After an impromptu bye week, The Toronto Argonauts were back practicing Monday at Lamport Stadium. As the 2-1 East-leading, Toronto prepares to play division rival Hamilton (1-2) in back-to-back games in weeks five and six. A week from today, the Boatmen will square off with the Tiger-Cats in the 50th chapter of the Labour Day Classic. The Argos will then return home in a rematch with the Cats at BMO Field four days later.
This season, the Double Blue will be seeing double for the second time, after finishing a two-game stretch against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in weeks 2 and 3. Toronto opened their season with three straight western opponents. The next two contests with Hamilton represent the Argos’ first divisional games of the year. And the results could go a long way in determining who wins the East this year.
The Argonauts will see a lot of the Tiger-Cats on their remaining schedule. Next Monday’s game is their first of four overall meetings. Weeks 5, 6, 10, and 15. The two teams will play each other four times in their next eleven games.
Toronto Argonauts News And Notes
The Argos are off from practice on Tuesday but will be practicing five straight days from Wednesday through Sunday before heading to Hamilton to play the Tiger-Cats next Monday afternoon.
Monday’s practice was designed to get the team’s legs back and iron out the kinks after their impromptu layoff. When the Argonauts’ players return, Wednesday to Lamport Stadium for practice. They are expected to get into full installation mode for Hamilton.
Today, Head Coach Ryan Dinwiddie told the media that he watched Hamilton’s 27-10 victory over Montreal this past weekend. Dinwiddie was impressed with how the Hamilton Tiger-Cats played on the road against the Alouettes. And Dinwiddie believes that Hamilton’s 1-2 record is misleading because they opened the season on the road against two of the league’s best teams in Winnipeg and Saskatchewan. Dinwiddie knows that his Argos team has their work cut out for them, facing Hamilton on the road and twice in five days.
Dinwiddie knows that many of the plays in his game plan for the first meeting with Hamilton will probably carry over to the rematch at home. Because the team won’t be able to utilize all of them, much like the Argos back-to-back games with the Bombers, the second meeting could see many adjustments and new wrinkles from the coaching staff. The Argos employed a heavy two-back look, utilizing multiple blockers in motion to surprise Winnipeg in the rematch.
Last week, the Toronto Argonauts claimed LT Trevon Tate off of waivers from Hamilton. Ryan Dinwiddie told CFLNewsHub, that the Argos are happy to add him to their offensive line but that it might take some time for Tate to get acclimated to the offense and his new team.
Regarding the team’s current starting left tackle, Ryan Dinwiddie told CFLNewshub that he was pleased with how Dejon Allen has held up as a CFL Newcomer. Allen figures to continue protecting the blindside in the foreseeable future.
The primary reason that the Argonauts turned to Allen at left tackle was due to an ankle injury, projected starter Isaiah Cage suffered in training camp. Coach Dinwiddie revealed today that even though Cage is listed on the Argos six-game injured list. The likelihood is that Cage could miss the entire season because of the severity of the injury. There’s an outside chance that Cage could return at the end of the season.
Two other significant players listed on Toronto’s six-game injured list are DE Cordarro Law and DT Drake Nevis. According to Coach Dinwiide, Law is getting closer to returning from a knee injury and could return sooner than the six-game designation. Drake Nevis, who is nursing a hip injury, is slowly working his way back but is still a long way from going full speed.
Linebacker Cameron Judge who left the Argos last game against Winnipeg with a knee injury is back on the field practicing. Coach Dinwiddie revealed that his injury wasn’t that serious. Had Toronto played Edmonton last Thursday, Judge would’ve been ready to play.
Another Argonauts player whose status is a lot less clear is wide receiver, DeVaris Daniels. Against Winnipeg, Daniels had seven catches for 100 yards and a touchdown before leaving the third quarter with a head injury. Dinwiddie told Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun that he is unsure if Daniels will be cleared to play next Monday against Hamilton. The team’s medical staff wants to proceed with caution with Daniels.
The Boatmen’s ship has been stuck at shore because of Edmonton’s issues, but it’s about to start sailing back into the season. Toronto made a significant statement against Winnipeg in their home opener, in what feels like a month ago, but their upcoming games with Hamilton could set the tone for the race in the East. A rivalry that Hamilton has owned in recent times.
