Game Thread: Calgary Stampeders @ Toronto Argonauts

[shayman]

It was cool when they played the Argos fight song after one TD and they focused in on a gentleman singing his heart out wearing an "Argonotes" jersey. That has to be Shayman, who is a poster on the forum and the conductor of the Argonotes, was it not? Anyway, he looked great and I'm glad he got his moment.

Usually that’d be me, but last night I gave my tix to former Argonote deputy dictator Wayne, and he got a lot of screen time, I hear! It’s a coup! Serves me right for missing the game. :-) Hi from Quito, Ecuador. Enjoyed the game via the CFL+ stream which worked great.

[jerrym]

Hagerty hasn’t impressed at all whenever he has played, baffles the mind that he is still on the roster TBH.

He's the mandatory Global player that each team must have and is there as punter, although Boris Bede at 52.6 yards punting average this year has a better average than Haggerty's still quite good 48.3 punting average. Obviously, the kindest thing (and that's being extremely kind) you can say about Haggerty as a DB is he's a work in progress.

[ArgoZ]

Disagree. Kelly has been great on seam and out routes. Gittens is great on those. Prior to last game Daniels had 1 catch on a deep ball, late in Hamilton and that was on a double move. To say he regularly gets behind DB’s just isn’t true. He’s a seams and dig route guy mostly.

The fact is, Kelly is throwing to where the D dictates him to throw. It’s all about his reads and his confidence in those reads and not his receivers.

You can’t take away a game to disprove my point when they’ve only played 8. Last night was another great example of Coxie and Daniels making catches behind coverage. Doesn’t matter is it’s a double move, busted zone, or the scheme, fact is these guys are getting open deep far more than Gittens. Kelly has a great ability to see and then actually hit the deep open man. If Gittens is only going to run the seam and outs as you say (money plays with MBT), then his numbers will drop with this QB.

[Rich]

Hagerty hasn’t impressed at all whenever he has played, baffles the mind that he is still on the roster TBH.

Wow everyone’s piling on the poor guy, in his defence he was just coming off the IL, wasn’t game sharp and not expecting to play full time. Most guys in his situation would have struggled, and TBH I thought he looked good at times last year.

[ArgoZ]

Wow everyone’s piling on the poor guy, in his defence he was just coming off the IL, wasn’t game sharp and not expecting to play full time. Most guys in his situation would have struggled, and TBH I thought he looked good at times last year.

I wondered when he went down, if he still had a little nagging injury himself that may have slowed him down a touch. We’re all blaming him for being torched, but what if he was out there really toughing it out as their only choice. Great reminder that not everything is necessarily as it seems.

[OV Argo]

He's the mandatory Global player that each team must have and is there as punter, although Boris Bede at 52.6 yards punting average this year has a better average than Haggerty's still quite good 48.3 punting average. Obviously, the kindest thing (and that's being extremely kind) you can say about Haggerty as a DB is he's a work in progress.

??? - are u confusing the 2 different Hagerty's (one is spelled Haggerty - he's the Global punter) ?

[OV Argo]

Wow everyone’s piling on the poor guy, in his defence he was just coming off the IL, wasn’t game sharp and not expecting to play full time. Most guys in his situation would have struggled, and TBH I thought he looked good at times last year.

Aside from looking lost in coverage, he whiffed on several tackle opportunities. I don't recall him playing much, if at all, on the D last season; he did play some - as an injury replacement - in his rookie season the year before.

I don't see Stiggers getting scape-goated though for being lost on a Stamps long TD completion.

[AngeloV]

Even Ben Grant and his co-host JB were pondering releasing Leake in favour of keeping Deonta McMahon on the active roster. That seemed a little crazy to me at the time but seems even crazier now (and that's nothing against McMahon, who is still a solid prospect).

I told Ben that there was no way that was going to happen. Glad I was right.

[AngeloV]

I had a great time at the game last night. Really entertaining. Frankly, I am tired of all the complaining about the D having a rough game. There is 1 knob of a ST holder sits below and to my left. All game long yelling "this is embarrassing". Honestly pal, light up a joing and calm the F down. Argos wins are important to me. But enjoying myself at the game is even more important. To the boys on here that sit with me at the games, If I ever start sounding like that idiot, please throw me over the railing. Some people just aren't happy with anything less than a total domination. That is sad.

Regarding the coaching decision to not dress McFadden, I have complained about this for weeks now. I like Jonathan Jones a lot, but IMO, putting in Cassar or Hoyte for an injured started at LB is an easier transition than putting in Hagerty or the youngster Eduard for an injured secondary guy. Makes no sense to me at all.

[under30ArgosFan]

I brought a group of 5 to the game. One of which had never been to a CFL game but watched a few games this season, another is a huge NFL fan that hasn't watched the CFL since the Damon Allen days. They were really into the game and had a blast and couldn't believe the value (I bought tickets during the flash sale). The in-game entertainment has never been this good in my opinion and in our section 110 there were a lot of late 20, early 30 somethings, the "King Street crowd" and they seemed to have fun. There's a lot of work to be done but there are some signs of life in this market

[Argo57]

I had a great time at the game last night. Really entertaining. Frankly, I am tired of all the complaining about the D having a rough game. There is 1 knob of a ST holder sits below and to my left. All game long yelling "this is embarrassing". Honestly pal, light up a joing and calm the F down. Argos wins are important to me. But enjoying myself at the game is even more important. To the boys on here that sit with me at the games, If I ever start sounding like that idiot, please throw me over the railing. Some people just aren't happy with anything less than a total domination. That is sad.

Regarding the coaching decision to not dress McFadden, I have complained about this for weeks now. I like Jonathan Jones a lot, but IMO, putting in Cassar or Hoyte for an injured started at LB is an easier transition than putting in Hagerty or the youngster Eduard for an injured secondary guy. Makes no sense to me at all.

They don’t ask how but how many.
Haven’t been this consistently entertained at Argonaut games since the mid 1990’s, hopefully Toronto sports fans are starting to wake up to the fact that CFL football games (and the Argonauts in particular) are a blast.

[jerrym]

I brought a group of 5 to the game. One of which had never been to a CFL game but watched a few games this season, another is a huge NFL fan that hasn't watched the CFL since the Damon Allen days. They were really into the game and had a blast and couldn't believe the value (I bought tickets during the flash sale). The in-game entertainment has never been this good in my opinion and in our section 110 there were a lot of late 20, early 30 somethings, the "King Street crowd" and they seemed to have fun. There's a lot of work to be done but there are some signs of life in this market

There are still things to be worked on for the Argos and the CFL but the 17,906 fans at the game and other data show things are improving. the season average Argo attendance up 19.1% above 2022. https://stats.cfldb.ca/league/cfl/attendance/2023/

BC Lions have also showed a massive increase in attendance of 20.1% over 2022 as new owner Amar Doman has revitalized the team on and off the field. https://www.cfl.ca/2023/08/26/amar-d...rgy-and-ideas/

Week 11 produced the highest CFL TV ratings in 2023 in the Riders win over BC. https://3downnation.com/2023/08/23/r...ating-in-2023/

Revenue, the lifeblood of franchises, is up 26% in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, the three largest markets. https://torontosun.com/sports/football/cfl/toronto-argonauts/attendance-game-day-revenue-up-in-toronto-other-major-cfl-markets#:~:text=In%20its%20report%2C%20the%20CFL%2 0said%20game-day%20revenue,Montreal%20Alouettes%20is%20up%2026% 25%20year%20over%20year.

TV ratings in general have improved and the vital 25-54 age group so sought after by advertisers because of their purchasing power has increased 29% in CFL viewership. markets.

There’s plenty of good stuff for the league to toot its horn about. But, there are still plenty of issues that are concerning, things like attendance in some of the CFL’s key markets. Plus, there’s the relationship with Genius Sports that has been filled with potholes.

League-wide ratings in the age 25-54 demographic have increased by 29 per cent year-over-year through Week 11. More than 8.8 million unique individuals have watched a CFL broadcast on TSN and another 1.9 million have watched a CFL broadcast on RDS.Said Ambrosie, the CFL commissioner: “The game itself is the driving force behind the viewership, but we’ve been doing a lot of work building a new foundation, building new marketing platforms, building a greater capability in the social media space and building this fan engagement strategy and all kinds of tools to help welcome fans, old and new.

“The trend lines are all so very positive. With the disruption called COVID, we hit a reset. We changed the way we operate. We made some big investments in ourselves.”

Also, from the press release: Average game-day revenue for the Toronto Argonauts, BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes is up 26 per cent year-over-year through Week 10. Viewership for games involving at least one of these three teams is up 27 per cent in the 25-54 demographic through Week 11.

“It was’t that long ago if I did an interview, one of the first or second questions referenced a concern about our major markets,” said Ambrosie. “Today, the three major markets are good-news stories. Not any of those three (ownership groups), Pierre Karl (Peladeau, Montreal), MLSE (Toronto) or Amar Doman (B.C.), would say it’s where they want to be, they know there’s still work to do, but there’s a really positive vibe (in all three markets).

“They’re doing so many things in Toronto. They’re seeing an increase in ticket sales, merchandise sales. The same thing in Montreal and B.C. There’s been an almost seismic shift in B.C. with Amar and his personal commitment to getting the Lions to be that community team. I was walking through the airport (in Vancouver) a few weeks ago and I was stopped five times by people asking if I was there for the game. That wasn’t always the case.”

In the press release as well: The number of fan engagements on league social media channels is up 30 per cent, page views on the CFL website are up 11 per cent, and views on the CFL’s YouTube page are up 10 per cent year-over-year through Week 11. Additional investments in CFL digital properties have also yielded increased consumption. Downloads of the CFL’s podcast, The Waggle, have increased 23 per cent, while fans are going to the CFL’s revamped and redesigned Game Zone, taking part in the league’s interactive gaming experiences with an increase of 179 per cent.

https://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foo...oadcast on RDS.

[Waffle]

I hope the Argos watched the BC - Hamilton game today. The Argos could suffer the same fate as the Lions on Labor Day if they don't play a lot better than they did against Calgary.

[TrueBlueGuy]

I hope the Argos watched the BC - Hamilton game today. The Argos could suffer the same fate as the Lions on Labor Day if they don't play a lot better than they did against Calgary.

Yes Ticats were solid in all 3 phases tonight, BC seemed to snooze thru the 1st Qtr. We MUST devise a way to stop Butler or we could be in for a rough Labour day (wouldn't be the first time).

[TrueBlueGuy]

One more observation from section 124...Shout-out to our Offensive Line. Kept Kelly clean for the most part, and Ouellette does not pile up his yards without some holes being opened. Kudos to our five guys up front for a solid effort Friday night! GO ARGOS!

[ArgoRavi]

I hope the Argos watched the BC - Hamilton game today. The Argos could suffer the same fate as the Lions on Labor Day if they don't play a lot better than they did against Calgary.

That result may be a good thing for the Argos as it is far less likely now that they will be caught taking the Ticats lightly.

[paulwoods13]

Aside from looking lost in coverage, he whiffed on several tackle opportunities. I don't recall him playing much, if at all, on the D last season; he did play some - as an injury replacement - in his rookie season the year before.

I don't see Stiggers getting scape-goated though for being lost on a Stamps long TD completion.

As you said, Hagerty got way more reps on D in 2021 than he did last season. Ben Grant said last year that he was a key part of special teams, and missed there when he was injured, but I'm not in position to judge whether that is true. But he definitely looked lost last night.

As for Stiggers, he has made a lot of outstanding plays this year, and even though he's a true rookie without college experience, he passed a vet (McFadden) on the depth chart to start. On the play where he was the only DB near a TD-scoring Calgary receiver, it seemed to me he was expecting a HB to slide over and it didn't happen.

[ArgoRavi]

As you said, Hagerty got way more reps on D in 2021 than he did last season. Ben Grant said last year that he was a key part of special teams, and missed there when he was injured, but I'm not in position to judge whether that is true. But he definitely looked lost last night.

As for Stiggers, he has made a lot of outstanding plays this year, and even though he's a true rookie without college experience, he passed a vet (McFadden) on the depth chart to start. On the play where he was the only DB near a TD-scoring Calgary receiver, it seemed to me he was expecting a HB to slide over and it didn't happen.

Ben Grant suggested that play may have been a miscommunication between Stiggers and Metchie after all of the changes in the secondary.

[Joe Barnes]

I brought a group of 5 to the game. One of which had never been to a CFL game but watched a few games this season, another is a huge NFL fan that hasn't watched the CFL since the Damon Allen days. They were really into the game and had a blast and couldn't believe the value (I bought tickets during the flash sale). The in-game entertainment has never been this good in my opinion and in our section 110 there were a lot of late 20, early 30 somethings, the "King Street crowd" and they seemed to have fun. There's a lot of work to be done but there are some signs of life in this market

I brought my 17 year old daughter to her first CFL game, she enjoyed it, and will come back. When she posted to her friends that she was going, she was teased because 'no one cares about the CFL'. So there you go...despite her peers not being supportive (which means everything at that age), she will attend future games. Why? Because she actually came to the game with me, experienced the atmosphere personally, and had a great time. A small step, indeed, but Rome was not built in a day!

[OV Argo]

I brought my 17 year old daughter to her first CFL game, she enjoyed it, and will come back. When she posted to her friends that she was going, she was teased because 'no one cares about the CFL'. So there you go...despite her peers not being supportive (which means everything at that age), she will attend future games. Why? Because she actually came to the game with me, experienced the atmosphere personally, and had a great time. A small step, indeed, but Rome was not built in a day!

Nice !

CFL fans need to fight back against the wannabe & NFL fan-boys types who , like good little sheep, have been sold a bill of goods that the CFL is not worthy of their attention. Staying silent is not good enough - you're either in, or in the way. The little dweebs who look down on the CFL must mostly come from families of American hero worshippers / pulp culture victims. They are also led on by many in our own media up here.

My 25 year old daughter has gone to RedBlacks games this year and last; she knows I'm a big CFL fan and I took her to a game a few years back, but now she will go with her own friends; her ex-boyfriend was from the Hammer and is a Ticats fan - I think he was an even bigger NFL fan, but he was still a fan of the CFL and went to games.