Hey look!
The sun DID actually rise this morning!
I was a bit unsure after last night's debacle.
That made me laugh!! --- yes I know I am doing as the cartoon shows (BADH) --- that's just what my frustration does though, it leads to this place as my outlet for my ranting.....by the way; as many others have already correctly stated on here; if it's not winning consistently (poorly attended this year after winning the GC last year, and even in 1996/1997 when we had the best Argos team ever, ticket sales were relatively poor), if it's not the stadium (we are finally out of the Dome and at a more football friendly venue), if it's not the pricing (we've slashed prices considerably this year and sales are down), if it's not the fact that a "star" is not a proven long term solution (Rocket, Ricky Williams et al were not long term ticket sellers), OK then what is it?? How many ownership groups and brilliant marketing minds have we gone through that are looking for the magic solution to the age old problem of the last 3-4 decades (ie. since the Jays became relevant at least in the 80s, and the expansion of cable options as well), to the question "what will make people go to Argos games consistently in this town?" --- if others believe that MLSE has all the magic answers that the last 30-40 years of owners haven't figured out than god bless them, but I am less than hopeful in this day and age of entertainment alternatives (more outlets to spend one's time not leaving their house (more channels/streaming than ever in glorious 4K 60 inch colour), or giving a reason for people to look up from their phones/tablets), and more young people who care less about the Canadian brand of Football in this market to believe otherwise.....
It's not a surprise to me that the three biggest markets have the hardest time selling tickets to CFL football (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver), I would bet that the difference in entertainment options, travel time and expense for the average fan to attend games has a lot to do with it....I lived in Halifax for a number of years - I loved going to Moosehead games and Canadian College football games (Yay - Atlantic Bowl!) as there was little else to do sporting-wise and I could get to and from the venues in 10-15 minutes or less --- I don't run to as many Marlies games which are an hour away like BMO is for me (I went to watch the AHL Finals though -- see winning temporarily does help interest (ha ha ha) - just like an Eastern Final against Sask sells tickets for ONE game) or go to OHL games (I go to a few games in Oshawa/Mississauga but Mississauga is dying fast), or UofT/York football games (almost no one there but friends and family), as there are other options available in a city of Toronto, and/or the time/expense causes my interest and dollars to go elsewhere.....it's just the reality of the situation for many sports fans in this town.....the Argos are simply a niche sport in this market at this point, the days of long-term consistent demand (ie. 20K-25K every game paying a reasonable price) for seats is gone.....if the TV contract revenue, or the Grey Cup revenue filling up the owners pockets, or simply the charity of a few owners who lost money consistently wasn't there, this team could have been gone a while ago --- I'm happy others have felt so charitable with their finances to keep propping this team up, I simply won't be one of them anymore after the last three years of being hopeful that a move to BMO would change something (I've had ST at the dome too), I've donated to this charity enough.....if others keep wishing to do so, more power to them.....
I wish I shared all of your optimism.....now you can put the BADH picture up again.....ha ha ha.....
Last edited by Argos1983; 07-28-2018 at 01:03 PM.
This is the first time Trestman has had a poor CFL team. I'm interested to see how he fares.
A couple of years ago I almost walked away from the Argos if they kept Milanovich around. So keep in mind that I'm not against you standing up for what you believe in, but the constant complaining about the same stuff over and over again gets tiresome.
Argo fans in general seem very fickle. In 2008 the team had 12,000 season ticket holders - it's about half that now. People can blame the team and owners all the want, but diehards are the ones abandoning the team. The greatest marketing tool is word of mouth, and Argo fans have trouble getting the word out there.
Totally anecdotal but I know quite a few Argonauts season ticket holders that simply didn't make the move to BMO Field. Some of these fans were older and prefered the climate controlled Rogers Centre. Others didn't drive and took the Subway to the Rogers Centre and weren't interested in sitting in traffic on a crowded Streetcar.
It isn't easy to have realistic expectations as a fan.
We were never a dominant team last year despite winning the GC. I'd say we started out mediocre and developed into good-but-not-great. Due to departures, injuries, and aging, the squad is worse - overall - this year. The only way we *wouldn't* end up with a worse result is if the rookies and second year guys performed surprisingly well.
Unsurprisingly, they haven't.
My only complaint is that the team should care more about on-field entertainment value. Playing good football and trying to win are the most important goals, but why not incorporate more *fun* plays for the home crowd? Winnipeg did that yesterday, after playing a no-nonsense road game against us the week before. Fakes, direct snaps, reverses, and other gadget plays make the game more fun to watch - especially for casual fans.
I wanted to weigh in on this game after I'd watched more of it as I checked in on only part of the second half last night. Overall, I do think they played better than the week before. Turnovers and penalties were the killer but there was better production overall. I know the score didn't reflect that though.
The first six games were very difficult and they failed the test quite badly. It doesn't get much better over the next six but they need to be 3-3 or 4-2 over that stretch. If not, then this season is likely over. Hopefully players returning soon from injury will help.
Fans pay to be entertained, Argos were entertaining last year, Ray and the gang playing at a high level, our D committed and hard hitting, this year pretty much zero entertainment value.
It all starts with a good on field product and builds from there.
Argos looked like a pretty good team in preseason, I think the home opening beat down put on them by Calgary shook their confidence to the core.
Toronto Argonauts
18 Time World Champions
Cameron Dukes + Dan Adeboboye + Kevin Mital + David Ungerer + Damonte Coxie + DaVaris Daniels + Dejon Brissett = Unstoppable Force
Good synopsis. Don't anyone laugh, but I didn't think that the Argo defence was that bad last night. I was impressed with the adjustments made by Archer in that they were able to shut down Harris. They ended giving up 3 offensive TDs last night but at least two were directly attributable to terrible calls by the officials. On the Ball penalty on the first Winnipeg TD drive, the Argos defence had the Bombers off the field. You can't give any offence additional chances and those terrible calls did just that.
The major reason for the loss though was the 6 turnovers plus the one blocked punt (which officially does not count as a turnover). You can't lose the turnover battle 6-1 and win any football game. The offence moved the ball fairly well but turnovers will kill you every time.
Having said all of this, there are changes/tweaks that absolutely have to be made. I know everyone wants to fire Mike Archer but how can anyone be sure that he is the problem and not the personnel? We lost Butler, Rico Murray, Mitchell White and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah and have been unable to properly replace any of them. Further, we have been without Bear Woods and Taylor Reed, who could have been a decent replacement for the injured Woods. With Lemon traded, that is about half of our Grey Cup winning defence that we have been without.
We have the Ottawa game coming up and then the bye week and I am sure that all will be re-evaluated at that point. I think that the Argos have some good, young, promising talent on the practice roster that they will need to start looking at. I have lots of faith in Trestman and Popp still but I also think that Popp made some errors in free agency in the off-season. I was not enthusiastic over re-signing TJ Heath and I think we have seen why so far this season. Kanneh doesn't seem like the same player that he was two or three years ago. On offence, we need Anthony Coombs back badly and we need go with another international in the receiving corps. Could we maybe look at going with Robert Woodson at CB to get another international on the field on offence? It would also then help to get Matt Black back to backup Woodson. In any event, it is time for the team to start looking at some younger players. As for Franklin, I have no doubt that he can be a star in this league still but he is certainly going through some growing pains and it isn't helping that our receiving corps simply isn't good enough or deep enough at this point to help him.
Cameron Dukes + Dan Adeboboye + Kevin Mital + David Ungerer + Damonte Coxie + DaVaris Daniels + Dejon Brissett = Unstoppable Force
We played better (total yards and possession time were relatively equal this time), shut down Harris and Adams, yet the score was worse because of turnovers. Not converting a 1st and 5 in scoring position and having a kick "blocked" right from the punter's hand should never happen. Bad/struggling teams just find a way to lose.
The season can still be salvaged, but time to say goodbye to some vets and start preparing for next year if August is more of the same.
Never dull in Argo-land. Would be nice if it was easier on the nerves.
Last edited by R.J; 07-28-2018 at 06:28 PM.
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