McLeod Bethel-Thompson will make his second consecutive start at quarterback for the Argos against the Redblacks next Wednesday in place of Nick Arbuckle.
It didn’t take long for Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie and his offensive staff to decide who will start at quarterback for Toronto in Week 10.
After their third day of practice preparing for Wednesday’s tilt at home against Ottawa, Ryan Dinwiddie informed the media that the team would be sticking with Bethel-Thompson on the pivot as they get ready to play two divisional games in five days. Starting with Ottawa on Wednesday at BMO Field, followed by a road trip five days later when the Boatmen square off with the Ti-Cats for the third time this season.
After Saturday’s 23-20 overtime loss by Hamilton to Montreal. The Toronto Argonauts now sit alone at the top of the East with a 4-3 record. The rationale behind the Argos’ decision to stay with Bethel-Thompson is two-fold. Firstly, based on Bethel-Thompson’s stellar performance against Montreal. And secondly, because Nick Arbuckle is not at 100 percent due to his latest hamstring injury. McLeod Bethel-Thompson has a knee injury of his own and started the practice week limited, but he practiced in full the last two days.
EAST DIVISION
| RK | TEAM | GP | W | L | T | PTS | F | A | HOME | AWAY | DIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 142 | 168 | 3-0-0 | 1-3-0 | 2-1-0 |
| 2 | Hamilton | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 156 | 142 | 2-1-0 | 2-3-0 | 3-2-0 |
| 3 | Montreal | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 181 | 174 | 0-2-0 | 3-2-0 | 2-2-0 |
| 4 | Ottawa | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 121 | 203 | 1-3-0 | 1-2-0 | 0-2-0 |
Based on the overall numbers. McLeod Bethel-Thompson (2-1 as the starter) has outplayed Nick Arbuckle (2-2) this season. The Argos are saying that the decision to stick with MBT over Arbuckle is not based on performance. But to this point of the season, McLeod Bethel-Thompson has played error-free football, while Nick Arbuckle has struggled with his decision-making.
ARGOS PASSING
| Quarterbacks | PLAYER | COMP | ATT | % | YARDS | TD | INT | EFFIC | INT % | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ARBUCKLE, Nick | 96 | 153 | 62.7 | 1,158 | 5 | 6 | 80.5 | 3.9 | 7.6 |
 | BETHEL-THOMPSON, Mcleod | 57 | 88 | 64.8 | 745 | 5 | 0 | 110.3 | 0.0 | 8.5 |
The Argos are staying the course with McLeod Bethel-Thompson for now. But if the veteran signal-caller plays at a high level in the team’s pivotal division games against Ottawa and Hamilton. It’s safe to assume that Bethel-Thompson could remain the team’s permanent starter.
