Toronto Argonauts brace for crucial East Division clash with Redblacks

TORONTO — The Toronto Argonauts are treating Saturday night’s home date with the Ottawa Redblacks as more than just another game on the calendar.

With both clubs battling for playoff positioning in the East Division, head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said the message this week has been about balancing urgency with poise.

“It’s a big game,” Dinwiddie said after Thursday’s practice at Lamport Stadium. “We’ve got to be mentally prepared. They’ve got a lot to play for as well. They’re building momentum off their win last week, but we’ve got to have some urgency. We can’t make the game too big where we play tight and make mistakes by second-guessing ourselves.”

Ottawa (2-6) arrives in Toronto (2-6), coming off an emotional victory that they hope can lead to a potential run of wins. The Argonauts are looking to bounce back after falling to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a contest marred by special teams breakdowns.

Winnipeg scored twice on returns in that game, something Dinwiddie said has been a point of emphasis in film review and practice.

“We had some guys that didn’t stay in their lane,” he said. “If we stay true to our lanes, we have better opportunities to make cleaner tackles. We missed a lot of tackles — a lot of guys leaving their feet, diving. We’ve got to do a better job tackling and swarm to the football.”

Toronto could have reinforcements in the lineup Saturday. Safety Derek Slywka was back at practice and will be back in the lineup which should provide a boost to the secondary. Kevin Mital has been limited with an injury this week but is expected to be good to go while Andrew Chatfield Jr. is a game-time decision.

“We were being smart with him,” Dinwiddie said of McManis. “With all the injuries he’s had, and just being beat up like anybody at this stage of the season, we’ve got to be smart with how we rep him throughout the week.”

The Argos’ offence has shown flashes despite constant lineup shuffling, particularly along the offensive line. Dinwiddie believes the group is trending upward but wants to see sustained execution.

“We’ve had moments where we look really darn good, but there’s been lulls,” he said. “We’ve got to play a full 60 minutes. Last week we were backed up on our end the whole time and couldn’t get out of there. We’ve got to do a better job there. The potential’s there to be a good offence, but we’re just not a complete offence yet.”

Toronto’s front office also moved to bolster depth this week, bringing in additional running back options and a handful of other pieces, including veteran offensive linemen Ryan Sceviour and Brandon Kemp.

"Part of it is depth and guys that we want to take a look at,” Dinwiddie said. “There’s going to be some guys competing with some of these newer players, and we’ve got to find ways to get better. We feel like we’ve got to add some depth to the running back room and see what potential we have with those guys.”

One player still on the mend but is showing improvement is Ryan Hunter, who is progressing after getting hit by a car while riding his school. Dinwiddie said the timetable remains close to the original six-week projection, though Hunter has been testing the injury and hopes to be at practice soon.

“He’s doing some movement stuff,” Dinwiddie said. “He’s actually worked on falling on it to see how secure it is. I think he’ll probably go the full six, but he’s getting really close.”

With the standings tightening and only so many opportunities left to make a statement, Saturday’s meeting with Ottawa could carry playoff implications down the road.

Kickoff at BMO Field is set for 7 p.m.