Toronto Argonauts offence looking to rebound in tough matchup against Tiger-Cats defence

The Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats are about to travel into unchartered waters starting on Saturday as they begin a series of games where they play each other four times in the next month.

After losing their first four games of the season, Hamilton has now won two of their last three to move into second place behind Toronto.

It is a rarity in the CFL to see two rival teams play their season series in this stretch of time. Whether you love it or hate it, this series is going to have serious ramifications in the CFL’s East Division which remains wide open.

There have been several questions about the Argos’ status as contenders after putting up only 13 points against the Redblacks, where the team’s struggles in the redzone were magnified.

“When you look at it we don’t have any rushing touchdowns. We try to run it down in there but we haven’t been able to punch it into the endzone,” head coach Ryan Dinwiddie explained. “We were throwing the ball down there very good, we had some RPO stuff against Saskatchewan that I thought we would be able to walk ir in there but unfortunately we didn’t.

“We are looking for more creative ways to run the football and maybe get more aggressive there with some play-action where maybe we hit them or maybe we don’t but we have to find a way to score down there.”

It won’t help that against Hamilton, the Argos will be shorthanded on the offensive line with Peter Nicastro still on the six-game injured list along with Trevon Tate and Isiah Cage. Dejon Allen will also be unavailable for Saturday’s game which means that Phillip Blake will shift over to left tackle while Shane Richards will slot in at right tackle.

This is not an ideal situation to be in especially against a strong Tiger-Cats defensive line. Looking at the problems Ottawa gave the Argos offensive line, Toronto will have their hands full, especially if the running game isn’t able to get going.

To make matters worse for Toronto, Simoni Lawrence will be making his return to the lineup after missing the last three games.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the Argos offence as Eric Rogers will make his long-awaited season debut. His return should hopefully help Toronto in many ways given what Rogers can do especially in the redzone.

Last season, Rogers had 25 receptions for 346 yards and three touchdowns with injuries limiting him to six games. His biggest impact at times comes on plays he’s not directly involved in.

“Big target, he can go up and get it and has deceptive speed too,” DaVaris Daniels said about Rogers. “Great leader, great blocker in the run game as well. He brings something that we need more of.”

"He's going to pick everyone up around him," Bethel-Thompson said about Rogers to reporters Friday. "He brings a physicality, probably the most physical receiver in the CFL."

Also returning to the lineup is DaVaris Daniels who was working his way back from a concussion he suffered against the Roughriders.

Being on the sidelines rather than on the field provided Daniels a different perspective of the team’s play on offence.

“Seeing it as a whole, you can see where the mistakes were right there on the field. You don’t have to worry about catching it on film the next day and I could teach on the sideline,” Daniels explains. “It also can help me learn what we need when I come back and fill those holes.”

Well the big hole that needs to be filled is getting points on the board especially early in the game which continues to be an issue that plagues Toronto.

If the Argos cannot improve on the 10 first-quarter points they have scored through their first six games this season, they will likely be finding themselves chasing the game. It also puts a lot of pressure on the defence to keep Hamilton off the board early on.