Game Thread Calgary vs. Toronto Sat. August 20

[jerrym]

Hate to say it, but McLeod was huge reason for the loss tonight.
Defence was solid and calgary benched Mitchell - you should win the game if that happens.

In case anyone hasn't said it, welcome to the somewhat leaky ship Argo.

[Stevoman]

The Good:
- Ouellette and Leake played very well in the backfield and Leake was also the Argos best returner this season.
- Bede is back (he had me worried earlier in the season).
- The D played excellent for most of the game and got some great turnovers.

The Bad:
- Red Zone offence is terrible!
- Dunigan kept saying the Argos were going around the side on short yardage because of a weakness that they saw. That might be true but I think the real reason is because they know they can never get it up the middle. But when you go to the well too often, you eventually get stuffed and that stop in the 4th quarter really hurt.
- MBT pick 6 was the difference. He continues to be a mystery. Some good throws and some awful throws.

The Good News
- Thankfully the East is still there for the taking but the Argos seem like a 6th or 7th place team. I really couldn't say who's better between the Argos, Riders and TiCats, right now and the Elks seem to be gaining ground.

[primetime31]

Good synopsis, Stevoman. Not exactly the type of performance that you would want to introduce new fans to (my son introduced six friends to live Argos football tonight).

My son had commented that the endzone crowd were clamoring for Chad Kelly to put be in at QB. I think that they have to start thinking of such strategies. The first half Argo offense was much more varied than that of the second half. This isn't the first time this season that this has happened.

The receiving corps missed Cam Phillips tonight as the only reliable receiver was DeVaris Daniels. They really need another two or three receivers to get more involved.

The defense played well enough to win the game.

["Issues"Mcgee]

I was going to go on a huge rant but I will just sum it up in two sentences.

I have had enough of MBT. He has no strengths, only weaknesses.

[kellynjk]

I was going to go on a huge rant but I will just sum it up in two sentences.

I have had enough of MBT. He has no strengths, only weaknesses.

Completely agree - as has been discussed on other game threads, MBT is incapable of playing a full game. When you consider how much more possession of the ball the Argos had tonight, it's crazy that they didn't win and why - because they march down the field 6 yards at a time, which usually ends with no points! In the second half, MBT was really inconsistent, overthrowing passes and the rest. I agree with Primetime31's son, I want to see more of Chad Kelly.

If the Argos continue playing like this they won't finish first, in fact I doubt they'll even make the playoffs!! I think both Hamilton and Montreal are likely to overtake the Argos in the standings in the East over the next few weeks.

[ArgoFan1]

Pretty drastic to say we lost because of MBT. I am willing to bet that he has been sacked more than any other quarterback in the league. He rarely gets times to throw. He had to throw several away tonight. He had two good passes dropped in the third quarter. He was smart enough to take the sack when they were in field goal range for their last field goal. At least he is not throwing up hail Marys as he did a few times earlier in the season.
I like him, but I do know that he is not a superstar, and the Argos will be in desperate need of a starting quarterback by next season. Can't see any coming by way of trade, so they need to get lucky, like B.C. did this season.

[dmont]

ugh................ UGH!!!!!

On the one hand, that one hurt. On the other, it was very predictable. I was texting with a few friends who were happy at halftime. I said "Nope, I'm nervous. Could have stepped on their necks in the first half but we didn't. We lose these games all the time."

Shout out to the DBs today, for the most part. They did their part and created lots of turnovers.

Tackling got weak in the second half. It drives me nuts seeing them go for those weak arm tackles.

I thought Oulette had a good game. Filled in as best he could and did everything they asked. Javon Leake had some of the best returns we've had all season, and looked good on offense except for a few miscues with Macbeth. I hope those get sorted the more they play together.

Some a couple key drops from Ambles and Daniel's. Those guys were good otherwise for most of the night but those two drops... hurt... so... much!

For the offense, I was in the stands so I really couldn't see what the problem was. If I had to guess, I would say the Oline was the biggest problem. Macbeth was getting pressured before anyone was open.

Mac's accuracy problems continued this week, and they actually seemed to get worse. Missed on a couple long balls where the receivers had managed to get some separation. What a god-awful offense in the second half.

The last party I'm going to chew out is... the crowd. I was so pissed when they started booing the offense DURING THE GAME when we were within THREE POINTS. Are you trying to get in our quarterbacks head and mess him up when the game is totally in reach?? That was some bull$hit. Boo your head off once the game is lost, but stay behind the team when the games hanging in the balance.

In terms of where to go from here... I have no idea. Defense played great most of the game, despite some softness in the second half. Specials were great on coverage and had some decent returns. It's the offense. They should all stand in a line and shoot themselves. Coaches included.

I couldn't even eat my feelings after the game because the food building was closed. I came home, put a pizza in the oven, and ate the whole thing. Now.... I'm going to fart myself to sleep.

[Will]

Got some things to get off my chest here. It's late and these are raw emotions written in the heat of the moment. Frustrated and disappointed.

The O-line is poor and I must ask the following questions (some of which Paul has raised):

1. If you knew Nicastro was going to miss a fair bit of the season then why have Lawrence playing what isn't believed to be his natural position? We never did get an explanation as to why that Speller person never reported in 2021.
2. Was Isiah Cage brought back too early, and if so why?
3. What did the coaching staff see in Tate?
4. Why weren't there more Americans brought in on the OL? This Appiah guy must be raw?

Mike Mitchell wrote that MBT has been sacked 15 or 16 times in the past 4 games. That's 72 sacks over an 18-game season and is depressingly bad. This brings us to the next topic, which is MBT himself. A statue in the pocket won't be able to succeed with this o-line and that is what MBT is at this stage. He needs a OL a la 1999 Ticats which only allowed 6 sacks to optimize his talent. We know Chad Kelly is more mobile, but can he make the right reads and throws? We really don't know the answer to that, but I'm more willing to have that discussion right now. Maybe they do got to start easing him slowly. The fact of this matter is that this team, in the last 4 games, has scored 37 second half points, and 14 of the points in the 28 point second half against Hamilton were defense and special teams so take that away and it is 23 points in 4 games (5.8), which is not good enough. The receiving corps is banged up (but it seems like that every year), and it's kept Brandon Banks in the lineup when he shouldn't be. Cam Phillips is out, Eric Rogers is out, Kurleigh Gittens has been relatively quiet the last couple of games and Coxie was playing his first game. The OL can't open holes for runners or protect their QB. MBT does deserve to share in the blame, that INT was back-breaking for sure. Boris kicked 4 field goals, 1 or 2 of those field goals go for touchdowns and Argos win the game, but an over reliance on Bede has been a problem for 1.5 seasons.

The Argos have signed two supposedly high-level pass rushers in the past two years, but neither have really produced. I don't think the interior of the line has been a problem. It's not as if the Argos can't get pressure, but I find they're either a second too late getting to the QB or they have trouble tracking down a QB once he's scrambled around a little bit. But, Stamps turned the ball over 4 or 5 times tonight and still came out with the W. This team does have to figure it out, I mean their games in hand are almost gone. They were 9-5 in 2021 but with a -ve PF:PA ratio. They weren't going to win the same # of squeakers that they did last year.

Two weeks in a row you could point to two distinguishable turning points (i) the decision to punt on 3rd and 1 and (ii) the pick-six this week, the Argos were not able to recover from either play.

[Will]

ugh................ UGH!!!!!

On the one hand, that one hurt. On the other, it was very predictable. I was texting with a few friends who were happy at halftime. I said "Nope, I'm nervous. Could have stepped on their necks in the first half but we didn't. We lose these games all the time."

Shout out to the DBs today, for the most part. They did their part and created lots of turnovers.

Tackling got weak in the second half. It drives me nuts seeing them go for those weak arm tackles.

I thought Oulette had a good game. Filled in as best he could and did everything they asked. Javon Leake had some of the best returns we've had all season, and looked good on offense except for a few miscues with Macbeth. I hope those get sorted the more they play together.

Some a couple key drops from Ambles and Daniel's. Those guys were good otherwise for most of the night but those two drops... hurt... so... much!

For the offense, I was in the stands so I really couldn't see what the problem was. If I had to guess, I would say the Oline was the biggest problem. Macbeth was getting pressured before anyone was open.

Mac's accuracy problems continued this week, and they actually seemed to get worse. Missed on a couple long balls where the receivers had managed to get some separation. What a god-awful offense in the second half.

The last party I'm going to chew out is... the crowd. I was so pissed when they started booing the offense DURING THE GAME when we were within THREE POINTS. Are you trying to get in our quarterbacks head and mess him up when the game is totally in reach?? That was some bull$hit. Boo your head off once the game is lost, but stay behind the team when the games hanging in the balance.

In terms of where to go from here... I have no idea. Defense played great most of the game, despite some softness in the second half. Specials were great on coverage and had some decent returns. It's the offense. They should all stand in a line and shoot themselves. Coaches included.

I couldn't even eat my feelings after the game because the food building was closed. I came home, put a pizza in the oven, and ate the whole thing. Now.... I'm going to fart myself to sleep.

What an ending to your post LOL!

I waited for 30 minutes in a line for Tiny Tom's. It wasn't a well run system because you ordered & paid at the same time (at the far end of the trailer), flow might have been better had they had the order & pay parts separate.

[Rich]

We know Chad Kelly is more mobile, but can he make the right reads and throws?

Can MBT make the right reads and throws? Watch the post game presser, Dinwiddie said MBT wasn’t finding open guys and didn’t “give our guys a chance to catch the ball”. And he also singled out his 1) overthrow and 2) underthrow of Coxie on long balls. Just another Groundhog Day at the office for Dinwiddie.

So what’s he gonna do about it? Does he have the balls of Dave Dickinson, who tonight pulled a 2-time GC Champ QB because his accuracy and mobility problems were hurting his club? At some point you gotta say enough’s enough. When does Dinwiddie reach HIS breaking point?

MBT may be the 3rd best QB in the League but the gap between him and the top 2 is huge, and let’s be honest after four years it’s not likely to get much smaller. And maybe this is a problem for a franchise with aspirations of on-field dominance. If they’re gonna run with the big dogs maybe they need to bring their QB play to a higher level.

We have no idea if Chad Kelly could become a top-echelon CFL QB. But we know for sure MBT won’t. We’re 4-5 at the halfway point of the season, I think it’s time to make the move. If it doesn’t work out at least we’re not just watching the same damn movie over and over like we are now.

[gilthethrill]

Looking at boxscores around the CFL I am noticing more receivers averaging very few yards per catch. Last night the only receiver for the Argos who averaged more than 10 yards a catch was Davarus Daniels. Seems like the pass game now is really just a “Long Handoff”. How can you expect your offense to be successful when Kurleigh Gittens averages 6.8 YPC?
MBT throws his first INT in 167 attempts and off course it was the game winning TD. Dinwiddie went to the well once too often with Kelly going vertically on 2nd and short. Everyone knew Calgary would be waiting for that play. How do you lose yards on a QB sneak for crying out loud??

Really pissed right now but of course I will be in front of the TV Friday night hoping for a victory over Hamilton. I question my sanity.

[paulwoods13]

As expected, there are more calls here for MBT to be replaced than there are lamenting either the pathetic state of the o-line or the terrible offensive play-calling. I have an idea, instead of benching MBT, why don't we bench the three or four o-linemen who aren't doing their jobs? Oh yeah, we can't because we have no one trustworthy behind them. But hey, at least we dialled up a sweep play on short yardage that worked three times in a row, so of course we just had to try it a fourth time.

[Will]

As expected, there are more calls here for MBT to be replaced than there are lamenting either the pathetic state of the o-line or the terrible offensive play-calling. I have an idea, instead of benching MBT, why don't we bench the three or four o-linemen who aren't doing their jobs? Oh yeah, we can't because we have no one trustworthy behind them. But hey, at least we dialled up a sweep play on short yardage that worked three times in a row, so of course we just had to try it a fourth time.

Hey I wrote 4 questions about the offensive line.

[paulwoods13]

Hey I wrote 4 questions about the offensive line.

Yes, you did. (All of them with depressing answers.) But most of the posts, predictably, are variations of "MBT sucks/we want Kelly."

[OV Argo]

As expected, there are more calls here for MBT to be replaced than there are lamenting either the pathetic state of the o-line or the terrible offensive play-calling. I have an idea, instead of benching MBT, why don't we bench the three or four o-linemen who aren't doing their jobs? Oh yeah, we can't because we have no one trustworthy behind them. But hey, at least we dialled up a sweep play on short yardage that worked three times in a row, so of course we just had to try it a fourth time.

The HC can be fired though; guy is in way over his head, and a few seasons sniffing cry-baby Dickinson's butt in Calgary does not qualify you for a Canadian pro football HC job; or at least, it shouldn't.

[paulwoods13]

The HC can be fired though; guy is in way over his head, and a few seasons sniffing cry-baby Dickinson's butt in Calgary does not qualify you for a Canadian pro football HC job; or at least, it shouldn't.

IMO Dinwiddie is on very shaky ground at this point. He has made some questionable decisions in personnel, play calling and game management. He seems to be playing not to lose rather than aggressively trying to win. I sense he might be feeling heat and worried about losing his job. I doubt we will see a coaching change during the season, but if the team does not improve its performance in the second half of the season and at minimum get back to the Eastern Final, I would be very surprised to see him back next year.

There is also a larger problem, IMO -- we do not have the sort of front-office structure that can solve the types of problems we have had this year. Who doesn't love Pinball, but I really doubt he is actively involved in personnel decisions (including who stays and who goes during camp), and I'm almost certain he is not out personally beating the bushes for new talent to fill roster holes. In theory Jim Barker is taking on the role held in recent years by Popp and Murphy, but he hasn't had a lead role in personnel recruitment anywhere for six-plus years. Vince Magri is a tremendous judge of incoming NAT talent, and someone whose continued development needs to be nurtured and supported. But is he able at this stage of his career to hang around NFL camps and find guys who could be brought up here and contribute? Maybe, but I don't think we have any such evidence yet.

[argotom]

After being away for several weeks, watching yesterday's fiasco I note how nothing has changed and perhaps even gotten worse.
Since ouf D is relatively stable, the real issue remains the offense which on the basis of the the leader being the QB is in fact offensive.
The performance yesterday of MBT, save and except the games I missed, based on the games that I watched was the worst.
I have said it before like some here, he was never a legitimate first stringer and to think management continues to hitch our wagon on this QB, speaks to the quality of the coaching staff and upper echelon.
We all love Pinball and his staff, but they are MIA here.
Meanwhile, nothing has also changed with Dinwiddie and he should be immediately shown the door.
The man has no imagination in the play calling and again yesterday was heavily outcoached by Dave Dickenson.
Let's review, Dave had enough of the pathetic performance of BLM and had no reservation in pulling him after the first half.
Dinwiddie again remains stubborn in going with MBT for the entire game, this despite clear evidence he did not have it and Chad Kelly should have been inserted in the beginning of the second half.
Major changes are required on the playing side as to save what little relevancy we have left in this marketplace.

[AngeloV]

Needless to say, a very disappointing result last night. Wasted effort of D creating turnovers, and an actually good performance from the ST's.

I know everyone says that I am MBT's biggest defender, but the offence as a whole was not good. Starting up front where most games are won and lost. Did MBT miss some receivers? Sure, and the pick 6 was the major turning point in the game. But there were others. Very untimely fumble by Oulette on what was looking like a great drive. Bad drop by Davaris Daniels over the middle and he had some serious running room. Bad drop by Ambles on the first play of the 2nd half. MBT definitely underthrew Coxie on the one deep ball towards the north endzone, but the deep one towards the south endzone was on Coxie. He slowed down and then couldn't re-accelerate to catch up to the ball. I'll give him a pass being his first real action.

I'm going to sound like a broken record here, but Geez..get Banks the F off this team. He showed his immaturity again after MBT scrambled for 6 yards, freaking out on the way back to the sidelines. WORST FA SIGNING EVER. I would be making a call to one of the released receivers from TC and get him out of here.

The calls for MBT's head are ridiculous IMO, but having said that, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing what Kelly can do. Maybe Dinwiddie will actually move the pocket to help his poor line if he had Kelly in there. Just be prepared for 2 or 3 picks if he starts.

I also think Dinwiddie needs to lose his OC hat. Let Pete Costanza take over the role for the rest of the year and concentrate on being a HC. It's no secret that the 2 worst offences in the league have the HC doing double duty as OC.

[paulwoods13]

I know everyone says that I am MBT's biggest defender, but the offence as a whole was not good. Starting up front where most games are won and lost. Did MBT miss some receivers? Sure, and the pick 6 was the major turning point in the game. But there were others. Very untimely fumble by Oulette on what was looking like a great drive. Bad drop by Davaris Daniels over the middle and he had some serious running room. Bad drop by Ambles on the first play of the 2nd half. MBT definitely underthrew Coxie on the one deep ball towards the north endzone, but the deep one towards the south endzone was on Coxie. He slowed down and then couldn't re-accelerate to catch up to the ball. I'll give him a pass being his first real action.

All of this is true. MBT did miss some passes, but he was not helped by his receivers, who in addition to dropping passes (and fumbling, in Ouellette's case) had a hell of a time getting open on a lot of patterns. I have to think that is mostly on the coaching. I think Daniels would have scored had he caught the one he dropped.

The calls for MBT's head are ridiculous IMO, but having said that, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing what Kelly can do. Maybe Dinwiddie will actually move the pocket to help his poor line if he had Kelly in there. Just be prepared for 2 or 3 picks if he starts.

The pocket could be moved for MBT, too, but the only times he got outside were attempts to avoid another hellacious pass rush. It's vexing that Dinwiddie seems to understand how little he has to work with on the o-line, and yet can't make adjustments that might counter its weakness. The fact defences know we can't run block sure isn't helping.

[ArgoRavi]

The last party I'm going to chew out is... the crowd. I was so pissed when they started booing the offense DURING THE GAME when we were within THREE POINTS. Are you trying to get in our quarterbacks head and mess him up when the game is totally in reach?? That was some bull$hit. Boo your head off once the game is lost, but stay behind the team when the games hanging in the balance.

This comment stood out for me. On the X's and Argos post-game podcast, Ben and JB said that the Calgary reporters in the press box were surprised to hear this booing with the Argos ahead 19-10 at the time.

The positives last night were that the defence played very well - only allowed 16 points on the evening which should be enough to win - and the special teams, including the return game, were excellent.

I don't have any easy answers about the offence. Dinwiddie needs to look at some of his decision-making offensively and the Argos need to do something different in order to score TDs instead of FGs. There's no way that I want to see MBT replaced as the starter and he doesn't deserve to be replaced but I am open to some kind of expanded role for Kelly - perhaps have a package for him and put him in with that package as other teams have done in the recent past to keep defences off-balance; maybe that could take some pressure off the o-line as well.

The Argos are still in first place at 4-5 and all is not that bleak but they need to find a way to score TDs instead of FGs. That continues to be the biggest problem plaguing them although I realize there are a bunch of issues contributing to that. MBT though, as Paul so well pointed out on Twitter this morning, is the least of those issues.