EAST DIVISION FINAL GAME THREAD / Dec 5 / Hamilton @ Toronto

[RB957]

I chalk this loss up to rookie head coach mistakes. Play calling on 1st and goal has been a problem all season. Running straight up the middle on first down both times was a huge mistake. You need to throw on first down in that situation.

I knew the game was over after the punt return TD. Complete momentum changer. Collins got caught inside when he was on contain. That is a bad mistake. I don’t believe Ti-Cats would have scored if that never happened.

All in all, as much as this loss hurts, I am happy with this season. I had a great time at every game this year. A far cry from 2018 and 19.

I hope MBT is back next year with a hopefully healthy O-line. I’d like to see the Argos get a power running back to split time with Foster. A thunder and lightning type of combination. Looking forward to the release of the 2022 schedule and hoping for an early June start to the season and it’s hopefully an early November Grey Cup

I agree with everything you've said. My son and I argued about it at the game... do you go for it on 3rd and goal or kick? Play it safe and take the points or take the risk? Like Craig Dickinson said in an interview last week, coach's job is to win in the playoffs. Was Dinwiddie so concerned about getting some points on the board. Does something like that filter down like you don't believe your guys can do it? I hope that Dinwiddie reflects on this season, both the highs and the lows, and learns from it.

Besides the punt return TD, the fake field goal hurt as us as well, keeping that drive alive. In the circumstances, with a struggling kicker, that might have been something they should have expected and had we had a turnover on downs, it could have shifted the momentum back in our favour.

I was surprised it took the TiCats this long before giving Evans the chance to play, as Masoli has been very inconsistent, but you have to give Steinauer credit for pulling the trigger when he did. It changed the game, and shows impact of coaching decisions on the outcome, to Angelo's first point.

As far as commenting on MBT... I have been one of those who have been critical of him at different times this season. Not today. He did everything that he could have and played a solid game.

Overall, I hated that we lost at home to the Tiger Cats, I hated to have to hear that awful Oskee Weewee echoing through BMO, but this year was SO much better than the last two seasons, I can't wait for next season. And I can't wait to watch all those Hamiltion fans leave dejected next week when they lose to the Blue Bombers.

[RB957]

Tired of Argos never being able to rise to occasion in important games with Hamilton.

(sigh) Yes. Blessing for me is I drove down to the game, so was spared being packed on the GO train with their fans for the trip home. Small consolation, but you take what you can get.

[RB957]

I still feel that Brescacin was interfered with in the end zone on the challenge play, but it seems that the league is increasingly ruling against nearly all challenges as so few challenges made by every team go the way of the coach compared to earlier years.

Interference or not, MBT threw some nice deep balls today that his receivers - notably Brescasin - had a chance at. They just couldn't come down with any of those balls.

That call could have gone either way.... my first reaction, seeing it live and then on the jumbotron, was a no-call. Let them play football. But I agree that MBT threw some nice long balls with good touch, one of which Brescasin could have caught later in the game for a TD. Didn't happen. That's the game of football.

[ArgoGabe22]

I never understood why teams never attempt the dribbler onside kick instead of the 99.9% failure rate of the high kicks.

[Argo57]

Very disappointing game today, the win was there for the taking.
As mentioned by others play calling when in scoring position has been way too predictable and conservative all season long, sadly today was no different.
Argos dominated the first half and were only ahead 12-0 which didn’t bode well, field goals instead of TD’s won’t suffice.
You could feel the game slip away when Hamilton scored on the punt return.
Hopefully the Argos retain a large portion of the roster and start to build some continuity heading into 2022, 1 year contracts will make this very difficult which isn’t good for the league IMO.
Dinwiddie had some ups and downs this season which is part of maturing has a HC.
Wonder if Chris Jones returns, I suspect he won’t be.
Sadly we now have plenty of time to speculate in regards to the 2022 season.

[RB957]

Best thing about the game was the 21,492 in attendance while Covid and especially Omicron still are active even if many of them were Tiger Cats fans.

The atmosphere was awesome... fantastic entertainment, and you could get a ticket to today's game, and have something to eat and a cold beer for less than $100. What a value proposition!! It boggles my mind that BMO is not filled for every game.

[ArgoRavi]

You should be stripped of your membership for this post.

Lol! Evans made an alert play but Richardson was holding the ball like a loaf of bread.

[ArgoRavi]

It seemed like the worst thing that could happen all season to the Argos was being first and goal from inside the five. Always seemed like an adventure this season and was a problem today.

[Will]

(sigh) Yes. Blessing for me is I drove down to the game, so was spared being packed on the GO train with their fans for the trip home. Small consolation, but you take what you can get.

I guess I should qualify this statement a bit -- yes the Argos won in 2004 and 2010 in the semi and did win last Labour Day game at IWS but they lost 2013 EF, 2015 ESF and 2021 EF. They won the game a few weeks ago, but lot the bigger game today.

[Shatto]

There were several disappointing aspects to the game-- the inability of the offense to score when inside the 5 yd line--giving up the TD punt return--the D not able to shut down the Ti-Cats in the 2nd half---the inability of the offense to score a TD.

The D has not looked that good, since the team let D coaching staff go for vaccination reasons.

There were times in the game that the QB and receivers looked they they hadn't practiced together this week-----Oh right, they hadn't.

[Stevoman]

Disappointed to see the footage of Chris Edwards hitting a fan. I know Ticats fans are classless but I don't think I can cheer for Edwards again and would be good with him gone (despite how good he is on the field). You can never act like that. He was also giving the finger to fans before the game started and captured on TSN.

I turned off the game during the final 30 secs and missed MBT pushing a cameraman. That can't happen either (no matter how much it sucks to have cameras in your face after a loss). He also should've been made available for the post game press conference.

[ArgoRavi]

Disappointed to see the footage of Chris Edwards hitting a fan. I know Ticats fans are classless but I don't think I can cheer for Edwards again and would be good with him gone (despite how good he is on the field). You can never act like that. He was also giving the finger to fans before the game started and captured on TSN.

I turned off the game during the final 30 secs and missed MBT pushing a cameraman. That can't happen either (no matter how much it sucks to have cameras in your face after a loss). He also should've been made available for the post game press conference.

Edwards has a temper that he needs to get control over but the Ticats fan allegedly spit on him which started the incident. You can see some footage here:https://twitter.com/ticatsroar/statu...lJdU60ZZA&s=19

[jerrym]

Edwards lives on the edge on and off the field. He needs to be told he's on probation next year because, although he one of the most talented DBs and can sometimes up teammates games with his play, when players like that are allowed to keep doing their thing it always ends up badly both for them and the team. If he screws up again cut him before the damage gets worse.

[paulwoods13]

A few thoughts while I continue to process this result:

You can't come away with just six points from two trips inside the five-yard line. We absolutely should have gone for it at least once.

The defence was clearly confounded by Evans and Condell in the second half, but it's worth noting that they were on a streak of having allowed just two TDs in 10 quarters at thw start of the second half. Jones was doing something right with the group, but whatever he was doing did not work in the second half.

I counted four or five 50/50 passes, none of which we came down with. A couple of them should have been called for either interference or roughness (head shots) but regardless, the receivers have to catch at last some of those passes.

Injuries are an underrated factor in this loss IMO. The o-line was considerably weaker with Richards and Ivey than with Nicastro and Campbell. And perhaps more importantly, Campbell's injury forced us to use an INT at RT, which is probably why Feeney was not in the lineup yesterday. He alone might have made a difference on that punt return. And both Hagerty and Boateng were also regulars on specials who were not available yesterday.

Still, we are ahead of schedule. I would not have believed before the season that we would win nine games and finish in first place. The challenge now is to build on this and take the next steps next season. Fortunately, many of our best newcomers this year are true first-year CFLers so if Murphy did his job properly, all of them should be heading into their option year rather than free agency.

Hamilton celebrated as if they won the Grey Cup yesterday. Many of their players (especially CVZ) acted without a hint of class. Karma's a bitch. I hope they get absolutely pounded in front of their home fans.

[RB957]

Hamilton celebrated as if they won the Grey Cup yesterday. Many of their players (especially CVZ) acted without a hint of class. Karma's a bitch. I hope they get absolutely pounded in front of their home fans.

Right on. This might as well have been their Grey Cup, because it is all they are going to win. I also believe they will get pounded by the Bombers, and I will be happy to be there to see it.

[argotom]

Like most have said here, the game was decided in the first half for me.
Not going for at least one of the 3rd and goal was critical.
Continuously running the ball up the middle was another crucial gaff and that was on the coach's overall poor play calling.
In fact, it seems to me how the coach has made more than his fair share of rookie mistakes.
That has to be addressed and frankly for me warrants perhaps even possible replacement.
MBT where do I start, another for me overall sub par performance, as the game stats most definitely would suggest otherwise.
He is nothing more than a pylon in the pocket with the inability to rollout and keep some plays going.
This year I would have kept Arbuckle instead, as for next year I would not bring him back.

[paulwoods13]

Like most have said here, the game was decided in the first half for me.
Not going for at least one of the 3rd and goal was critical.
Continuously running the ball up the middle was another crucial gaff and that was on the coach's overall poor play calling.
In fact, it seems to me how the coach has made more than his fair share of rookie mistakes.
That has to be addressed and frankly for me warrants perhaps even possible replacement.
MBT where do I start, another for me overall sub par performance, as the game stats most definitely would suggest otherwise.
He is nothing more than a pylon in the pocket with the inability to rollout and keep some plays going.
This year I would have kept Arbuckle instead, as for next year I would not bring him back.

Your dislike of MBT was well known and unsurprising, but fire Dinwiddie? Seriously?

[argolio]

MBT where do I start, another for me overall sub par performance, as the game stats most definitely would suggest otherwise.
He is nothing more than a pylon in the pocket with the inability to rollout and keep some plays going.
This year I would have kept Arbuckle instead, as for next year I would not bring him back.

Clearly MBT should have gone downfield and caught some of his own long passes.

[Will]

In fact, it seems to me how the coach has made more than his fair share of rookie mistakes.
That has to be addressed and frankly for me warrants perhaps even possible replacement.

Your point was valid until the bolded part.

[argolio]

re: the punt return TD

Having not seen a replay, and maybe my eyes fooled me seeing it live, but it looked to me like the Ticats had an extra guy or two on the left side of their line as if to put extra pressure for a punt block, which forced a few of our players to spend more time dealing with that before they could release downfield to cover the kick. I wonder if that screwed up some lane assignments.