Toronto Argonauts look to turn page on brutal loss in Winnipeg

The Toronto Argonauts know dwelling on last week's loss to the Calgary Stampeders won't help them against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Instead, head coach Mike Miller has challenged his team to learn from the mistakes that led to the defeat and quickly shift its attention to another difficult test against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

"It's always about how we respond," Miller said after a week of practice. "Whether we win or we lose as a team, as a unit, as individuals, we look at it, we learn from it, and we move forward."

For defensive lineman Ralph Holley, the setback served as a reminder that adversity can be one of a team's greatest teachers.

Holley also knows the unit has yet to reach its full potential and it will be up to the mentality of the group to get there.

"You have to have a strong mindset," Holley said. "We're not in this game because we're weak-minded people. It's professional football. They get paid to make plays as well. The biggest thing that we can do is learn from the lessons. Losing is the hardest thing to do, but it's one of the best teachers at the same time. We took a lot of things that we knew we could improve on as a D-line and as a defence in total, so it was a good learning lesson."

The secondary shares that confidence despite last week's performance.

Defensive back Benjie Franklin said the group spent the week getting back to the fundamentals after a game that didn't reflect the standard they've set for themselves.

"The big details," Franklin said when asked about the focus this week. "One thing that we preached on is technique and our eyes. The game that we had last week, that's not our kind of game. We're way better than that. We had a great week of practice, we all came together as a group, focused in, and we're ready to get back after it."

There were clear moments where the team was trying to jump routes and go ball hunting, and it led to big plays that put them in a hole that they couldn't get out of.

While Toronto's defence prides itself on playing aggressively, Franklin said the key is knowing when to attack while remaining disciplined within the scheme.

"At the end of the day, you have to know the situations and know what the opponent's trying to do," Franklin said. "We're always going to play our aggressive style because that's the kind of defence we play. We just have to play the right technique, take the right shoulder and make the right play. When it's time to make a play, the time is going to come. We just have to be patient while still playing our style of football."

Holley said the defence's success begins with every player doing their job.

"What we emphasize is doing your one-twelfth," Holley said. "Everybody doing their job, everybody doing their assignment. We trust the scheme and we trust each other as players. We've gone against some of the best running backs already in this league and shut them down. It's just about continuing to do that."

That mentality will be tested against a Winnipeg team featuring one of the CFL's most balanced offences, including reigning Most Outstanding Canadian Brady Oliveira in the backfield and Dru Brown returning to start in place of the injured Zach Collaros.

It will be a tough test for the offence, especially the offensive line who will have a tough battle in the trenches.

"They're experienced, they are big, they're physical, they're fast, they're relentless," Miller said. "They play with good technique, they play together, they execute their schemes, and they do it well. They present a challenge on every level."

With a chance to erase the memory of last week's defeat, the Argonauts believe their response—not the result against Calgary—will define where the team goes from here.

"Whether we win or we lose as a team, as a unit, as individuals, we look at it, we learn from it, and we move forward. There's some good things in that game as well, and we got to learn from those, too. So it's always about how we respond. I felt we've done a nice job of that this week, each day in practice, building up for this game, and then we're excited to get back out."