that Ray just dropped in to Wilder was one of the nicest throws that I've seen in many years of watching football.

[Argo]

I agree that Hajrullahu has been somewhat inconsistent in his FG attempts. However, I am also concerned about the offence to some extent. The Argos have had a poor record all year in the red zone. While Wilder has been phenomenal, teams have become to key on him, as the Riders did and I expect the Stampeders will do also. The offence cannot afford to be stop and go against Calgary, as it was against the Riders and often other teams during the regular season, because the Stampeders' ST are likely to give them good field position repeatedly under those circumstances. While I would rate Martese and the rest of our ST as only slightly below Calgary's, it and our defence cannot be expected to be repeatedly placed in poor positions because of the offence stalling and still stop Calgary. Ray, Wilder and the receivers need to be top form throughout most of the game, in order to avoid having to hope that we can turn it around in the last minutes against the league's best defence.

Yes, the kicking game is definitely a concern, the short fields that LH serves up not least.

And, like you, I am concerned about the offence. Note that the Riders' D also effectively shut down SJG.

I think that if the Argos' offence cannot score 24 points, at the minimum, the team will be in very tough.

In the 2012 GC matchup, the Argos' offence DID perform (BETTER than expected).

[Argo]

That wind wreaked havoc with the kicking game. The thing is as you rightly imply is that wind conditions may not be any better on Sunday.

I was following the game by "box score", the Riders board GDT, and the highlight reel; haven't watched it yet, so I don't want to be overly critical of LH. It was windy, but the feeling of concern that I had seems to be shared by at least some others.

[ArgoZ]

Yesterday was the best atmosphere I have seen at BMO field for any sport. I've attended quite a few TFC games over the years and I can say that it was louder than a full stadium for TFC, especially when the Argos were on D.

That's because too many people are on their phones during the soccer game. As a soccer fan, I know the game can be extremely boring if your not into the sport. If it wasn't for the great atmosphere created by the supporters, A TFC game wouldn't be as popular as it is.

As for the game, I agree. The crowd is contagious. I have never yelled so much at a game. Every time the D came on, it was something to look forward to! It was an awesome experience for any long time Argos fan used to the silent Dome.

[RB957]

The one thing -- the only thing -- that worries me at the moment heading towards Sunday is our kicking game. Lirim has missed some makeable FGs of late, and has been inconsistent punting. The miss at the start of the third quarter gave Sask hope that might have otherwise been crushed had he made it. I hope he is ready to put his game together on Sunday.

Is it possible that Lirim has a nagging injury? One that is not serious enough to have him placed on injured list but enough that it is affecting his consistency? Having Ron Pfeffer on the PR provided an option for the kicking game, but obviously not enough of one to risk the switch. With one game remaining, I am hopeful that Lirim will get it all together.

[RB957]

As for the game, I agree. The crowd is contagious. I have never yelled so much at a game. Every time the D came on, it was something to look forward to! It was an awesome experience for any long time Argos fan used to the silent Dome.

The crowd at Sunday's game was awesome. Especially when, unsolicited, chants of "Lets go Argos" started ringing out and people from all over joined in. Also, when the PA system died during the singing of the anthem and the crowd picked it up was amazing.

[rdavies]

Also, when the PA system died during the singing of the anthem and the crowd picked it up was amazing.

Yes, funny no one has talked about that. Poor old Dwayne Gretzky missed their big break, had to feel sorry for them. You didn't even see them but you could hear them talking, one of them said their mic was hot (on) and then the crowd dutifully took over.

[ArgoGabe22]

Also, when the PA system died during the singing of the anthem and the crowd picked it up was amazing.

So that's what happened. I didn't realize the speakers were down until the coin toss and thought they wanted the anthem sung by the fans and it failed.

[Rich]

The only time when my heart was in my throat was on the pass to Wilder, which seemed to be in the air for about five minutes.

This play happened right in front of where I sat, and it was like a slo-mo sequence in a football movie. Everything went silent, and i swear I counted down the seconds 4... 3 ... 2 ... 1 watching the ball fall down into his hands. It wasn't an easy catch. The defender came within inches of batting it away.

In my book this goes down as one of the greatest plays in Argonaut history. I know I will never forget it.

[jerrym]

This play happened right in front of where I sat, and it was like a slo-mo sequence in a football movie. Everything went silent, and i swear I counted down the seconds 4... 3 ... 2 ... 1 watching the ball fall down into his hands. It wasn't an easy catch. The defender came within inches of batting it away.

In my book this goes down as one of the greatest plays in Argonaut history. I know I will never forget it.

The ball was poorly thrown but the Argos benefited from the fact that they hadn't sent Wilder downfield the whole game on a pass route so when he did go on this play the Tiger Cat DB was caught off guard, thereby allowing Wilder to get some separation and even catch the ball on a slow motion pass.

[jerrym]

Brandon Bridge's instagram message to Shawn Lemon helped motivate him - not a wise move considering the results. Despite this, Lemon acknowledged Bridge is a fast-rising star.

During the run up to Sunday’s CFL East final, Saskatchewan Roughrider quarterback Brandon Bridge decided to send a private Instagram message to Argonauts defensive end Shawn Lemon, a guy he barely knows. It was two words long but that was enough: “Stay woke.”
Lemon responded with three sacks, including a devastating hit on Bridge, in Toronto’s 25-21 win over the Riders, one that punched the Argos’ ticket to the Grey Cup in Ottawa.
“For him to step into playoff territory he’s just a young kid and he doesn’t know much about it. It rubbed me the wrong way and I wanted to hit him, ” Lemon said afterward. “I wanted to make sure he was woke as well.” ...

The Argos finished with four sacks and 11 quarterback pressures with Lemon’s bookend, all-star Victor Butler, leading the way with five.
“We wanted to get pressure on both quarterbacks – everybody’s got a plan until they get hit, ” Lemon said. “It definitely bothered Glenn. He’s a great quarterback but nobody likes to get hit, especially when it’s cold.” ...

“Bridge brings a different threat, he’s a younger guy, scrambles a little more than you want him too, ” Lemon said. “He’s definitely a premier quarterback in this league and he’ll be a starter next year.”

http://3downnation.com/2017/11/20/le...os-win-riders/

[Argo57]

Brandon Bridge's instagram message to Shawn Lemon helped motivate him - not a wise move considering the results. Despite this, Lemon acknowledged Bridge is a fast-rising star.



http://3downnation.com/2017/11/20/le...os-win-riders/

One thing Bridge needs to learn is to keep his pie hole shut, probably hanging around Duron too long.

[Antwon]

This play happened right in front of where I sat, and it was like a slo-mo sequence in a football movie. Everything went silent, and i swear I counted down the seconds 4... 3 ... 2 ... 1 watching the ball fall down into his hands. It wasn't an easy catch. The defender came within inches of batting it away.

In my book this goes down as one of the greatest plays in Argonaut history. I know I will never forget it.

Haha...same here held my breath. Then looked at the guy beside me and said it hung up there for ever!!!!
I don't think it was poorly thrown. Just like the TD pass, it seems Ray and the receivers have really synced the second half of the season.

[Antwon]

One thing Bridge needs to learn is to keep his pie hole shut, probably hanging around Duron too long.

I'm kind of in the Bridge in double blue camp. But the message to Lemon was not wise. Maybe he'll learn.
Also coming out after the game that they're negotiating an extension with Sask. Smart move?? Timing seems a bit "Me First". Also sends a message to other teams if he's not signed an extension in the next month or so he's probably hitting the free agent market.

[paulwoods13]

Haha...same here held my breath. Then looked at the guy beside me and said it hung up there for ever!!!!
I don't think it was poorly thrown. Just like the TD pass, it seems Ray and the receivers have really synced the second half of the season.

I agree -- not a badly thrown ball, at all. Wilder was able to catch it in a smooth motion. It had touch on it. The length of time it seemed to take was magnified by the life-or-death circumstances.

[AngeloV]

I agree -- not a badly thrown ball, at all. Wilder was able to catch it in a smooth motion. It had touch on it. The length of time it seemed to take was magnified by the life-or-death circumstances.

Agreed. Not an easy throw in winds gusting from 35-60 km/h. It was a great call and great execution.

[R.J]

So, after a lot of thinking and reflection during this season, I have to admit that I was wrong about Ray.

While I still feel that Ray's injury history was, and still is a legitimate concern, and that losing Harris and Collaros was and could still end up being a problem as Ray can't play forever. And who knows what Fajardo, Bethel Thompson, and Prukop can end up being, but Ricky has been nothing but pure class and a leader for this organization. The class he has shown is a very important piece to all this IMO, Ray's acknowledgement that he's had injury issues, which then directly affected the team, along with his excepting of a performance based deal, just goes to show the type of person Ray is, IMO that just as important as what he does on the field, and he deserved better than some of what I had been saying for quite some time.

While I still have very big concerns about the future, win or lose Ray is the type of guy we need around this team, whether as a starter, back-up, locker guy, etc. Now let's go beat the Stamps!