Week A of Pre-Season: Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Toronto Argonauts Game Thread

[Will]

Saturday, June 11, 2016
BMO Field
4:00 PM

The "unofficial" first game at BMO Field.

Milanovich says that we ought to see the regulars more than usual for a pre-season game because he was them to get used to the grass.

[Neely2005]

Finally! I'm sure that we've all been waiting for this for quite some time. Is anyone else heading to the Tailgate at Ontario Place Parking Lot # 1?

[AngeloV]

Good job Will. Nice to see a meaningful comment on the thread starter.

[paulwoods13]

I'd keep RR in the game no more than one quarter. He's had plenty of experience playing on grass, and we need to see what Kilgore and Fajardo can do. Ideally both of them will get some reps with starters on the o-line and at receiver.

[AngeloV]

I'd keep RR in the game no more than one quarter. He's had plenty of experience playing on grass, and we need to see what Kilgore and Fajardo can do. Ideally both of them will get some reps with starters on the o-line and at receiver.

I've read that Ray may not play the following game in Montreal. If so, I'd give him a quarter and a half. Kilgore and Fajardo should split the Montreal game.

[Scooter McCray]

I've read that Ray may not play the following game in Montreal. If so, I'd give him a quarter and a half. Kilgore and Fajardo should split the Montreal game. I don't expect many veterans will have alot of playing time in Montreal. I wouldn't mind seeing starters in the whole first half, just to put a winning note down on their new home and putting them in good frame of mind in their new home. They won't play much at all next week.

[R.J]

Very excited not only for Saturday, but also for the Alouettes - Bombers game tonight. CFL Football is back!
I know for Saturday's game I'll have a watchful eye on Milanovich's offence and how a certain cornerback perform. ;)


Just kidding. Much more interested in seeing how the new recruits, Hajrullahu, Farjardo and Kilgore perform. Also interesting in seeing how the field holds up; if it does end up raining.

[AngeloV]

I know for Saturday's game I'll have a watchful on on Milanovich's offence and how a certain cornerback perfrom. ;)




Don't know how to evaluate an Argos corner when you are watching Milanovich's offence.
:D

[R.J]

Don't know how to evaluate an Argos corner when you are watching Milanovich's offence.
:D
I'll have to chameleon style it - one watchful eye on the offense and the other watchful eye on Ansah. :p

[Rich]

I'd keep RR in the game no more than one quarter. He's had plenty of experience playing on grass, and we need to see what Kilgore and Fajardo can do. Ideally both of them will get some reps with starters on the o-line and at receiver.

McPherson will need his share of reps too.

[AngeloV]

McPherson will need his share of reps too.

Agreed. I would use all but Fajardo on Saturday, and then strictly Kilgore and Fajardo in Montreal.

[R.J]

I highly doubt it, but I do wonder if Roberts will see some action behind centre. Are teams even allowed to use QB's under the internship program ?

[paulwoods13]

Agreed. I would use all but Fajardo on Saturday, and then strictly Kilgore and Fajardo in Montreal.

IMO that would imply that Fajardo is already locked in at No. 4. Maybe so but I'd like them both to get lots of reps. McPherson doesn't need many IMO as I expect he will be the third-string and short-yardage guy.

[paulwoods13]

I highly doubt it, but I do wonder if Roberts will see some action behind centre. Are teams even allowed to use QB's under the internship program ?

Pretty sure they are not.

[ArgoRavi]

Pretty sure they are not.

They definitely are not.

[Will]

No, they are not under contract to the team.

[AngeloV]

IMO that would imply that Fajardo is already locked in at No. 4. Maybe so but I'd like them both to get lots of reps. McPherson doesn't need many IMO as I expect he will be the third-string and short-yardage guy.

From the 2 times I've been at camp, there is no doubt he is #4. My scenario would give him a full half of a game, which I think is better than a quarter here and a couple of drives there.

[Will]

From the 2 times I've been at camp, there is no doubt he is #4.

Yeah, in my opinion he is clearly a developmental prospect at this time. I'm not overly crazy on his arm strength either.

McPherson is almost certainly the short-yardage guy, but I don't know if the #2 QB (for throwing purposes) is decided. I've liked what I've seen from Kilgore in the 2 occasions that I've been in camp, but Milanovich may side with the veteran. Either way, it's something for them to sort out in part in the game on Saturday.

I wonder with the game being in Toronto whether the Ticats will bring many starters. From what I understand, Matthews has looked pretty bad in camp and is clearly losing the battle to start the year as #1 behind Masoli.

[R.J]

Pretty sure they are not.


They definitely are not.


No, they are not under contract to the team.
Makes sense (no contract = no play).

[Will]

I can't remember, are these "interns" also underclassmen?

[R.J]

I can't remember, are these "interns" also underclassmen?
They are.

[Will]

They are.

Then that is how they draw the clear line with these QB's.

[Will]

Coach Milanovich said that Ray would play the 2nd Q with Kilgore starting and then Adrian and Fajardo in the second half.

[Ron]

Good job Will. Nice to see a meaningful comment on the thread starter.

Very good. He now has to maintain his excellence for 21 more games. ;)

[R.J]

Coach Milanovich said that Ray would play the 2nd Q with Kilgore starting and then Adrian and Fajardo in the second half.
A bit surprised Ray will only play in the second quarter - usually the number 1 guy see's action from the start until they get into a rhythm. No biggie; I'm excited to see Kilgore against some of Hamilton's starters.

[jerrym]

Masoli will start for the Tiger Cats.


Jeremiah Masoli will start at quarterback when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats take on the Toronto Argonauts in pre-season action at BMO Field on Saturday.
Head coach Kent Austin said the team may use all four of their pivots, with Jeff Mathews, Jacory Harris and rookie Jake Waters also getting time.
"We're going to keep it a little open-ended because we want to be fair based on possessions," Austin said. "We have to see how the complexion of the game plays out."
Masoli, who finished last season as the starter after injuries to Mathews and Zach Collaros, looks to have the edge in the competition to start the regular season as the No. 1 as Collaros rehabs from knee surgery.
"It's our first pre-season game, he's done well, he's had a good camp," Austin said of Masoli.
Austin said he'd like to see all his quarterbacks execute the offence efficiently.
"They need be great with their decision-making, their execution, the ability to throw the ball accurately, move the sticks, put the ball in the end zone," he said.
Catch Ticats' live-stream
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will live-stream the team's final pre-season game on June 17 at Ticats.ca.
It will be the second consecutive year the team has made the game available on its digital platform after CFL rights holder TSN elected to not broadcast the game on TV.
The live-stream will begin at 7 p.m. and feature play-by-play from the radio team of Marshall Ferguson and John Salavantis.

http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/6716183-masoli-to-start-for-ticats-on-saturday/

[jerrym]

Some of the talk before the game:



Sometimes, it can be tough to tell when Bryan Hall is joking.
After signing with the Toronto Argonauts as a free agent in late February, the former Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive tackle has engaged in some spirited — and mostly friendly — back-and-forth with Hamilton fans on social media.
But, beneath the generally jovial banter, there may be some hard feelings over how his time with the Ticats ended.
Hall was in fine form during a spirited interview at Argonauts training camp earlier this week, a discussion that featured plenty of light moments — and its fair share of dark subtext. This was as pointed as it got:
"If Kent Austin bumps me like he did Dave Stala, I will choke his ass out," Hall said.
That's a reference to a September game versus Toronto last season when the Hamilton head coach bumped the former Ticats receiver as he made his way through the opposing bench after a play. Austin apologized and was fined $5,000 by the CFL.
But Hall is hardly the only Ticat to take a verbal shot at Austin after his departure; a list that started with linebacker Rey Williams and includes former quarterback Henry Burris, now with the Ottawa Redblacks.
Turnover is an inherent part of the CFL and so are hard feelings over the business side of football. To express those things publicly, however, is rare.
This off-season saw the departure of veterans Bakari Grant, Taylor Reed and Brandon Stewart but the move by Hall and fellow defensive linemen Justin Hickman and Brian Bulcke to Toronto has added even more spice to an already intense, historic rivalry.
Hickman played six seasons with Hamilton in two different stints and pointed out that a number of players along the front seven from last year's team have been allowed to walk away via free agency.
"How is it different (in Toronto?) I don't know, but I don't want to talk bad about those guys over there. I want to be nice," Hickman said. "(But) if Simoni Lawrence can win the Most Outstanding Player in the East with what he had last year, he should be able to do it easier this year."
The players moving along the QEW didn't just flow one way: longtime Argonaut Chad Owens wasn't offered a contract by the club and subsequently signed a free agent deal in Hamilton. Owens has acknowledged that leaving Toronto was difficult but isn't interested in going public without whatever hard feelings he may have.
"What do you want me to say? I'm not going to comment. I could look at a million different ways. I had success with them. We won a championship together," Owens said. "To me, if you choose to focus on the negatives, you're not giving yourself the best chance to be successful. I'm going to focus on the positives and we'll leave it at that."
If there was a sentiment that players on both sides shared, it was this: Saturday's game is just a taste of what's to come this season between two clubs who expect to be battling each other for supremacy in the East Division.
"It's a pre-season game," Owens said. "Talk to me Week One."
This much is for sure: Owens was dead serious.

http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/6716151-argos-vs-ticats-the-talk-before-the-storm/

[jerrym]

Tiger Cat's centre Mike Filer's thumb injury means Revenberg and Girard will be getting plenty of action against the Argos.



When centre Mike Filer cut his thumb for a dozen stitches Saturday morning forcing him to take most, if not all, of this week off formal practice, it gave the Hamilton Tiger-Cats a chance to take much longer looks at a couple of other snappers.
Sophomore Ticat Mathieu Girard, out of the University of Montreal, is Filer's backup and rookie Brandon Revenberg, the team's top draft choice this spring, played some centre at Grand Valley State College as part of his diverse offensive line portfolio.
It's probable that they'll be the two centres against the Argonauts in Saturday's preseason game at BMO Field in Toronto, as Filer likely won't be in uniform.
"We don't know," Austin said of Filer's chances of suiting up. "It's doubtful, he probably wouldn't have played that much anyway.
"These guys need to get some reps and it gives us another evaluation, certainly with respect to Mathieu, on his growth as a player. And we get a chance to see Revenberg in another position as well."
Revenberg last played centre a year and a half ago, but came into camp primarily as a left guard, although Austin says his staff is still analyzing which is the rookie's most natural position. Since Filer's thumb injury, Revenberg has had more reps at centre than he did prior to Saturday.

http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/6713648-mike-filer-s-injury-opens-door-for-ticats-backup-snappers/

[Ron]

Wow ... looks like Owens is ready to go! Hopefully he's in late season fumble mode in game one.

[AngeloV]

A bit surprised Ray will only play in the second quarter - usually the number 1 guy see's action from the start until they get into a rhythm. No biggie; I'm excited to see Kilgore against some of Hamilton's starters.

Argos have made a practice of this during Milanovich's run. Probably to give the #1 a chance to run the 3 minute offence during his time.

[R.J]

Depth Chart
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It&#39;s heeeerrre!<br>Depth chart for tomorrow&#39;s preseason game vs <a href="https://twitter.com/Ticats">@Ticats</a> <br><br>Welcome back, football! <a href="https://t.co/Yz9HIfOJBx">pic.twitter.com/Yz9HIfOJBx</a></p>&mdash; Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) <a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos/status/741292808917667840">June 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

BMO football set-up
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Morning, beautiful. See you tomorrow! 😍<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewBeginnings?src=hash">#NewBeginnings</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BMOField?src=hash">#BMOField</a> <a href="https://t.co/M8LsfRuDSZ">pic.twitter.com/M8LsfRuDSZ</a></p>&mdash; Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) <a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos/status/741251665278435328">June 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It&#39;s official! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BMOField?src=hash">#BMOField</a> is 🏈 ready! <br><br>We&#39;re taking you all on a Snapchat tour.<br>👻 torontoargos <a href="https://t.co/ow0Zpkm5Yy">pic.twitter.com/ow0Zpkm5Yy</a></p>&mdash; Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) <a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos/status/741318265864126464">June 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[T-Bone]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Are you ready?! LET&#39;S GO ARGOS! <a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos">@TorontoArgos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL">@cfl</a> <a href="https://t.co/hx3agtjQCv">pic.twitter.com/hx3agtjQCv</a></p>&mdash; BMO Grounds Crew (@TFC_GroundsDept) <a href="https://twitter.com/TFC_GroundsDept/status/741317967145775104">June 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[paulwoods13]

Argos have made a practice of this during Milanovich's run. Probably to give the #1 a chance to run the 3 minute offence during his time.

If SM is to be believed, Ricky will play only a couple of series so he may not get into the three-minute drill.

[paulwoods13]

That depth chart is a bit weird since it lists McPherson as the starting QB. But if it is otherwise accurate, my primary watches in Q1 on offence will be Sewell at RT, M. Williams at WR and Watman at C (along with Kilgore, of course -- I expect him to start despite what the chart says). On defence, most positions worth watching but especially interested in Spruill at MLB, Rankin at HB and all of the new d-linemen.

[Will]

The Argo depth chart during pre-season is usually secretive. The players are listed in order of their numbers and not any other ranking.

[AngeloV]

The players are listed in order of their numbers and not any other ranking.

Yes, it says right on the posted chart (numeric).

[paulwoods13]

The Argo depth chart during pre-season is usually secretive. The players are listed in order of their numbers and not any other ranking.

Ah, didn't notice that.

[1argoholic]

So will all of you folks heading to the game tomorrow be able to sleep tonight or do you feel like kids at Christmas? I'm pretty sure I'll get depressed but I'm trying hard as hell not to. Who knows when I'll get to a game. Have fun!!

[OgtheDim]

Ti Cat fan and TFC Season Seat Holder (and Ex Argo SSH back in the Sherwood Schwartz days) comes in peace to give a few tips on life at a game at BMO

I have no animosity towards you all. Just want to give you some experience.

First and most important

BMO is WAAAAY more fun then the Dome. Enjoy. BUT, it takes a bit to get in and out.



Weather

Yes, you will have to know what the weather will be like now. Check Toronto Island weather, as its usually 6 degrees colder at the lake then in the city. In the Fall, it will be cold. Layers. Lots and lots of layers.


Transit


The best way into BMO bar none is usually the streetcars in from Union Station or Bathurst. Right now they are stopping at Fleet street and you take a bus to north of the Princes' Gate and walk in. Personally I'd suggest if you come from anywhere north of Bloor on the TTC you take the Bloor line to Ossington and then take the Ossington Bus south to Liberty Village. Then walk under the GO line to the stadium.

Getting out though is very different. Buses to the streetcars line up again north of the Princes' gate. More importantly, the crush of 18-25K of people trying to get out at one time means a LOT of people are trying to take that underpass under the GO line. Have patience if you are doing that.


GO

Great service every 30 minutes. Because of construction, the East bound access is to the East of the GO underpass - it will be congested after the game.

There will be GO cops, so use your Presto.


Parking

Lots around BMO on the Ex grounds but that's the most expensive. If you can walk, park at Lamport or in the lots around Liberty Village. Don't park at the Metro as they tow. Expect to take a awhile to get out. During the Ex, parking will be at a premium everywhere.


Liberty Village

The BEST way to get to your stadium is to take that walk towards the underpass, see the stadium and the lights. Lots of great watering holes (and a Tim's) in Liberty Village for before or after the games. Soooo much better then around SkyDome.



Gettting In


Use the South Entrances as everybody and their kid will be going in the north. Take a 5 minutes walk around - its worth it. Security is much like the dome - wand, bags, no outside food or water, no umbrellas.

In The Stadium

Go to the South Concourse and take a look around. Its gorgeous. The Islands, the view of the downtown, the view of the stadium. Take pics, and show friends to get them to go with you to games.

The East concourse on the second level is a good open space to have a beer with friends before the game.

Beer - lots of choices considering its InBev. Mill Street added this year. And this year, they are letting us walk around with cans in our hands. Yes, they treat you like adults. Hard liquor too, if you want a gin and tonic.

Food - lots of choices beyond hot dogs and popcorn. Best deal is the Tacos on the West concourse but the frites and the pork sandwiches are good too. Not sure what you all will get but hopefully they give you the full menus.

Drink - Coffee and Hot chocolate are $3 and you will want that in September and October.

If you are sitting in the South or on the East side, bring sunglasses and maybe sunscreen.


Sound

Argo game ops will play a lot of music but you'll also notice the stadium can get really loud with the new roof/canopy/umbrella. The West side is really good for stomping feet and the East side holds the sound in.


The Stadium Itself.

OK, we are sharing this thing and I gotta tell you something about it.....its different, its unique and its yours for the day. Its not like TMH. Its not like any other field in the CFL. It has the potential to become a REAL fortress for you all, louder then anything else in the East if you get the bodies in there. Most importantly, its a great stadium to be in. Unlike the Dome, the amenities will be focused on you that day - I remember what it was like in the Dome and how most of you stuck all that out I do not know. BUT, this is your stadium for the day and its up to all of you to make it a home for the Argos. It has a LOT to offer. It will be more fun then the Dome. It has its quirks and its not going to be easy to get in and out of. BUT, its your home now.


Enjoy.

Pax.

[Will]

Welcome aboard and thanks for the advice!

[Argo57]

Anyone meeting up outside the stadium tomorrow?

[R.J]

Argos host Tiger-Cats in their first game at BMO Field
http://www.tsn.ca/argos-host-tiger-cats-in-their-first-game-at-bmo-field-1.505179

[1argoholic]

I guess the best thing about being back on the CNE grounds is that Liberty Village has become a cool place. Back in the CNE days that was a dump of an area with no real trendy name.

[Neely2005]

I guess the best thing about being back on the CNE grounds is that Liberty Village has become a cool place. Back in the CNE days that was a dump of an area with no real trendy name.

Yeah they've been revitalizing the area since about 1998. (We used to live in King West Village)

[R.J]

Kilgore will start; Ray will play
http://www.argonauts.ca/2016/06/09/when-the-lights-go-on-their-eyes-open/

A couple of series at most for Ray it seems.

[R.J]

http://www.cfl.ca/2016/06/11/argos-ticats-ready-to-test-out-squad-bmo/

[Ron]

Drove closely past BMO at 6am today and it looked quite good decked out in some Argo blue.

[ArgoRavi]

The Argos will have an additional QB in their lineup today as Mitchell Gale has returned to the Double Blue.

[Wobbler]

I was surprised that we didn't sign a fifth guy before now - someone needs to push Kilgore for the #2 spot. True, there weren't a lot of experienced guys available, but I like this signing.

[jerrym]

Kilgore talks about learning from Ray and change from TC to game.
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;He&#39;s got a great arm, good football mind.&quot;<br><br>Logan Kilgore takes the reins today agains the <a href="https://twitter.com/Ticats">@Ticats</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFLGameDay?src=hash">#CFLGameDay</a><a href="https://t.co/KGQi3g4Fm5">https://t.co/KGQi3g4Fm5</a></p>&mdash; Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) <a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos/status/741631243016654848">June 11, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Zicarelli comments on the game.


The Argos have become accustomed to having all kinds of adversity thrown at the — a team once known for its nomadic existence, an indifferent owner who had no emotional ties to the club, no place to practice, no support from their previous landlord and no excuses.
Compared to what they’ve had to deal with in the past four years, playing the first of 18 regular season games on a short week seems trivial by comparison. But the CFL did the Argos no favour by scheduling the exhibition finale on June 17 and then forcing the Argos to play their home opener on June 23. For some strange reason, the June 17 kickoff in Montreal will be broadcast by TSN, the same outfit that provided zero attention to the Argos, at 8 p.m., no less. ...
Saturday’s pre-season opener at BMO Field, where coaches and players will arrive early for the 4 p.m. start to acquaint themselves with their new home, is the first dress rehearsal for this group. ...

The date that matters most is June 23, which happens to fall on the same night of the NBA draft, one night before the NHL draft, the Raptors holding a lottery slot and the Maple Leafs having the first overall pick, respectively. Naturally, the Argos will get lost in the sporting shuffle. You would think the CFL would have found a date to showcase the Argos’ new beginning with no competition, or at least find a slot with very little competing agenda. But that’s another story.
The story that matters for the Argos is how they’ll line up for June 23. Two weeks of camp almost feels like two months when the grind increases, when injuries mount and when players are anxious to start a season. No one has said a bad word about Guelph because there’s nothing bad about the university, its expanding facilities and how the Argos have been treated.
“It’s getting there,’’ said head coach Scott Milanovich of the growing anxiety to play a game that matters. “You get to the point where you’re into the second and third week of training camp and everyone gets itching to go do it for real. Coaches start worrying about injuries late in the camp, all that kind of stuff.” There’s a good mix of veterans and rookies, many of whom aren’t true rookies given their NFL experience, that have been assembled, depth, seemingly, at all positions, but no team clearly has an idea of what they’ve acquired until the proverbial bullets start flying. “Right now I’m pretty excited at where we’re at,’’ added Milanovich.
Getting into BMO is something the Argos have craved, a long overdue move that will at least give them a chance to attract fans. There are limitations, including an end zone that is 17 yards, three yards shorter than the CFL norm, artificial turf being used with grass surrounding the goalline to goalline area. The media, which has completely ignored the team at camp, was given a tour on Friday, which is odd because the players have never seen the football configuration and they should have been first. “Our guys haven’t seen it and I won’t see it until Saturday,’’ added Milanovich. “I was there right after the season was over. We’re excited about that. We’re going to get there earlier than we normally would. Before we do our pre-game (routine) they can kind of get out there and feel comfortable with their surroundings.”
BMO Field is the only grass surface in the CFL. Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium once had a grass surface only to be replaced by artificial turf. Ricky Ray played at Commonwealth and noticed how opposing teams had a tough time adjusting to the grass field. “When I was in Edmonton, it seemed like we had a bit of a mental advantage when teams came in because they were so used to playing on turf,’’ said Ray. “They’d come out and try to get used to whatever kind of footwear they’d use. It made them think about it a little more than we had to. Hopefully that will be the same for us at BMO. We’ll get used to the playing conditions and obviously the end zone will play a big factor with them being shorter. We’re going to be used to that more than other teams coming in. If they (opponents) have to worry about footing, adjusting to end zones throughout the game, hopefully that’ll give us an edge.”
Ray hasn’t given much thought to the start of the season when there’s always improvements that can be made before June 23. He’s more excited for the city, the fans and the organization with the move to BMO. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to be part of that,’’ he said. Ray likes what he’s seen in practice and in locker room. “We’ve got a very good squad,’’ he said. “We’ve got an exciting team this year.”

http://www.torontosun.com/2016/06/10/argos-ready-for-bmo-field-debut

[jerrym]

Tiger Cat depth chart:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here&#39;s who&#39;s taking the field for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ticats?src=hash">#Ticats</a> in the <a href="https://twitter.com/tphcanada">@tphcanada</a> Depth Chart. <a href="https://t.co/ltAQCh6cHY">pic.twitter.com/ltAQCh6cHY</a></p>&mdash; Hamilton Tiger-Cats (@Ticats) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ticats/status/741691577043558400">June 11, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Following the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ticats?src=hash">#Ticats</a> to Toronto? It&#39;s going to be a warm one, but there&#39;s no rain in the forecast! <a href="https://t.co/w3VNO7jufc">pic.twitter.com/w3VNO7jufc</a></p>&mdash; Hamilton Tiger-Cats (@Ticats) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ticats/status/741661410883555330">June 11, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

They're on the way. Let's send the Tiger Can'ts home with the their tail between their legs and end any thoughts of the pleasure displayed here in the rematch in less than two weeks.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">BMO Field, meet TigerTown.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ticats?src=hash">#Ticats</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFLGameday?src=hash">#CFLGameday</a><a href="https://t.co/Uj5jM8YE0O">https://t.co/Uj5jM8YE0O</a></p>&mdash; Hamilton Tiger-Cats (@Ticats) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ticats/status/741655672446541824">June 11, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Game preview (make that propaganda) from the archenemy.

http://ticats.ca/video/game-preview-june-11th

[ArgoZ]

13-10 for the Cats at halftime, here's the boys entering the field.

https://instagram.com/p/BGh4EzDgnUUXySo_ibzkK_VP04YdVmmLgmAuJo0/

[PullTogether73]

Diontae Spencer has been sitting on the trainers' table since the first quarter when they were working on him. He just took an ice pack off his lower back. Hopefully not a serious injury.

[Neely2005]

The Argos will have an additional QB in their lineup today as Mitchell Gale has returned to the Double Blue.

Was a pleasant surprise to see him warming up on the sideline.

[jerrym]

Good to see Kilgore and Gale do well in the Argo victory as it somewhat quietens my concerns about a backup.



T.J. Heath had two interceptions and Logan Kilgore threw a touchdown pass to Vidal Hazelton, leading the Argos to a 25-16 win over the rival Ticats in their pre-season opener at BMO Field. 16,168
The 16,168 announced fans in attendance couldn’t have asked for better weather for the team’s first game at BMO, as Double Blue supporters tailgated outside before enjoying an efficient showing from Kilgore and a second-half comeback win over a hated rival.
Kilgore threw for 107 yards on 8-of-13 passing for a touchdown and no interceptions, helping his bid for the backup quarterback position, while Mitchell Gale’s perfect 6-for-6 drive in the fourth quarter capped off by a Wallace Miles touchdown grab put the game away with 2:50 remaining.
Ticats starter Jeremiah Masoli was efficient but failed to get the Ticats on the board in his two first-quarter possessions, and on the other hand Jeff Mathews showed some good and some bad in throwing for 176 yards and a touchdown on 8-of-14 passing but also throwing two interceptions.
Brett Maher was a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals for the Ticats while Cody Mandell was 1-for-2 but hit a 50-yarder.
Ricky Ray played entered for the Argos in the second quarter but failed to pick up a first down on two possessions while completing one of three passing attempts. ...

Kilgore got the chance to go first in the Argo offence and didn’t disappoint, completing seven of his first eight passes as the Argos stormed out to a 10-0 lead.
The 26-year-old Middle Tennessee State product looked comfortable in the pocket and confident in his arm early on, finding an open Kenny Shaw to the 50 then on a second down play threading the needle to Hazelton for a first down into Ticats’ territory.
Fighting for the second spot on the Argos’ depth chart this pre-season, Kilgore twice moved the chains on third and short and three times converted lengthy second-down plays, including a pass in the end zone to a wide open Hazelton on second and 13.
The 17-yard score gave the Argos a 7-0 lead, capping off a 15-play drive that took 8:21 off the clock.
The lead got to 10-0 on a 37-yard field goal by newcomer Lirim Hajrullahu, while the Ticats would punt once more before ending the first quarter down by a touchdown and a three-pointer.
After a strong two possessions for Kilgore, the Argos turned their offence over to Ray, but the veteran in his first full season back from shoulder surgery failed to get any momentum. The Argos went two-and-out twice with Ray on the field while Ray went 1-for-3 before letting rookie pivot Cody Fajardo take over.
In one of the biggest roster competitions to watch throughout training camp, the Ticats ended Masoli’s day early in the second quarter and made the switch to 24-year-old Mathews. And after Masoli failed to generate any scoring on 6-of-9 passing, Mathews provided the Ticat offence the spark it needed.
His second passing attempt of the game was a 50-yard strike to a wide open Tiquan Underwood behind the Argos’ secondary, cutting the deficit to 10-7 and giving Mathews a nice step in front on the quarterback competition with 10:35 left in the first half.
Mathews and the ‘Cats looked to strike again shortly after, but after a 51-yard completion to Matt Coates deep in Argos territory he was intercepted by Heath on a second down play near the goal line.

http://www.cfl.ca/games/2268/hamilton-tiger-cats-vs-toronto-argonauts/#preview

[jerrym]

Great to see an announced crowd of 16,000 at a preseason Argos game. It augurs well for the future.

[jerrym]

A Tiger Cat tweet that I actually like.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Argos?src=hash">#Argos</a> top the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ticats?src=hash">#Ticats</a> in the preseason opener at <a href="https://twitter.com/BMOField">@BMOField</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFLGameDay?src=hash">#CFLGameDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/BzCDI6oNkc">pic.twitter.com/BzCDI6oNkc</a></p>&mdash; Hamilton Tiger-Cats (@Ticats) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ticats/status/741764189430091776">June 11, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

A Tiger Cat (biased) perspective on the game.



The Hamilton Tiger-Cats may have dropped the preseason opener to the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon, but the 25-16 loss provided Kent Austin and his coaching staff with the opportunity to evaluate depth and talent at multiple position groups. Here’s three, key takeaways from the Ticats first real football action of the 2016 season.
1. THE TIGER-CATS ARE DEEP AT RECEIVER
With starters Andy Fantuz and Chad Owens out of the line up, Saturday’s game allowed other playmakers to get involved in the Tiger-Cats offensive game plan. The receiving group looks to have ample depth, with ___ different receivers catching balls. Statistically, Tiquan Underwood had the best performance of the afternoon with four receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown. Underwood put the Ticats on the board in the second quarter with a 50-yard bomb from Jeff Mathews, after Mathews rolled out of the pocket to avoid pressure. One of the more impressive catches in the game came in the second quarter when third year Canadian receiver Matt Coates fought off an Argo defender and created enough separation to haul in a diving 51-yard reception.
2. BOTH KICKERS PERFORM UNDER THE LIGHTS
After a practice earlier in the week, Coach Austin told the media he would reserve judgement on kickers Brett Maher and Cody Mandell until ‘the lights were on’. Both kickers legs were swinging in midseason form on Saturday. The on-field performances by both the kickers will not make the decision easier as both men compete for the starting gig. Brett Maher set the bar in the positional battle as he went 2-of-2 on field goals from 35 and 38 yards. Cody Mandell would come in for the second half and would add his own stamp by making a 52-yard field goal to push the Ticats ahead 13-10 in the third quarter.
3. DEFENSIVE LINE LEADS THE DEFENSIVE CHARGE
Many of the newcomers to the Hamilton defence made a name for themselves during Saturday’s preseason game. Demond Washington and Will Smith tied for the team lead in tackles with 5 apiece. Michael Atkinson, Delano Johnson, Ellis Lankster all notched a sack. Stepping back into the linebacker position this season, Johnny Sears was flying around the field, making numerous plays on the ball.

http://ticats.ca/three-takeaways-from-ticats-vs-argos/

[jerrym]

Hazelton on the win.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">First win in our new home!<br>How&#39;d that one feel, <a href="https://twitter.com/Vidal_Hazelton7">@Vidal_Hazelton7</a>?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewBeginnings?src=hash">#NewBeginnings</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFLGameDay?src=hash">#CFLGameDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/JxqYDnKLqD">pic.twitter.com/JxqYDnKLqD</a></p>&mdash; Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) <a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos/status/741787724516974592">June 12, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[OV Argo]

Questions for those at the game:

- who played and looked good at MLB?

- new receiver Ambles sure was targeted a lot

- how bout the RBs? - did Dillon Campbell dress or play?

- Llevi Noel made a couple of decent gainer grabs - makes the roster ?

- who was the best looking of the back-up QBs ?

[Argo57]

Although teams keep schemes fairly basic Kilgore and Gale looked really sharp, Fajardo needs time.
I have knocked Josey in the past but he looked pretty good today, receivers played well and the D already looked better than anytime last season.
Love the new stadium, perfect for CFL football, the seats are a little on the "no frills" side.
On a side note the Kimchi pulled chicken hot dog was pretty decent as well!!

[doubleblue]

I thought most of the Argo veterans played fairly well. The starting O Line looked solid. Van Roten would be a better Center than Watman IMO but hey it's the CFL. McEwen will probably take over there later in the season.
KIlgore did some good things. I didn't know Mitchell Gale was back with the Argos. When did that happen. Nice to see young Noel make some good catches in the 4th quarter. I had him going in the 2nd round to the Argos back in my pre draft picks. I like the future for the Argos Canadian receivers with Jones, Noel and Williams coming on. With the import receivers the Argos have they won't have to rush them, which is a good thing.
I thought Cam Walker looks like he will be able to get some playing time this year, and we know what Waud can do. Good depth there along with Ricky Foley. I guess the import guys on the D Line will be Robertson, Hall and Hickman.
Whitaker and I hope Kackert in the backfield again with Baker in the wings. The Argos look like a pretty solid team if they can stay injury free to some of their key guys.
.
Two or three new DB's look like they can play, especially Heath. Looked like they had Raymond playing some half back. I thought they brought him in to play OLB. Stubler likes his Vets so maybe Issac and Raymond both are penciled in to start the season. McFattin looks like the new MLB to go with MIles. Greenwood looks good.

Hamilton is still a good team, but maybe they are going to struggle a bit until Collaros gets back. Mathews looks good one minute and then terrible the next. Argos need to jump on them right off the bat to put some distance on them early, as Hamilton will be tough later on when Collaros returns to form.

[ArgoZ]

Thoughts on the game;

- $11 parking at Medieval Times. Reasonable with at 10 minute walk and actually 1/2h quicker to get home to Niagara than the Dome.

- Walking around the outside of the stadium was rather quiet and non exciting. Tailgate was too far away to walk to. It should be directing behind the South stands to create more of an atmosphere. Even if I don't attend, I still want to see people throwing footballs and having a great time. So far away at Ontario Place resulted in many not even knowing it existed.

- Merchandise was severely lacking. No player jersey's. Adidas sweaters typically overpriced at $90+. Argos, non brand name sweaters at reasonable $60 prices. The Argonauts skinny white "A" logo is plastered on everything. Not a great look IMO.

- Stadium looks great. Lots of Argonauts signage making it feel home. Field looks great, even with artificial end zones. Field held up nicely too, almost no difference to a soccer match. Now let's see how well those lines wash off. They did look like a rather light application.

- I definitely miss the good old Jumbotron, caught myself looking for it many times.

- I sat in the upper East side, where all the "freebies" we're it seemed. Rather decent sounding crowd for half full, should be amazing for the home opener. Side reminds me of lower 500 level at the Dome. A little to high for my liking, but you can see everything unfold. Seats are terrible, felt like sitting on a potty trainer. They got to go next upgrade. Stayed in the shade the whole game, so roof has multiple uses. Lower level was sun drenched. It was hard to hear the stadium announcer, might just need to turn the volume up, but it was frustrating not hearing the calls.

- loved the views of the lake while watching the game. There was a nice breeze. Wind conditions made the North Endzone harder to score on. We are going to see many 50 yard+ field goals going South and some missed singles going North, I'm sure of it.

[OgtheDim]

Thoughts on the game;

- $11 parking at Medieval Times. Reasonable with at 10 minute walk and actually 1/2h quicker to get home to Niagara than the Dome.

- Walking around the outside of the stadium was rather quiet and non exciting. Tailgate was too far away to walk to. It should be directing behind the South stands to create more of an atmosphere. Even if I don't attend, I still want to see people throwing footballs and having a great time. So far away at Ontario Place resulted in many not even knowing it existed.

- Merchandise was severely lacking. No player jersey's. Adidas sweaters typically overpriced at $90+. Argos, non brand name sweaters at reasonable $60 prices. The Argonauts skinny white "A" logo is plastered on everything. Not a great look IMO.

- Stadium looks great. Lots of Argonauts signage making it feel home. Field looks great, even with artificial end zones. Field held up nicely too, almost no difference to a soccer match. Now let's see how well those lines wash off. They did look like a rather light application.

- I definitely miss the good old Jumbotron, caught myself looking for it many times.

- I sat in the upper East side, where all the "freebies" we're it seemed. Rather decent sounding crowd for half full, should be amazing for the home opener. Side reminds me of lower 500 level at the Dome. A little to high for my liking, but you can see everything unfold. Seats are terrible, felt like sitting on a potty trainer. They got to go next upgrade. Stayed in the shade the whole game, so roof has multiple uses. Lower level was sun drenched. It was hard to hear the stadium announcer, might just need to turn the volume up, but it was frustrating not hearing the calls.

- loved the views of the lake while watching the game. There was a nice breeze. Wind conditions made the North Endzone harder to score on. We are going to see many 50 yard+ field goals going South and some missed singles going North, I'm sure of it.


I don't think those seats are going anywhere - the whole upper East was built as cheap as they could seats wise. That upper East side can be loud with that roof. I also heard that some people in the West discovered the "foot stomping" capabilities over there. Should make for a racous atmoshphere.

As for the wind, it actually usually whips in from the South, if anything. We havn't seen a big rainstorm with the new roof so who knows what that will do.

As for the sound, they are soooooooo not used to people needing announcements. The only announcements during games for TFC are goals and yellow cards and they keep the volume down on purpose. I saw some tweets today about that and BMOfield responded. Given the new sound system they spent a few million on, I think they'll be getting much better sound for the opener.

That Lake view is the best. My TFC seat is in 221 and I spend a good chunk of half time always looking towards the Island.

[Will]

- The sound system got better in the second half, and I'm sure that some sort of resolution will be found by 06/23.

- The field didn't seem to be too bad (vis a vis the grass), but agreed that the lines and numbers were applied very lightly. Also, once the sun whipped around to the west, it was virtually impossible to see the lines from the east stand.

- I think BMO has the potential to be a loud stadium for the Argos.

- I basically agree with Paul's assessment of the QB's in which he tweeted here:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kilgore looked good. Ricky took 4 snaps. Fajardo struggled but found some late success. Gale always looks good in preseason.</p>&mdash; Paul Woods (@pxw13) <a href="https://twitter.com/pxw13/status/741777328632520704">June 11, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

- Very vanilla defense, but I liked Walker.

- Henry Josey was pretty good as well. I don't think he busted any significant gains, but looked good in protection.

- Mathews looks like a world beater on one play and awful the next.

- Was the #1 D still on the field for that Underwood TD?

[KCargosfan]

Questions for those at the game:

- who played and looked good at MLB?

- new receiver Ambles sure was targeted a lot

- how bout the RBs? - did Dillon Campbell dress or play?

- Llevi Noel made a couple of decent gainer grabs - makes the roster ?

- who was the best looking of the back-up QBs ?

http://www.cfl.ca/games/2268/hamilton-tiger-cats-vs-toronto-argonauts/#boxscore

We only ran the ball 12 times all game.

[Wobbler]

It's wonderful to listen to/read about football again!

[PullTogether73]

I'm rather startled at how much I've come to dislike (okay, more like detest) Tiger-cats fans.
I wish they would stay away from our home games tbh. They're everywhere it seems. Why don't they at least stay in one section together so we can easily ignore them?

One loud yahoo of a Ti-cat fan tried to high 5 me as I wandered under the east stands at half time.
I simply glared at him and kept walking.
I'm usually quite tolerant of people when in public, but I have really come to detest Ti-cat fans. The scary part is, I'm quite comfortable with this.
:biteme:

[Will]

I'm rather startled at how much I've come to dislike (okay, more like detest) Tiger-cats fans.
I wish they would stay away from our home games tbh. They're everywhere it seems. Why don't they at least stay in one section together so we can easily ignore them?

One loud yahoo of a Ti-cat fan tried to high 5 me as I wandered under the east stands at half time.
I simply glared at him and kept walking.
I'm usually quite tolerant of people when in public, but I have really come to detest Ti-cat fans. The scary part is, I'm quite comfortable with this.
:biteme:

I don't know, they were all behaved.
Weren't a significant lot of them like there has been in past.

[Will]

http://www.cfl.ca/games/2268/hamilton-tiger-cats-vs-toronto-argonauts/#boxscore

Stat pack for today.

[AngeloV]

It was a fun day, and great to sit in the stadium.

I don't know what people are expecting from Fajardo. Reading twitter a lot of Argos fans weren't impressed. I see it as his first ever professional game action, and thought he looked quite good when taking that into consideration.

So happy to see Noel make a tough catch, and then make a 2nd and show great ability to break tackles. Very big, strong receiver, that I believe will have a great future in this league.

Surprised to see Gale, but not surprised with his success. This is his 3rd season in this offensive system, so lack of TC shouldn't be a big issue for him. He is definitely
talented.

Very happy with Kilgore's stint as well.

Unbelievable athletic play by Bryan Hall, dropping into coverage and diving to knock down a ball. I honestly did not know he can be that athletic.

Cam Walker was excellent. I think we have a good rotation guy for Foley.

But...My favourite part of the day was the fact that the music is nowhere near as loud as it is in the dome, making easy to talk to your friends between plays. I loved that.

[LLB997]

was driving or should i say bumper to bumper on the Gardiner and drove by just as the 2nd half got under way so was expecting to see lots of empty seats and it looked rather full a minute into the 2nd half. very nice turnout for pre season football

[Stevoman]

So, what's up with McPherson? No action at all today or is the Gale signing signalling that something is up?

[ArgoRavi]

So, what's up with McPherson? No action at all today or is the Gale signing signalling that something is up?

McPherson was ill with a migraine which is why he was not available to play.

[Will]

was driving or should i say bumper to bumper on the Gardiner and drove by just as the 2nd half got under way so was expecting to see lots of empty seats and it looked rather full a minute into the 2nd half. very nice turnout for pre season football

The attendance was announced as 16,000. OK for a preseason game for this market. Still plenty of work to be done for Copeland et al however.

[Will]

It was a fun day, and great to sit in the stadium.

I don't know what people are expecting from Fajardo. Reading twitter a lot of Argos fans weren't impressed. I see it as his first ever professional game action, and thought he looked quite good when taking that into consideration.

So happy to see Noel make a tough catch, and then make a 2nd and show great ability to break tackles. Very big, strong receiver, that I believe will have a great future in this league.

Surprised to see Gale, but not surprised with his success. This is his 3rd season in this offensive system, so lack of TC shouldn't be a big issue for him. He is definitely
talented.

Very happy with Kilgore's stint as well.

Unbelievable athletic play by Bryan Hall, dropping into coverage and diving to knock down a ball. I honestly did not know he can be that athletic.

Cam Walker was excellent. I think we have a good rotation guy for Foley.

But...My favourite part of the day was the fact that the music is nowhere near as loud as it is in the dome, making easy to talk to your friends between plays. I loved that.

I'm not saying cut Fajardo now, but after watching him over two practices and 2 quarters of an exhibition game (which might not be a proper sample granted), I'm just not sure what the Argos saw that convinced them to sign him. I had thought his arm strength to be underwhelming, but then he surprises me by throwing that deep ball that was just overthrown.

That was definitely a nice catch-and-run by Noel. Sounds like he's had an impressive camp.

Mitchell Gale, the MOP of the preseason, but agreed as you said he knows the system.

That opening drive was very nice from Kilgore taking 8:30 off the clock; but the 2nd drive was also just as impressive. It ended with a FG but he had led the team down from the shadow of the goalposts.

The Argos could've picked off 2 or 3 more passes than what they did.

[paulwoods13]

My take:

Fantastic stadium. I'm thrilled to be on the lower west side -- never a threat of being sunned out. My sister was on lower east side in first half and they baked.

The field is beautiful, the atmosphere amazing even when less than full. Best overall atmosphere we've had at home in 33 or so years. We've had some fabulous moments in SkyDome (playoff games, the Grey Cup, some regular-season games) but all of them took place in an airport. This is an actual football stadium, with intimacy and pageantry.

Heath (presumably no relation to Jo-Jo) must surely have won a job in the secondary with two picks and a knockdown. Noel looked good, Walker was excellent (sack and two hurries), McFadden seems to be the likely starter at MLB. Kenny Shaw made a few decent plays but couldn't run under Ricky's corner pattern; hope Spencer is not out too long with what looked like maybe back spasms. Hawkins was on the third or fourth unit -- either he's on the bubble or he's so safe they decided to play him with the scrubs.

Sewell and Founoti went in on jumbo formation when the starters were on the o-line. Guessing they will start the season as No. 6 and 7 at least until McEwen is dressed.

Draftee Declan Cross will likely make the team as a backup FB/STer. Young receiver Williams played a lot in second half but didn't see any passes.

Lots of good teammates on the Argos, especially Foley (who coached up the young d-linemen a few times using a tablet) and Elliott (who is constantly watching the action and cheering on whoever's on the field).

[Will]

I think I saw in the stats that Williams did have 1 catch for 5 yards.

[paulwoods13]

Questions for those at the game:

- who played and looked good at MLB?

- new receiver Ambles sure was targeted a lot

- how bout the RBs? - did Dillon Campbell dress or play?

- Llevi Noel made a couple of decent gainer grabs - makes the roster ?

- who was the best looking of the back-up QBs ?

McFadden started and looked good. Spruill played in the second half, I didn't notice him doing anything.

Ambles looked pretty good but is in tough to make a deep roster of receivers.

If Campbell dressed, I didn't notice him on the sideline. Never played on offence -- the backs were, in order, Josey, Whitaker (briefly with Ricky), Kackert and Baker.

Noel is making the team IMO. Looked very good. So did Wallace Miles, BTW.

Kilgore was very good at QB. Gale was good in late duty. Fajardo struggled early but scrambled well and found some rhythm late. R took only four snaps, just missed Shaw on a deep corner route where he aired it out -- his arm strength looks good.

Mods -- maybe this should be in the game thread.

[Will]

Yeah, it is 100% Argo related so belongs in the game thread.

[shayman]

- Walking around the outside of the stadium was rather quiet and non exciting. Tailgate was too far away to walk to. It should be directing behind the South stands to create more of an atmosphere. Even if I don't attend, I still want to see people throwing footballs and having a great time. So far away at Ontario Place resulted in many not even knowing it existed.

Some of the official tailgates WILL be in that lot directly behind the south stands (as well as Ontario Place) but scheduling makes it difficult to do that every time. Yesterday the "Ride to Conquer Cancer" was using that lot as its departure point.

I believe the home opener will feature official tailgates in both lots. The Ontario Place lot will be used at every game, and the Exhibition Place lot as well at five of them.

[ArgoZ]

Some of the official tailgates WILL be in that lot directly behind the south stands (as well as Ontario Place) but scheduling makes it difficult to do that every time. Yesterday the "Ride to Conquer Cancer" was using that lot as its departure point.

I believe the home opener will feature official tailgates in both lots. The Ontario Place lot will be used at every game, and the Exhibition Place lot as well at five of them.

Thanks for the info. It looked like a decent amount of cars. Having it behind the stands would have enticed many more to walk in (if they were allowed), or encourage more to join in the fun next game.

Any plans for a post game victory concert this year at gate #? My tradition was to always stop by gate 2 and enjoy the win.

[shayman]

Any plans for a post game victory concert this year at gate #? My tradition was to always stop by gate 2 and enjoy the win.

Yesterday we tried it outside Gate 1 (northeast corner) to catch people on their way back to the GO Train. Still mulling over what the right spot is.

[PullTogether73]

Yesterday we tried it outside Gate 1 (northeast corner) to catch people on their way back to the GO Train. Still mulling over what the right spot is.

I passed you guys there on the way to the GO train.
That is a good spot for people taking the train to see you.
Alternatively, for the drive up crowd or those lingering in the south end, a spot outside the south gates would be recommended.

[R.J]

Thoughts:
QB's - Kilgore looked good - very good IMO. Ray wasn't in for long, but I thought the deep throw looked great....... even though it didn't work out. Farjardo clearly struggled and needs more time (keep in mind Kilgore didn't look great last year either) - way too quick to run IMO. Was shocked to see Gale, but not surprised he was successful.

Rb's - were barely used, so not much I can say other than Baker looked pretty good and I thought for the most part they all blocker relatively well. Josey played okay IMO - was able to find holes in the middle, but didn't get far.

OL - Our starters are set IMO, but I think Van Roten should move to Centre for now until McEwen is ready - IMO Watman didn't look that great.

WR's - Hazelton, Elliott, Gurley, Durie and Spencer are probably locks, but I like what I saw from Noel and Miles.

Defence: Liked what I saw from Hall, Walker and McFadden. If i didn't know which number he had I wouldn't have noticed Spruill (who I had high hopes for). Not sure if it was Ansah or Hebert who got beat badly on the first TD, but I didn't like it at all - whomever it was clearly wasn't paying attention. Heath looked real good at times, but also got beat a few times as well. I liked what I saw from Legree. Very vanilla defense, so I'm expecting better things in week 1.

BMO: Loved it, train ride there was fast and easy. When you get into the stadium it actually felt as if it was the Argonauts home - lots of blue and if I didn't know any better I would've thought it was a CFL venue. I was on the East upper deck and it was fantastic; great views of the field and a nice breeze until the middle of the 4th and we got the sun. TBH the only two complaints I have is #1. I wish the big screen was bigger and maybe I missed it, but it wouldn't show which down it was (2 and 8 etc) and #2. the sound system at times was hard to hear - it was great when the music would play, but when Landry, Kate or the head ref spoke; it was hard to hear what they were saying.

Ticat Fans: They were pretty tame; I had no issue with any of them and didn't hear much during the game. I had some great convos with Ticat fans heading to and from the game as well.

[ArgoZ]

Yesterday we tried it outside Gate 1 (northeast corner) to catch people on their way back to the GO Train. Still mulling over what the right spot is.

Likely the best spot. Lots of traffic from the West side also, as they are going to the train or parking. The team can probably hear the band to, being right outside the dressing room.

[Argo57]

Thoughts:
QB's - Kilgore looked good - very good IMO. Ray wasn't in for long, but I thought the deep throw looked great....... even though it didn't work out. Farjardo clearly struggled and needs more time (keep in mind Kilgore didn't look great last year either) - way too quick to run IMO. Was shocked to see Gale, but not surprised he was successful.

Rb's - were barely used, so not much I can say other than Baker looked pretty good and I thought for the most part they all blocker relatively well. Josey played okay IMO - was able to find holes in the middle, but didn't get far.

OL - Our starters are set IMO, but I think Van Roten should move to Centre for now until McEwen is ready - IMO Watman didn't look that great.

WR's - Hazelton, Elliott, Gurley, Durie and Spencer are probably locks, but I like what I saw from Noel and Miles.

Defence: Liked what I saw from Hall, Walker and McFadden. If i didn't know which number he had I wouldn't have noticed Spruill (who I had high hopes for). Not sure if it was Ansah or Hebert who got beat badly on the first TD, but I didn't like it at all - whomever it was clearly wasn't paying attention. Heath looked real good at times, but also got beat a few times as well. I liked what I saw from Legree. Very vanilla defense, so I'm expecting better things in week 1.

BMO: Loved it, train ride there was fast and easy. When you get into the stadium it actually felt as if it was the Argonauts home - lots of blue and if I didn't know any better I would've thought it was a CFL venue. I was on the East upper deck and it was fantastic; great views of the field and a nice breeze until the middle of the 4th and we got the sun. TBH the only two complaints I have is #1. I wish the big screen was bigger and maybe I missed it, but it wouldn't show which down it was (2 and 8 etc) and #2. the sound system at times was hard to hear - it was great when the music would play, but when Landry, Kate or the head ref spoke; it was hard to hear what they were saying.

Ticat Fans: They were pretty tame; I had no issue with any of them and didn't hear much during the game. I had some great convos with Ticat fans heading to and from the game as well.

I'm on the upper east side as well (52 yard line to be exact) love the vantage point, great view of the lake as well.
No risk of being rained on, felt sorry for the people baking in the sun on the lower east side.
I had the same feeling walking up to the stadium SnowRogue, like returning to your long lost home.
I also liked looking down and seeing where the old stadium was situated, we are finally back where we belong, hard to believe all those years have gone by.

[Gill The Thrill]

Thoughts:
QB's - Kilgore looked good - very good IMO. Ray wasn't in for long, but I thought the deep throw looked great....... even though it didn't work out. Farjardo clearly struggled and needs more time (keep in mind Kilgore didn't look great last year either) - way too quick to run IMO. Was shocked to see Gale, but not surprised he was successful.

Rb's - were barely used, so not much I can say other than Baker looked pretty good and I thought for the most part they all blocker relatively well. Josey played okay IMO - was able to find holes in the middle, but didn't get far.



Considering it was the first pre-season, you got to give a lot of leeway. Both teams are not really showing much on both sides of the ball and keeping it vanilla. Farjardo could still be kept around, he's got some speed so could develop into a dual threat with more experience. Kilgore and Gale looked more refined, but shouldn't they be when you consider that this isn't their first camp.

Was a little disappointed to just see Henry Josey just get carries of all the vets in the backfield. He was Ok, for pre-season but he has no speed to get to the outside and broke off one for a 10 yd carry, but was it against the first team. I would have liked to have seen Anthony Coombs used out of the backfield. I know he's a slotback, but was he not a running back in Manitoba. I know he's got good speed and think that some carries from the backfield during the pre-season could see him maintain those skills.

Wallace Miles and Levi Noel caught some attention with some catches. Was Brian Jones playing or dressed, didn't notice and must admit that I walked around the stadium a bit more than usual.

[doubleblue]

Coombs has good speed and was a RB in CIS football and he can make people miss trying to tackle him at times, But, I can't ever remember seeing him break a tackle. Always seems to go down at the first contact. Back up for Durie and maybe they can make a WR out of him.
I don't see Josey making the team again this year. Whitaker, Kackert and Baker look to be the three who will probably rotate on and off the 46 man roster.
Brian Jones is still out with the wrist injury.
Probably just about everybody was caught off guard when Gale showed up and played. He must have been working out and throwing somewhere. I would just as soon see Kilgore and Gale be the two game day back ups, while Farjardo keeps learning on the IR or PR. McPherson has never showed much as a passer IMO.

[Argo57]

Considering it was the first pre-season, you got to give a lot of leeway. Both teams are not really showing much on both sides of the ball and keeping it vanilla. Farjardo could still be kept around, he's got some speed so could develop into a dual threat with more experience. Kilgore and Gale looked more refined, but shouldn't they be when you consider that this isn't their first camp.

Was a little disappointed to just see Henry Josey just get carries of all the vets in the backfield. He was Ok, for pre-season but he has no speed to get to the outside and broke off one for a 10 yd carry, but was it against the first team. I would have liked to have seen Anthony Coombs used out of the backfield. I know he's a slotback, but was he not a running back in Manitoba. I know he's got good speed and think that some carries from the backfield during the pre-season could see him maintain those skills.

Wallace Miles and Levi Noel caught some attention with some catches. Was Brian Jones playing or dressed, didn't notice and must admit that I walked around the stadium a bit more than usual.

Pretty sure I read Jones may be looking at season ending wrist surgery.

[Neely2005]

Thoughts:
QB's - Kilgore looked good - very good IMO. Ray wasn't in for long, but I thought the deep throw looked great....... even though it didn't work out. Farjardo clearly struggled and needs more time (keep in mind Kilgore didn't look great last year either) - way too quick to run IMO. Was shocked to see Gale, but not surprised he was successful.

Rb's - were barely used, so not much I can say other than Baker looked pretty good and I thought for the most part they all blocker relatively well. Josey played okay IMO - was able to find holes in the middle, but didn't get far.

OL - Our starters are set IMO, but I think Van Roten should move to Centre for now until McEwen is ready - IMO Watman didn't look that great.

WR's - Hazelton, Elliott, Gurley, Durie and Spencer are probably locks, but I like what I saw from Noel and Miles.

Defence: Liked what I saw from Hall, Walker and McFadden. If i didn't know which number he had I wouldn't have noticed Spruill (who I had high hopes for). Not sure if it was Ansah or Hebert who got beat badly on the first TD, but I didn't like it at all - whomever it was clearly wasn't paying attention. Heath looked real good at times, but also got beat a few times as well. I liked what I saw from Legree. Very vanilla defense, so I'm expecting better things in week 1.

BMO: Loved it, train ride there was fast and easy. When you get into the stadium it actually felt as if it was the Argonauts home - lots of blue and if I didn't know any better I would've thought it was a CFL venue. I was on the East upper deck and it was fantastic; great views of the field and a nice breeze until the middle of the 4th and we got the sun. TBH the only two complaints I have is #1. I wish the big screen was bigger and maybe I missed it, but it wouldn't show which down it was (2 and 8 etc) and #2. the sound system at times was hard to hear - it was great when the music would play, but when Landry, Kate or the head ref spoke; it was hard to hear what they were saying.

Ticat Fans: They were pretty tame; I had no issue with any of them and didn't hear much during the game. I had some great convos with Ticat fans heading to and from the game as well.

They had the Down and Yard to go on the Jumbotron for every play. It was on the right side about 3/4 of the way down.

[R.J]

They had the Down and Yard to go on the Jumbotron for every play. It was on the right side about 3/4 of the way down.
Must have been the seating angle I was at, because I honestly didn't see it. I'll be looking out for it at the home opener.

[Shatto]

In another thread, mentioned the contests I was looking forward to---relative to that, here are my observations (again-for what they are worth):

CB--Heath had 2 interceptions and used his speed well. He played a little soft on some short passes but closed quickly to limit the gains. Showed he could cover well and not let any long passes be completed in his area. Berry was very good in man coverage and was on top of potential receivers very quickly. Frankly, Owusu-Ansah is going to have to sharpen up his game to hold these two off.

DT--Robertson played with Hall, which made his job a little easier but he did look very effective when he was in there. Playing with the first string D always makes it a little easier to shine but he did play well. Both Watson and Bishop were more than competent and often pushed the offensive line players back. Granted it is easier to play against 2nd and 3rd stringers but they looked good. On the balance Robertson looks to have won the right to play along side Hall.

QB backups--Kilgore looked excellent--very polished, crisp passes and good decisions. Looked in complete charge when in there. Jury out on McPherson but suffering from migraines will not have helped his cause. Fajardo showed excellent athletic ability both running and passing but sometimes made some poor decisions. He is a keeper but is obviously a work-in-progress. Gale was the surprise --accurate passes, quick reads, good decision making--ok he played against 3rd stringers but even with that, he was impressive.

[Will]

Must have been the seating angle I was at, because I honestly didn't see it. I'll be looking out for it at the home opener.

The down and distance was there, but it was difficult to pick out at times.

[paulwoods13]

Not sure if it was Ansah or Hebert who got beat badly on the first TD, but I didn't like it at all - whomever it was clearly wasn't paying attention.

O-A and Herbert each gave up one long completion down the left sideline. O-A is probably in tough to keep his spot, Herbert is probably worth keeping around as an emergency backup and ST guy but at this stage of his career he's not gonna develop into a starting-calibre player.

[Will]

Ansah was the victim on the touchdown while Herbert was the victim on the Coates catch. I don't believe the latter was especially at fault as it was more a spectacular catch more than anything.

[paulwoods13]

DT--Robertson played with Hall, which made his job a little easier but he did look very effective when he was in there. Playing with the first string D always makes it a little easier to shine but he did play well. Both Watson and Bishop were more than competent and often pushed the offensive line players back. Granted it is easier to play against 2nd and 3rd stringers but they looked good. On the balance Robertson looks to have won the right to play along side Hall.


Pretty sure we are planning to start one NAT at DT -- Bulcke and Waud in rotation. Neither guy dressed yesterday. I could certainly see Robertson dressing and playing in a rotation. If we are able to start nine NATs (two on d-line, one at LB, one at S, four on o-line and one SB), we can rotate Robertson or another INT DT in alongside Hall frequently.

[R.J]

O-A and Herbert each gave up one long completion down the left sideline. O-A is probably in tough to keep his spot, Herbert is probably worth keeping around as an emergency backup and ST guy but at this stage of his career he's not gonna develop into a starting-calibre player.
It was the first TD - I just saw the replay and it was Ansah. It was tough to see if it was an 8 or 9 (sitting in the North East upper deck), but I really didn't like what I saw on that play.

[R.J]

Milanovich on BMO Field, Kilgore, Gale, penalties etc.
http://www.argonauts.ca/2016/06/11/scott-milanovich-on-atmosphere-at-bmo/

[jerrym]

Coombs has good speed and was a RB in CIS football and he can make people miss trying to tackle him at times, But, I can't ever remember seeing him break a tackle. Always seems to go down at the first contact. Back up for Durie and maybe they can make a WR out of him.
I don't see Josey making the team again this year. Whitaker, Kackert and Baker look to be the three who will probably rotate on and off the 46 man roster.
Brian Jones is still out with the wrist injury.
Probably just about everybody was caught off guard when Gale showed up and played. He must have been working out and throwing somewhere. I would just as soon see Kilgore and Gale be the two game day back ups, while Farjardo keeps learning on the IR or PR. McPherson has never showed much as a passer IMO.

I basically agree with your assessment although I think Coombs may stay as backup to Durie until his retirement which is could be by the end of this season, considering his age and recent injuries. Coombs was reasonably successful last year catching 57 passes for 486 yards, so he well stay as the dump pass guy rather than move out to WR where we already have so much talent.

[jerrym]

Hazelton on his catches and Ray's value, as well as Wallace Miles commenting on how the many different personalities on the team are connecting.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;Ricky brings so much swagger to the offence&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/Vidal_Hazelton7">@Vidal_Hazelton7</a> on catching 🏈s from Ricky Ray again<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewBeginnings?src=hash">#NewBeginnings</a><a href="https://t.co/HJPg9bT1Lk">https://t.co/HJPg9bT1Lk</a></p>&mdash; Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) <a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos/status/742114590113161217">June 12, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

T J Heath on his two interceptions and the fact he's never been on a team like this.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;I&#39;ve never been on a team like this!&quot;<br><br>2 INTs later, <a href="https://twitter.com/TjHeath34">@TjHeath34</a> is feeling something special on the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Argos?src=hash">#Argos</a><a href="https://t.co/GB4TuCGAAR">https://t.co/GB4TuCGAAR</a></p>&mdash; Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) <a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos/status/742061463536316417">June 12, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Milanovich comments on game and stadium.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;It&#39;s been a long time coming. Our guys are thrilled to be here!&quot;<br><br>Scott Milanovich talks the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Argos?src=hash">#Argos</a> new home<a href="https://t.co/x5NpNDji8q">https://t.co/x5NpNDji8q</a></p>&mdash; Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) <a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos/status/742022950388260864">June 12, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[OV Argo]

Pretty sure we are planning to start one NAT at DT -- Bulcke and Waud in rotation. Neither guy dressed yesterday. I could certainly see Robertson dressing and playing in a rotation. If we are able to start nine NATs (two on d-line, one at LB, one at S, four on o-line and one SB), we can rotate Robertson or another INT DT in alongside Hall frequently.


IF Bulcke is not healthy and ready to go, I could easily see them starting 2 import DTs with Waud as the back-up swing guy; Waud could be the starter with a young import guy as the back-up, but if there is no "ratio problem" issue to start Waud, then imports get the nod for playing time in typical CFL "thinking".

I'll believe 9 NI starters for this team when i see evidence of it, but there is certainly that possiblity; Miles starting at MLB is another possibility I guess, but doubtful perhaps. 10 NI starters would be gob mind boggling in this CFL day & age. I'll bet on all other CFL teams going with the minimum 7 NIs only need apply thinking - outside of the Bombers = could easily go with 8 - 3 O-lineman + Harris at RB + Kohlert at one receiver spot (could go with 2 NI receivers with Feoli-Gudino and Richards available too); and then 3 on D - Westerman & Shologan on the D-line; + vet Bucknor at corner; Hurl started at MLB for them last season, but I bet he will lose his job to an import now with other NI staters elsewhere; they also have several good NI safety prospects in Sherman, Waggoner and draft pick Loffler; they could start 10 NIs too.

[Rich]

What a day. The stadium was a dream come true. The media coverage of the game was fantastic -- first item on CP24 and CTV Toronto newscasts, with the tailgating and positive spin, I can't remember seeing coverage of the Argos like that ever. Maybe I am still dreaming.

It would have been nice if they distributed even just a sheet with the player numbers, come on, they want us to become acquainted with the players, don't they? I wonder if there will be programs sold before games again -- do other sports still sell game-day programs?

As for negatives, I don't believe i've ever seen a worse punting performance by an Argonaut team. They better get that fixed or we'll be losing field position all year long.

[paulwoods13]

It was the first TD - I just saw the replay and it was Ansah. It was tough to see if it was an 8 or 9 (sitting in the North East upper deck), but I really didn't like what I saw on that play.

Yes, and Herbert got beaten badly on a long gainer later.

[Will]

What a day. The stadium was a dream come true. The media coverage of the game was fantastic -- first item on CP24 and CTV Toronto newscasts, with the tailgating and positive spin, I can't remember seeing coverage of the Argos like that ever. Maybe I am still dreaming.

It would have been nice if they distributed even just a sheet with the player numbers, come on, they want us to become acquainted with the players, don't they? I wonder if there will be programs sold before games again -- do other sports still sell game-day programs?

As for negatives, I don't believe i've ever seen a worse punting performance by an Argonaut team. They better get that fixed or we'll be losing field position all year long.

I had printed off a depth chart before the game. I think the Blue Jays still sell programs.

Hopefully the punting was a product of the punters getting used to the wind patterns in the stadium.

[paulwoods13]

CFL teams (at least in southern Ontario, but probably everywhere) haven't sold programs in years. Not enough ad revenue to justify the production costs. However, I agree it would have been nice to get a printed lineup/depth chart. I assume for regular season games we will get the booklet we've been getting for past several seasons.

[AngeloV]

Yes, and Herbert got beaten badly on a long gainer later.

Herbert had good coverage, just didn't find the ball on that play. Great catch by Matt Coates, a former CJFL player.

[paulwoods13]

Herbert had good coverage, just didn't find the ball on that play. Great catch by Matt Coates, a former CJFL player.

Fair enough. You need the guy to make the play on the ball but it doesn't always work out that way. Still think Herbert is a useful backup/ST guy who has hit a ceiling in his development.

[AngeloV]

Fair enough. You need the guy to make the play on the ball but it doesn't always work out that way. Still think Herbert is a useful backup/ST guy who has hit a ceiling in his development.

I don't disagree. I don't think anyone expected him to be a starter on corner, but can still do a good enough job if pressed into service due to injury.

[R.J]

http://3downnation.com/2016/06/11/good-bad-hamiltons-preseason-loss-argos/

i'm glad someone mentioned the demographics. At times during the game I would do a look around and was surprised to see so many young people. IMO there were significantly more people under the age of 40 then there were 40 and overs. I never went to the west side though; maybe different ?

[Mightygoose]

http://3downnation.com/2016/06/11/good-bad-hamiltons-preseason-loss-argos/

i'm glad someone mentioned the demographics. At times during the game I would do a look around and was surprised to see so many young people. IMO there were significantly more people under the age of 40 then there were 40 and overs. I never went to the west side though; maybe different ?

I was in the west side I would say in our general area (Section 125) is skewed mainly in that 40-50ish range but overall I did see allot of younger people throughout that side. I wonder how much the free ticket offer contributed to that so curious to see the mix on the 24th.

[OV Argo]

Fair enough. You need the guy to make the play on the ball but it doesn't always work out that way. Still think Herbert is a useful backup/ST guy who has hit a ceiling in his development.

IMO - Barker & co. could have/should have addressed DB depth and a future safety type to understudy with Gabriel in this past draft, rather than picking 3 O-line "projects". Matt Black is getting on in age/mileage, and not sure Hebert has it as either a D-backfielder or a special teams force. There were some guys there this draft who IMO probably have way more potential than Hebert (including AUS all-star D-backfielder Hayden Peters (who was also the team's #1 punter at one time) - who put up some good athletic testing #s at a Regional Combine - the Als signed him as a FA for their TC when they already had several young safety/DB prospects on their roster) - why did Barker not even sign a NI FA there?

[Neely2005]

http://3downnation.com/2016/06/11/good-bad-hamiltons-preseason-loss-argos/

i'm glad someone mentioned the demographics. At times during the game I would do a look around and was surprised to see so many young people. IMO there were significantly more people under the age of 40 then there were 40 and overs. I never went to the west side though; maybe different ?

Lots of kids and families at the tailgate too.

[TheHammer]

Thoughts:
QB's - Kilgore looked good - very good IMO. Ray wasn't in for long, but I thought the deep throw looked great....... even though it didn't work out. Farjardo clearly struggled and needs more time (keep in mind Kilgore didn't look great last year either) - way too quick to run IMO. Was shocked to see Gale, but not surprised he was successful.

Rb's - were barely used, so not much I can say other than Baker looked pretty good and I thought for the most part they all blocker relatively well. Josey played okay IMO - was able to find holes in the middle, but didn't get far.

OL - Our starters are set IMO, but I think Van Roten should move to Centre for now until McEwen is ready - IMO Watman didn't look that great.

WR's - Hazelton, Elliott, Gurley, Durie and Spencer are probably locks, but I like what I saw from Noel and Miles.

Defence: Liked what I saw from Hall, Walker and McFadden. If i didn't know which number he had I wouldn't have noticed Spruill (who I had high hopes for). Not sure if it was Ansah or Hebert who got beat badly on the first TD, but I didn't like it at all - whomever it was clearly wasn't paying attention. Heath looked real good at times, but also got beat a few times as well. I liked what I saw from Legree. Very vanilla defense, so I'm expecting better things in week 1.

BMO: Loved it, train ride there was fast and easy. When you get into the stadium it actually felt as if it was the Argonauts home - lots of blue and if I didn't know any better I would've thought it was a CFL venue. I was on the East upper deck and it was fantastic; great views of the field and a nice breeze until the middle of the 4th and we got the sun. TBH the only two complaints I have is #1. I wish the big screen was bigger and maybe I missed it, but it wouldn't show which down it was (2 and 8 etc) and #2. the sound system at times was hard to hear - it was great when the music would play, but when Landry, Kate or the head ref spoke; it was hard to hear what they were saying.

Ticat Fans: They were pretty tame; I had no issue with any of them and didn't hear much during the game. I had some great convos with Ticat fans heading to and from the game as well.

That's good to hear. As a CFL fan first and a Ticat fan second, I am appalled at the number of Ticat fans who laugh at the 16000 crowd for the preseason game. I just don't get it. I honestly think it's because the stadium/crowd was the one thing we felt like we could have constant bragging rights over (the Argos have more GCs and more recently too; the Ticats have the '15 ESF win vs Argos but that's only good for an offseason, and Labour Day, but always get the feeling that means more to us than you). Any time the Argo fans were knocking Ticat fans, we always had the fanbase/stadium issue to hang over your heads. That could all change and I think it's scaring the anti-Argo Ticat fans. But trust me... that's not all of us.. myself, with many others that I know, love what could be happening in Toronto. We tend to see the bigger picture. There are some intelligent Ticat fans out there, after all.

[R.J]

MILANOVICH TALKS STANDOUTS AT PRESEASON
http://www.argonauts.ca/2016/06/13/milanovich-talks-standouts-at-preseason/


That's good to hear. As a CFL fan first and a Ticat fan second, I am appalled at the number of Ticat fans who laugh at the 16000 crowd for the preseason game. I just don't get it. I honestly think it's because the stadium/crowd was the one thing we felt like we could have constant bragging rights over (the Argos have more GCs and more recently too; the Ticats have the '15 ESF win vs Argos but that's only good for an offseason, and Labour Day, but always get the feeling that means more to us than you). Any time the Argo fans were knocking Ticat fans, we always had the fanbase/stadium issue to hang over your heads. That could all change and I think it's scaring the anti-Argo Ticat fans. But trust me... that's not all of us.. myself, with many others that I know, love what could be happening in Toronto. We tend to see the bigger picture. There are some intelligent Ticat fans out there, after all.
Yeah, from the conversations I had with Ticats fans; they seem genuinely happy for us. It was almost like we've got a shot now to turn it around the way Bob Young turn around the Ticats (hopefully a bit faster lol). We talked Brandon Banks, the Ticats open house, Sask's new stadium, Zach being injured, Ray being healthy, I was asked who the young QB Milanovich will develop is etc. I enjoyed the conversations; tbh I think CFL fans as a whole want to see each team do well off the field.............. on the field is another matter at times.

[TheHammer]

MILANOVICH TALKS STANDOUTS AT PRESEASON
http://www.argonauts.ca/2016/06/13/milanovich-talks-standouts-at-preseason/


Yeah, from the conversations I had with Ticats fans; they seem genuinely happy for us. It was almost like we've got a shot now to turn it around the way Bob Young turn around the Ticats (hopefully a bit faster lol). We talked Brandon Banks, the Ticats open house, Sask's new stadium, Zach being injured, Ray being healthy, I was asked who the young QB Milanovich will develop is etc. I enjoyed the conversations; tbh I think CFL fans as a whole want to see each team do well off the field.............. on the field is another matter at times.

I love talking to Argo fans. If you ask many Ticat fans, including myself, they'll tell you they actually hate the Als more than the Argos.

[Will]

That's good to hear. As a CFL fan first and a Ticat fan second, I am appalled at the number of Ticat fans who laugh at the 16000 crowd for the preseason game. I just don't get it. I honestly think it's because the stadium/crowd was the one thing we felt like we could have constant bragging rights over (the Argos have more GCs and more recently too; the Ticats have the '15 ESF win vs Argos but that's only good for an offseason, and Labour Day, but always get the feeling that means more to us than you). Any time the Argo fans were knocking Ticat fans, we always had the fanbase/stadium issue to hang over your heads. That could all change and I think it's scaring the anti-Argo Ticat fans. But trust me... that's not all of us.. myself, with many others that I know, love what could be happening in Toronto. We tend to see the bigger picture. There are some intelligent Ticat fans out there, after all.

Bob Young has done such a terrific job in Hamilton that these challenges are no longer present, but I still remember a time when Ticat attendance was also dreadfully bad. It'll take a little more time in Toronto because I don't think the Ticats (in spite of those issues) were ever as disconnected from the culture of Hamilton as the Argos are disconnected presently from the culture of Toronto, but if it can happen in Hamilton, Ottawa and Montreal then I believe that it can also happen here. As for some of the fans, well we all got morons. I guess the single most thing that irritates me about that subset of Ticat fans is their exaggeration of the % of Ticat fans present at Ticats @ Argo games.

[TheHammer]

Bob Young has done such a terrific job in Hamilton that these challenges are no longer present, but I still remember a time when Ticat attendance was also dreadfully bad. It'll take a little more time in Toronto because I don't think the Ticats (in spite of those issues) were ever as disconnected from the culture of Hamilton as the Argos are disconnected presently from the culture of Toronto, but if it can happen in Hamilton, Ottawa and Montreal then I believe that it can also happen here. As for some of the fans, well we all got morons. I guess the single most thing that irritates me about that subset of Ticat fans is their exaggeration of the % of Ticat fans present at Ticats @ Argo games.

Yes, Bob Young has done a great job but it did not happen overnight. There were some dreadful seasons early on, where a honeymoon period with Bob kept the butts in the seats despite losing records. Followed by the Great Stadium Debate (yes, it deserves to be a proper noun lol) where Bob became public enemy #1 in many Hamiltonians eyes (including many Ticat fans) and resulting in a better-than-nothing stadium location. That was followed by a season in the wilderness in Guelph, and half a season at Mac. We are lucky we have the owner we do. Think any other owner would have bailed a long time ago. So it wasn't an easy turnaround. And you're right that even when the crowds were sparse, there was still an aura of Ticats in the city. People still talked about the team. Might be harder in TO, but Bell and LT seem dedicated. I love how Rogers has to sit back and watch while their MLSE partners buy the one sports organization Rogers hates. I hope it is a resounding success and Rogers is left out in the cold.

[Will]

I do remember attendance figures in Hamilton taking a turn for the better fairly quickly in 2004. It sucks because it appeared on the surface that things were getting better here in Toronto too, but C & S were not at the same level of commitment that Young is/was.

[TheHammer]

I do remember attendance figures in Hamilton taking a turn for the better fairly quickly in 2004. It sucks because it appeared on the surface that things were getting better here in Toronto too, but C & S were not at the same level of commitment that Young is/was.

I remember the fanfare that C&S got along with BY when they first came in to the league. Sucks that C&S didn't work out. To be fair, the Ticats were the easier of the two to turn around, like you said. The Argos had stadium problems, lack of media attention, NFL intrusion, and having to deal with a big-league culture in Toronto. The Ticats had stadium and 18-34 marketing problems.

Always like when Bob Young said that no one buys a CFL team to make money (you won't make a lot). You buy a team because you love the league. In his case, his deceased brother loved the league (and team) and wanted to see the Ticats survive forever. His main goal is to make it financially stable with a viable future so there will be plenty of reputable suitors when it's time for him to sell. We're lucky to have him. Better than guys like Braley who tend to think more in the 'here and now'.

[Argo57]

Yes, Bob Young has done a great job but it did not happen overnight. There were some dreadful seasons early on, where a honeymoon period with Bob kept the butts in the seats despite losing records. Followed by the Great Stadium Debate (yes, it deserves to be a proper noun lol) where Bob became public enemy #1 in many Hamiltonians eyes (including many Ticat fans) and resulting in a better-than-nothing stadium location. That was followed by a season in the wilderness in Guelph, and half a season at Mac. We are lucky we have the owner we do. Think any other owner would have bailed a long time ago. So it wasn't an easy turnaround. And you're right that even when the crowds were sparse, there was still an aura of Ticats in the city. People still talked about the team. Might be harder in TO, but Bell and LT seem dedicated. I love how Rogers has to sit back and watch while their MLSE partners buy the one sports organization Rogers hates. I hope it is a resounding success and Rogers is left out in the cold.

Our family attended the Ticat fan day event last weekend, what a great time we had, my son got autographs and pictures with John Chick, Zach Collaros and we had our picture taken with Courtney Stephen.
Brilliant set up on the field, Ticat organization knows how to connect with their community.
Ticat shop in the stadium is amazing, I ended up $250 lighter buying my son a personalized jersey (which they do right on the spot) and a cap.
Talked to several Ticat fans about the Argonauts and they understood my excitement regarding the new ownership and stadium.

[TheHammer]

Our family attended the Ticat fan day event last weekend, what a great time we had, my son got autographs and pictures with John Chick, Zach Collaros and we had our picture taken with Courtney Stephen.
Brilliant set up on the field, Ticat organization knows how to connect with their community.
Ticat shop in the stadium is amazing, I ended up $250 lighter buying my son a personalized jersey (which they do right on the spot) and a cap.
Talked to several Ticat fans about the Argonauts and they understood my excitement regarding the new ownership and stadium.

Glad to hear you had a good time.