GDT: Toronto at Montreal- No Guarantee

[gilthethrill]

Montreal has not been kind to visiting Argo teams the past few seasons. Weather for tomorrow night is clear 2C. Adams threw 4 picks to a porous Winnipeg secondary last weekend, hopefully that trend will continue.

[doubleblue]

Montreal has not been kind to visiting Argo teams the past few seasons. Weather for tomorrow night is clear 2C. Adams threw 4 picks to a porous Winnipeg secondary last weekend, hopefully that trend will continue.

I wonder if Adams will actually play that much tomorrow night. 2nd place locked up and they need him healthy for the semi-final.

[ArgoGabe22]

Am I crazy to be making the trip for this one?

[gilthethrill]

I wonder if Adams will actually play that much tomorrow night. 2nd place locked up and they need him healthy for the semi-final.

Herb Z wrote in the Gazette that the rest of the Alouette games are meaningful....although John Bowman will be sat tomorrow night.

[ArgoZ]

Am I crazy to be making the trip for this one?

No way! Always fun to visit Montreal before, during and after the game. There’s no pressure on Toronto, so have fun with it and see what they can do.

[Rich]

We're dressing a new RB named A.J. Ouellette, and I hope he gets some touches, he's a real baller. They called him "The Bulldozer" last year at Ohio, where he shared a backfield with Nathan Rourke and Maleek Irons. He's built like a fire hydrant, 5'9" 208lb, and could very well be the second coming of Chad Kackert.

[Antwon]

The league fined Rainey the max for his head shot last week. Have to say it probably should have been at least a one game suspension.

[argolio]

The league fined Rainey the max for his head shot last week. Have to say it probably should have been at least a one game suspension.I'm borderline on a suspension. It was a high hit, but definitely not late, and maybe did as much damage to Rainey as Romick.

Though I'd probably have a different opinion if an Argo took that hit.

[Argo57]

Chandler Worthy looks very good so far, otherwise a colossal snooze fest.

[jerrym]

We're dressing a new RB named A.J. Ouellette, and I hope he gets some touches, he's a real baller. They called him "The Bulldozer" last year at Ohio, where he shared a backfield with Nathan Rourke and Maleek Irons. He's built like a fire hydrant, 5'9" 208lb, and could very well be the second coming of Chad Kackert.

Because he played with Rourke and Irons, I saw him last year. He is like Ouellette in that he can break tackles but he does not have Kackert's breakaway speed and probably needs a decent (not necessarily great) OL to provide decent blocking. IMO, if the Argos improve their OL he could be an asset.

[jerrym]

So far its been the usual Argo game with the usual Argo mistakes by the usual suspects.

[Al&Kat]

Chandler Worthy looks very good so far, otherwise a colossal snooze fest.

That is true and could be the reason there are so few posts here so far...WAIT
BACK-to-BACK Argos scoring drives!?! WHAT THE...

[jerrym]

Geesh!. As soon as I criticize the team they score two TDs to take the lead.

[Argo57]

Geesh!. As soon as I criticize the team they score two TDs to take the lead.

Then the D falls asleep.

[Argo57]

Pfeffer sucks.

[Al&Kat]

ALL SEASON IT HAS BEEN CLEAR the Argos D will always give up a MINIMUM 25 points per game, so...
If Argos don't score more than that, they cannot ever win.
And honestly just closely watch #14 out there, he is an effing pylon, nothing more.

[Neely2005]

Our coach is so dumb. Instead of giving Prukop and/or O'Connor some reps he's still trying to win a meaningless game. Plus winning could actually make our draft picks worse.

[Al&Kat]

as we lose for the 13th time, I am watching various Alouettes going down with injuries. For What?
Message here for Ticats fans, you have 3 pointless games to come, the last thing you want is to lose a Speedy B or
Evans or...you get my drift.
Good point about no QB change, but also some kudos once again to MBT for another 300 yard effort and
(dare I say it?) NO PICKS...tough to do with nearly no running game and a weak front five.
TD for Worthy...well deserved, he has made a serious impression in place of Walker.

[Antwon]

Chamblin is a selfish a$$. He obviously wants a win to help his pathetic coaching record. Why else stick with MBT all game after a 3 point first half!!!
Win or lose O'Conner and Prukop can gain valuable experience from these last three games. But stick with the 31 year old.
Hopefully Pinball and Murphy tell him the young QB's play in the last two games.

[Neely2005]

Add a kicker to the list of needs for next season.

[Antwon]

as we lose for the 13th time, I am watching various Alouettes going down with injuries. For What?
Message here for Ticats fans, you have 3 pointless games to come, the last thing you want is to lose a Speedy B or
Evans or...you get my drift.
Good point about no QB change, but also some kudos once again to MBT for another 300 yard effort and
(dare I say it?) NO PICKS...tough to do with nearly no running game and a weak front five.
TD for Worthy...well deserved, he has made a serious impression in place of Walker.

MBT is what he is....servicable. Over 300 yards and 2 TDs. VA under 300 yards and 3 TDs and the win. Enough said.

[Argo57]

Add a kicker to the list of needs for next season.

Agreed, add a punter to that list.

[argotom]

Absolutely, in addition to all new QB's, we also need a FG kicker.
Crapigna is crap, in pro ball if you cannot at least hit a 50 yard in the air through the posts or even wide as this was a good 5 yards short.

[argotom]

Which also reminds me, why weren't the back up QB's in the game for the entire second half.
We know how MBT should not be back next year, I want to see the Canadian kid Michael O'Connor.
Another reason why Chamblis is a horrid HC and definitely is/should be gone.

[ArgoGabe22]

Which also reminds me, why weren't the back up QB's in the game for the entire second half.
We know how MBT should not be back next year, I want to see the Canadian kid Michael O'Connor.
Another reason why Chamblis is a horrid HC and definitely is/should be gone.

If anything, MBT just proved why he should be back.

[Antwon]

If anything, MBT just proved why he should be back.
MBT back for next year is up for debate and contract negotiations. More importantly for the future, they need to see what they have with O'Conner and Prukop.

[paulwoods13]

We know how MBT should not be back next year, I want to see the Canadian kid Michael O'Connor.

We do, do we?

Hey, I also want to see O'Connor (and Prukop) get some playing time in the next two games. But MBT absolutely should be re-signed and should come to camp in no worse a position than an open competition for the No. 1 QB job. He has done and continues to do everything a starting QB needs to do, and keeps growing more and more into the role. Other than the Edmonton road game, not one of our losses this year can be hung on him.

[paulwoods13]

MBT is what he is....servicable. Over 300 yards and 2 TDs. VA under 300 yards and 3 TDs and the win. Enough said.

Umm, not nearly enough said. If you're basing your opinion about MBT on the team's failure to win (or your opinion on VA on his team's record, for that matter), you are ignoring a few key elements: bad recruiting, bad and at-times terrible coaching, bad and at-times atrocious offensive line play, dropped passes, no running game … oh, and then there's the defence. Oh yeah, and the special teams. But sure, let's judge MBT on his won-lost record and not on what he does on the field with the ball in his hands.

[Antwon]

Umm, not nearly enough said. If you're basing your opinion about MBT on the team's failure to win (or your opinion on VA on his team's record, for that matter), you are ignoring a few key elements: bad recruiting, bad and at-times terrible coaching, bad and at-times atrocious offensive line play, dropped passes, no running game … oh, and then there's the defence. Oh yeah, and the special teams. But sure, let's judge MBT on his won-lost record and not on what he does on the field with the ball in his hands.

It's frustration! I'm not against MBT. But for the points you make, why keep him in? Why not give one of the other QB's a shot.

[paulwoods13]

It's frustration! I'm not against MBT. But for the points you make, why keep him in? Why not give one of the other QB's a shot.

I agree with that. P and O each need to play at least a half in the next two weeks, and get first-team reps in practice.

[Ron]

Rightfully this team isn't tanking by throwing kids into the fray just to appease some fans. (Of course if those kids get killed like P did the time he played then same fans will complain about that)

Sadly for many fans I see a team that isn't quitting. Far more competitive than early in the season. Never gave up and tried to win. I also see a team that will have the same coach next season that will be given more tools to use. And MBT was doing the sneaks for a reason.

[argotom]

We do, do we?

Hey, I also want to see O'Connor (and Prukop) get some playing time in the next two games. But MBT absolutely should be re-signed and should come to camp in no worse a position than an open competition for the No. 1 QB job. He has done and continues to do everything a starting QB needs to do, and keeps growing more and more into the role. Other than the Edmonton road game, not one of our losses this year can be hung on him.


Not for me, MBT is inconsistent at best.
Not first string material, maybe for another team he could be a second string at best.
Way too many pics with bad reads throwing into double and triple coverages.
Putting up some decent yards passing did not equate into wins.
Mostly during garbage time and involving the underneath stuff the D was giving him since the team was virtually out of most games during the second half.

[argotom]

We need a full court press at year end to sign Masoli as a FA.

[argolio]

MBT is what he is....servicable. Over 300 yards and 2 TDs. VA under 300 yards and 3 TDs and the win. Enough said.That's an odd comparison. MBT ran for one which arguably should have been ruled a TD pass the previous play.


Agreed, add a punter to that list.He was actually having a really good game until his last two punts. On the FG, I wonder if Crapigna overcompensated on his trajectory because of the block at the end of the half. And it's not like he's had a poor year, but he does need to work on his leg strength.


Amazing what a difference it makes when you put in a speedy receiver and use him. As the game went on, the Als had to account for Worthy more and more.

I get the idea was to catch them by surprise, but I didn't like calling a run on the first play of the last drive. We needed yards and there were precious few seconds left on the clock.

With the Als playing almost all their best players, looking for a bounce-back from last week and wanting to put on a show for the home fans, I had no problem with MBT playing the whole game. As the best QB on our roster by far right now, he deserved it.

I'd like to see O'Connor play in the next two games and get the start in one of them -- Ottawa is probably the better choice. Prukop has gotten worse in his three camps (frankly, he was hot garbage this year), so I see little value playing him other than maybe being an emergency QB if the league goes to two QBs next year because Prukop can play special teams. If the league rethinks that rule and keeps it at three, I wouldn't re-sign Prukop.

[Nob]

This, to me, was classic MBT - he did enough to not win the game. When there was about 6 minutes left in the game the Argos were down 3. He got them close to field goal range, but not close enough. Then when they were down 10 late in the game it just seemed to me that there was no sense of urgency in getting plays off more quickly. Yes, the touchdown is the first priority, and he did that, but they needed more time too.

To me it was just like the other Montreal game - he got them painstakingly close, but missed the wide open receiver for the easy winning touchdown. Close, but not quite..... if only we could play Ottawa every week.....

I will admit that he's better than my dislike for him (I don't hate him - used to, but I respect his effort, the pounding he has taken, and the improvement). And he has improved a lot over the year. My only question is would the other quarterbacks on the roster have shown as much improvement and/or promise for next year if they had as many opportunities as MBT has had?

And yes - wins and losses should not be placed solely on him, but he is the starting point. There is far too much that needs to be fixed on this team.

But then I always go back to my earlier point - if Prukop had 20 starts over the last 2 seasons how good would he be?? If he had 10? If he had 5??? ..... MBT has had a long shelf life.... and if the other QB's had a 1/2 the chances he has had how good would they be? Would the Argos have been a win or two better (not that one or two more victories is anything other than fools' gold)?

And for the life of me......not getting the other 2 QB's any sniff of action today is a criminal offence.

[OV Argo]

Not for me, MBT is inconsistent at best.
Not first string material, maybe for another team he could be a second string at best.
Way too many pics with bad reads throwing into double and triple coverages.
Putting up some decent yards passing did not equate into wins.
Mostly during garbage time and involving the underneath stuff the D was giving him since the team was virtually out of most games during the second half.


Some of MBT`s throws tonight were brutally bad and inaccurate; if that had been O`Connor in the game with some horrid throws like that it would have been ample GOB evidence to write this guy off as a CFL QB forever = see, not good enough.

I have no problem with MBT being brought back next season to compete in the Argo QB mix; he`s a decent pocket passer QB at times who makes some nice throws and he might be progressing some with all this CFL experience; the new Argo offensive thinkers (hopefully) might design an offence that really suits him and maybe he continues to progress. He will continue to get CFL looks - with the Argos or another team - simply because of his passport and his resume (NFL camp experience + built up CFL experience with plenty of playing time). Agreed though - he is not even close to CFL 1st string material for a team that will go anywhere; but he will get further shots and maybe prove doubters wrong.

[dmont]

I only saw the second half, so bear that in mind when reviewing the following comments:

This loss falls entirely on Pfeffer and the DBs in the 4th quarter. Punter chokes under pressure and gives up excellent field position leading to two fourth quarter touchdown drives for the opposition. Even with the bad field position, a good defense would have been able to put up some kind of a fight. I've never seen such an ineffective secondary once an RB/big receiver gets into the second level. Our runt DBs are getting manhandled and blocked by larger receivers. I cant think of a single aspect of the game that our secondary unit does well. They were especially garbage in the 4th. I dont blame Chamblin for that, I blame Popp.

Those of you who marked this as a game AGAINST Macbeth need to give their heads a shake. He had a great second half (didnt see the first). He engineered two scores in the third and the lame defense handed them right back in the 4th. It was a miracle that Macbeth and the offense made it as close as it was, after that.

I agree that we should pursue Masoli or Collaros (preferably Masoli), but why the hell wouldnt you want Macbeth in the mix for 1 or 2? You want Collaros to go down with a concussion, or Masoli to be different from after his surgery, and have nothing but a rookie American or Michael O'Conner to fall back on? If so, you're nuts.

I also dont get the whole "well, hes 31 years old, so let's get rid of him". Healthy QBs can play until they're 38 years old. He hasn't plateaued either, hes much better this year than last year, even with a lousy Oline.

Replace Pfeffer, replace the secondary, upgrade to O-line, and bring in Collaros or Masoli (give them the same contract as Macbeth, low base with lots of incentives).

[paulwoods13]

… bring in Collaros or Masoli (give them the same contract as Macbeth, low base with lots of incentives).

We will not be able to sign Masoli for a low base with lots of incentives. Why would he accept that, given that there will be at least one other team (and possibly two or three) competing for his services?

[paulwoods13]

This, to me, was classic MBT - he did enough to not win the game.

In contrast to all the other Argo players and coaches who did enough to win the game.

[paulwoods13]

Some of MBT`s throws tonight were brutally bad and inaccurate; if that had been O`Connor in the game with some horrid throws like that it would have been ample GOB evidence to write this guy off as a CFL QB forever = see, not good enough.


I suspect you actually hope that happens so you can be one the one saying, "See, I told you so."

[Argo57]

That's an odd comparison. MBT ran for one which arguably should have been ruled a TD pass the previous play.

He was actually having a really good game until his last two punts. On the FG, I wonder if Crapigna overcompensated on his trajectory because of the block at the end of the half. And it's not like he's had a poor year, but he does need to work on his leg strength.


Amazing what a difference it makes when you put in a speedy receiver and use him. As the game went on, the Als had to account for Worthy more and more.

I get the idea was to catch them by surprise, but I didn't like calling a run on the first play of the last drive. We needed yards and there were precious few seconds left on the clock.

With the Als playing almost all their best players, looking for a bounce-back from last week and wanting to put on a show for the home fans, I had no problem with MBT playing the whole game. As the best QB on our roster by far right now, he deserved it.

I'd like to see O'Connor play in the next two games and get the start in one of them -- Ottawa is probably the better choice. Prukop has gotten worse in his three camps (frankly, he was hot garbage this year), so I see little value playing him other than maybe being an emergency QB if the league goes to two QBs next year because Prukop can play special teams. If the league rethinks that rule and keeps it at three, I wouldn't re-sign Prukop.

I agree with most of what you have said, regarding FG’s you are putting your team at a huge disadvantage with a kicker who has little to no chance at making long field goals.

[ArgoZ]

Looking at the positives. Exciting finish! The CFL is great in the last 3 minutes. The only thing that is superior over the NFL at the moment. Chamblin hasn’t been a total goof the last two games, so that’s good. Worthy, what a surprise!

That was a tough loss watching a kicker not having the leg for a 50 in no wind. I appreciate his accuracy, but that leg isn’t pro material.

We seem stuck in a time loop. Every week MBT shows us a gutsy effort and why he’s a great backup for any team. Some games are great against bad teams like tonight, some average or worse against good teams. A great QB could have destroyed Montreal last night. One play that stuck out to me, was the wide open duck to Smith. He was rushed, but throw that with any accuracy and it’s a TD. He’s a journeyman, the Ryan Fitzpatrick of the CFL. There’s no hate for MBT. If there’s no better options and he’s the Starter next year, so be it. Doesn’t mean us fans can’t want more.

[dmont]

We will not be able to sign Masoli for a low base with lots of incentives. Why would he accept that, given that there will be at least one other team (and possibly two or three) competing for his services?

That's a good point. Tough decision.

[Argofan_1000]

Looking at the positives. Exciting finish! The CFL is great in the last 3 minutes. The only thing that is superior over the NFL at the moment. Chamblin hasn’t been a total goof the last two games, so that’s good. Worthy, what a surprise!

That was a tough loss watching a kicker not having the leg for a 50 in no wind. I appreciate his accuracy, but that leg isn’t pro material.

We seem stuck in a time loop. Every week MBT shows us a gutsy effort and why he’s a great backup for any team. Some games are great against bad teams like tonight, some average or worse against good teams. A great QB could have destroyed Montreal last night. One play that stuck out to me, was the wide open duck to Smith. He was rushed, but throw that with any accuracy and it’s a TD. He’s a journeyman, the Ryan Fitzpatrick of the CFL. There’s no hate for MBT. If there’s no better options and he’s the Starter next year, so be it. Doesn’t mean us fans can’t want more.

punt returns better and much more fun to watch, kickoff returns better, razzledazzle better then the NFL. Ability to come from behind and for anyone to win is much better then the NFL.

Also MBT, how much better would he be if the team was much better

[gilthethrill]

W
Looking at the positives. Exciting finish! The CFL is great in the last 3 minutes. The only thing that is superior over the NFL at the moment. Chamblin hasn’t been a total goof the last two games, so that’s good. Worthy, what a surprise!

That was a tough loss watching a kicker not having the leg for a 50 in no wind. I appreciate his accuracy, but that leg isn’t pro material.

We seem stuck in a time loop. Every week MBT shows us a gutsy effort and why he’s a great backup for any team. Some games are great against bad teams like tonight, some average or worse against good teams. A great QB could have destroyed Montreal last night. One play that stuck out to me, was the wide open duck to Smith. He was rushed, but throw that with any accuracy and it’s a TD. He’s a journeyman, the Ryan Fitzpatrick of the CFL. There’s no hate for MBT. If there’s no better options and he’s the Starter next year, so be it. Doesn’t mean us fans can’t want more.

I would not classify Montreal as a bad team, but Grey Cup contender. I had a feeling MBT would be criticized on that throw to Smith. I thought he did a good job getting it down field at all. Two great 4th quarter drives after a dominate 3rd quarter performance and yet he still has more detractors than fans. Someone mentioned he was unable to guide the team in FG range at the end. I disagree. A 51 yard FG in this day and age is makeable, even with a dropped pass on the drive.

[Argo57]

W

I would not classify Montreal as a bad team, but Grey Cup contender. I had a feeling MBT would be criticized on that throw to Smith. I thought he did a good job getting it down field at all. Two great 4th quarter drives after a dominate 3rd quarter performance and yet he still has more detractors than fans. Someone mentioned he was unable to guide the team in FG range at the end. I disagree. A 51 yard FG in this day and age is makeable, even with a dropped pass on the drive.

He did an amazing job getting that throw off to Rodney Smith as the Montreal defender was right on him as he released the ball, people see what they want to see I guess.

[Stevoman]

Good game and a nice second half push by the Argos. Nice to see Worthy have the game he had and yeah, Crapinga has to make that kick.

[Bleeds Double Blue]

I did not see the game yesterday so I have no comment on it. What I do have a comment on is that the Alouettes are hardly a crap team but a legitimate contender for the Grey Cup. This gives me a tiny ray of hope for our future because last year and for a few years before that the Alouettes were a dumpster fire reminiscent of what we are now. Teams can be retooled quickly in the CFL and don't always require a massive overhaul in personnel. I mean seriously, did anyone really believe that Vernon Adams was the answer to their problems? No, they turned their franchise around with an innovative head coach that understands that success through the air is dependant on a solid running game and with key acquisitions on defense and the O-line.

Each player on our roster has exceptional talent or they never would have gotten this far in their careers but far too many times you would see them, particularly the DBs looking around baffled at what had just happened as an opponent crosses the goal line 10 yards in front of them. There is a disconnect with the coaches and the players in every facet of our game that has to be addressed first and foremost. My top priority would be to lure O'Shea to come home with the ability to hire his own staff. Sorry present coaching staff but we've seen enough of you guys. It is time for all of you to go.

[paulwoods13]

Reading Morning Big Blue, man, a lot of Bombers fans are dying to punt o'shea out of town.

[gilthethrill]

Reading Morning Big Blue, man, a lot of Bombers fans are dying to punt o'shea out of town.

Give him the boot one province to the East of Manitoba.

[cfl-cis fan]

I did not see the game yesterday so I have no comment on it. What I do have a comment on is that the Alouettes are hardly a crap team but a legitimate contender for the Grey Cup. This gives me a tiny ray of hope for our future because last year and for a few years before that the Alouettes were a dumpster fire reminiscent of what we are now. Teams can be retooled quickly in the CFL and don't always require a massive overhaul in personnel. I mean seriously, did anyone really believe that Vernon Adams was the answer to their problems? No, they turned their franchise around with an innovative head coach that understands that success through the air is dependant on a solid running game and with key acquisitions on defense and the O-line.

Each player on our roster has exceptional talent or they never would have gotten this far in their careers but far too many times you would see them, particularly the DBs looking around baffled at what had just happened as an opponent crosses the goal line 10 yards in front of them. There is a disconnect with the coaches and the players in every facet of our game that has to be addressed first and foremost. My top priority would be to lure O'Shea to come home with the ability to hire his own staff. Sorry present coaching staff but we've seen enough of you guys. It is time for all of you to go.

OC for sure, need to sustain drive CONSISTENTLY and Scrore when in the RED zon with better play calling.