Toronto Argonauts offence forging identity, now looking to work on execution
With a chance to solidify their spot in the East Division, the Toronto Argonauts offence is looking to keep the momentum going with six games left in the season.
As the Toronto Argonauts prepare for the final six games of the season, the team will be looking to solidify their form heading into the playoffs, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
The Argos have struggled at times to get points on the board and that has contributed to some of the tough losses this season. However, over the last few games, it’s becoming clearer what has led to the team’s recent success and what gets them in trouble.
As mentioned by Mike Hogan, the Argos have found success when all their receivers play a factor in the offence especially, Kurleigh Gittens Jr., DaVaris Daniels and Brandon Banks.
Random #Argos receivers stats: Team is 4-1 when Banks has at least 3 catches; 3-0 when Coxie has multiple catches; 6-2 when Daniels has exactly 4 catches; 3-0 when Gittens has a TD catch. #PullTogether
— Mike Hogan (@MikeHoganArgos) 6:04 PM ∙ Sep 20, 2022
We have also seen what happens when the team tries to force the ball to a particular receiver, like when Banks had two catches on eight targets for 27 yards against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back on Aug. 12.
“If everyone can touch the ball, if everyone can make plays, I feel like the defence pretty much has to choose their poison,” Gittens Jr. explains. “Our offence doesn't just rely on one person to carry us. We have a whole bunch of playmakers starting with our running backs, and all five receivers. We have a great coaching staff, and they just find ways to get all of us involved. And I feel like that's the beauty of playing in this offence.”
After a five-game stretch where he put up less than 50 yards receiving a game, Gittens Jr. put up a career-high 161 yards on eight catches against Ottawa. If he continues on that trajectory, Gittens will surpass 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.
As Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun pointed out this week, Gittens Jr. is a pending free agent who garners a lot of interest if he hits the open market. Not only is he one of the top Canadian receivers, but there’s a case to be made that he’s one of the top wideouts in the league.
Despite the increased attention, the 25-year-old isn’t letting it take away from his ultimate goal which is not to win the Most Outstanding Canadian Award.
“My focus is on helping the team win football games and I pride myself in putting in the work day in, day out and whatever happens happens,” Gittens Jr. said. “Am I going to be mad if I don’t get it? Not really. Am I going to be happy? Not really. For me, it’s about trying to help the Argonauts and helping the offence be lethal on game days.”
Of course, there’s still work to get to the level that they want to play at on a consistent basis. The Argos know that they control their destiny as they try to lock up home-field advantage in the playoffs.
One area the Argos could stand to improve on is not letting opponents keep the game close. Part of that comes from turning some of the drives that lead to field goals into touchdowns.
“We just got to execute better. It all comes down to just sticking together, one play at a time and just execute and believe in each other,” Gittens said. “Ottawa is a great team so we can't expect to blow them out. We respect them but it just starts with us. We just got to execute, and then we'll be able to finish games better.”