Toronto Argonauts: Thoughts on perfect home record, defence turnaround and more

The Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks played to another high-scoring affair at BMO Field but it was the home team that pulled away when it mattered.

With the 40-27 victory, Toronto finished with a perfect 9-0 record at home during the regular season for the first time since 1997.

It’s an impressive mark for a team that needs to give fans every reason to attend games.

Perfect home record, improved attendance

The one topic of conversation that never goes away in Toronto with the Argos is how many people are in the stands at BMO Field.

Any chance to see improvement is always going to be welcomed for MLSE who have maintained that it will take time to see the team sellout the stadium. The top mark for a regular season game was the 17,906 that came for the Argos’ CNE game which is usually their top game of the summer.

This season, Toronto saw an average of 14,310 at each game (which also includes Touchdown Atlantic) which is an increase of nearly 21 per cent. It is certainly great progress but there is certainly work to be done to get closer to the desire to have close to 20,000 at each game.

There were certainly factors that worked against the Argos as in past years. The team had a limited number of afternoon games on their schedule, started their season on a Week 1 BYE, and went close to a month without playing a game at home in the summer.

Toronto will have to find a way to drive more buzz and change the perception of the team and the league but there is a foundation to build off of.

A first half to forget on defence

Giving up 24 points in a half is not usually a recipe for success and fortunately for Toronto’s defence, the offence was able to go blow-for-blow with Ottawa.

Dustin Crum was efficient throwing for 183 yards and a touchdown in this game. Ottawa came out swinging with Crum and Justin Hardy connecting on a 54-yard pass that set the tone early.

Devonte Williams also gave the Argos issues as he recorded 16 carries for 125 yards on the ground. It has been an area Toronto knows it will have to sort out heading into the final stretch.

“I think Cory letting those guys know that we got to be better and just the expectations we have in the building. Then I mentioned to the guys at halftime ‘losing teams panic when things aren’t going their way and winners find a way to win it,’” Dinwiddie said about the defensive turnaround. “I think our record speaks for itself but I think those guys understood and were frustrated because we employ our standard but you got to find a way to win and come together as a football club.

Defensive turnaround credited to sack game

It was night and day for this Argos defence as they turned on the pressure from the defensive line.

Going into the first half, Toronto only had one sack on Crum but would not be contained. Toronto would end up getting eight sacks in the second half to bump their total to nine.

What makes the Argos defensive line a tough matchup for any opponent is that they do it by committee. Folarin Orimolade leads the way with nine, Brandon Barlow has eight while Jonathan Jones, Robbie Smith, Shawn Oakman and Dwayne Hendrix have six each.

This defence embodies the team-first mentality and in that game against Ottawa, it took the entire group to pull through in the second half.

Penalties, penalties, penalties

Penalties were also an issue for the Argos on both sides of the ball but it really put the defence in tough spots and provided Ottawa with some prime field position.

It’s an area that most team strive to figure out but coaches always say they rather see players get flagged for trying to make the physical play (while keeping it clean) than mistakes like a procedure or offside call.

What is a backbreaker for a defence is when they are able to get themselves off the field only to have a flag change the outcome. Toronto had a couple of instances of that and when crunch time comes, those are the plays that could make or break in a particular situation.

Kelly adds to MOP candidacy

There is no debate that when Chad Kelly is under centre, this Argos team is among the elite in the CFL.

You can certainly debate where Chad Kelly lies among the top quarterbacks in the league when making the case for Most Outstanding Players but one thing is for certain. Kelly should be the player representing the East when it comes to voting.

He certainly has competition for the award when you look at the seasons Zach Collaros and Vernon Adams Jr. are having, you could even throw Brady Oliveira into the mix as well.

It is tough to simply look at the statistics and say Kelly is worthy of being the MOP. Just look at the fact that in both games the Argos have lost, Kelly left early with an injury and did not play a single snap.

At the end of the day, Kelly would make it known that he is more concerned about playing winning football than putting himself in contention for the MOP and the Argos have been the beneficiary of that mentality.

Daniels gets back in the fold

It has been a career year for DaVaris Daniels but it feels like the veteran receiver should have more than just the 925 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on the season.

Against Ottawa, Daniels had 141 yards on six catches but he should’ve had more if he and Kelly could’ve connected early in the game. It was just the second time this season that the 30-year-old had more than 100 yards in a game.

Even when he isn’t as involved in the offence, Daniels’ presence tends to allow more players to get going. As Argos analyst Ben Grant mentions, Daniels is undoubtedly the top receiver on the team and is better suited as an outside receiver.

At the same time, Daniels knows better than anyone how important it is to get everyone in the offence going.

“The locker room is probably the most important piece to a championship team. I think we learned that last year and we're building off of what we built last year,” Daniels explained. “You got every single guy in here just wants to play. Every single guy in here just wants to get better every single guy here just wants to work. And that's the mindset to go 1-0 every week.”

Daniels also made it a point to say that being healthy has also been crucial for him this season. In all his years of being in the CFL, Daniels has not played all 18 games as he always has something come up and while he might see some rest in these final two games, it won’t be because he is dealing with an ailment.