Game Thread: Toronto Argonauts at Winnipeg Blue Bombers

[RB957]

Argos win September and now it's time to develop a more consistent and balanced offence to prepare for the playoffs. Lions will present another great challenge next week but it is good preparation for facing a Western playoff opponent.

What a gutsy call by Donovan that paid off big time! All three facets contributed yesterday but special teams deserve the most credit!

Special teams, in my opinion, has been weakest part of this year's team. It seems almost every game, they have given up big returns. So it was really nice to see specials play such an important part of this win.

[TICATS SUCK !]

I for 1 will be happy to see the new 15 yard end zones with the posts at the back. I will gladly give up 3 or 4 TD returns in a season for more offensive snaps. Teams are trying 70 FG’s a year and have been for quite some time. That is way too many IMO.

Here are last year's kicking stats: On average, teams attempted 53.1 FG's, with a low of 41 and a high of 65. On another note, I'd love to get an update from you as to how many days it's been since Hamilton's last Grey Cup.

In 25 minutes it will be 9,800, and officially guaranteed to hit the 10,000 mark.

Thanks for the follow-up AV. Their drought is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

[AngeloV]

Ridiculous scheduling to play Winnipeg twice with both games played in Winnipeg and Argos on short weeks. First game should have been Winnipeg's home game. It's an area the CFL could improve upon.

Goes along with the back to back games they like so much where teams have a hard time introducing new strategy. Makes it easier for the coaches.

I get why the Argos sold the 3 hole games off. Even if it were possible, a heavy loaded back end home schedule would be a disaster at the gates. I have noticed over the years, since moving to BMO, when the Argos play home games in consecutive weeks, at least 1 of those games is poorly attended. It was the Ottawa game this time as I guess people choosing to only attend 1, chose Edmonton. It is what it is, and as I expected, the Argos came through it all pretty good. These people that predicted the Argos would finish last really underestimated how important Chad Kelly is to this team. Arbuckle put up great numbers last year, but he just can’t carry an offence like Kelly can. Argos have given up 26 sacks this year. I think it would be double that if Kelly wasn’t there.

[AngeloV]

Winnipeg was moving the ball at will early on, I assumed the Argos were feeling the effects of the playoff clinching win over Edmonton and were going to be easily defeated. However Winnipeg has a tendency to disappear in the second half. Argos seemed to figure out Dru and we're able to get to him often.

Argos did a good job taking away the quick pass in the 2nd half. That’s Brown’s game. Take his first read away, and he is lost when he has to hold on to the ball. Dinwiddie really got trashed for not choosing him as the starter, but I kind of get it. He should have had MBT signed from day 1 to be their starter and try to develop young guys behind him.

[paulwoods13]

Ridiculous scheduling to play Winnipeg twice with both games played in Winnipeg and Argos on short weeks. First game should have been Winnipeg's home game. It's an area the CFL could improve upon.

I assume you mean the CFL should try to avoid scheduling a team on a short week against a team on lots of rest. I agree that would be ideal, but in a league that usually plays games on three days in a week, and has at least one team on a bye, it would be pretty challenging to avoid it altogether. Adding a 10th team (if it ever happens) would allow the number of byes to be reduced, but would still require games on Thu-Fri-Sat for two-thirds of the schedule. Keeping a team that plays Saturday from ever playing the following Thursday would be difficult. That said, this year's Argos schedule was punishing to the team, and while most of the blame lies with team mgmt, the league might have been able to do a better job equalizing the rest/no-rest aspect.

[paulwoods13]

Ridiculous scheduling to play Winnipeg twice with both games played in Winnipeg and Argos on short weeks. First game should have been Winnipeg's home game. It's an area the CFL could improve upon.

Goes along with the back to back games they like so much where teams have a hard time introducing new strategy. Makes it easier for the coaches.

I get why the Argos sold the 3 hole games off. Even if it were possible, a heavy loaded back end home schedule would be a disaster at the gates. I have noticed over the years, since moving to BMO, when the Argos play home games in consecutive weeks, at least 1 of those games is poorly attended. It was the Ottawa game this time as I guess people choosing to only attend 1, chose Edmonton.

This is a fair point. Ideally home games should be every second week all season long, and not stacked together. Unfortunately the league has never been very good at doing that.

[ArgoRavi]

Argos win September and now it's time to develop a more consistent and balanced offence to prepare for the playoffs. Lions will present another great challenge next week but it is good preparation for facing a Western playoff opponent.

What a gutsy call by Donovan that paid off big time! All three facets contributed yesterday but special teams deserve the most credit!

Special teams, in my opinion, has been weakest part of this year's team. It seems almost every game, they have given up big returns. So it was really nice to see specials play such an important part of this win.

I hear you but, statistically, the Argos have been one of the better teams in the league in their special teams coverage.

[paulwoods13]

Argos win September and now it's time to develop a more consistent and balanced offence to prepare for the playoffs. Lions will present another great challenge next week but it is good preparation for facing a Western playoff opponent.

What a gutsy call by Donovan that paid off big time! All three facets contributed yesterday but special teams deserve the most credit!

Special teams, in my opinion, has been weakest part of this year's team. It seems almost every game, they have given up big returns. So it was really nice to see specials play such an important part of this win.

I hear you but, statistically, the Argos have been one of the better teams in the league in their special teams coverage.

It's also worth noting -- when was the last time a team completely dominated a Mike O'Shea-coached team on specials, the way the Argos did on Friday? I know Osh isn't the co-ordinator, but that was a whupping in that phase.