Going Through Changes: Argos optimistic heading down final stretch

TORONTO – It wasn’t the result they wanted but for the Toronto Argonauts, the loss against the Calgary Stampeders was a step in the right direction.

After a shakeup last week shipped three of the Argos’ top receivers out of Toronto, the Argonauts had to look to their younger receivers, like Diontae Spencer, Brian Jones and Kenny Shaw, to fill the spots of the trio.

In the Boatmen’s first game with their new-look offence, Toronto matched up against the league’s top group in the Stampeders – a tough task for any team to handle this season, let alone a team going through personnel changes.

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Toronto head coach Scott Milanovich looks on as his team takes on the Stampeders on Thanksgiving Monday (Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca)

Toronto went down early against the red-hot Stamps, trailing 35-6 after the first half, only scoring on two field goals from Lirim Hajrullahu in the opening two quarters.

But it was the second half, where they outscored the Stamps 14-13, that proved to head coach Scott Milanovich there was still plenty of fight left in his club.

“I was watching some of the veteran guys, I told them at half time that when you’re in a situation like that, you have two choices. You can either quit or you can fight. And (Justin) Hickman breaking through on the punt to block it (was an example of the team fighting),” Milanovich said when asked if he saw his team’s effort level deteriorate throughout the game. “There were four or five guys in particular that I saw that were doing everything.

“Cory Greenwood made a couple plays on the last drive when we were down by 25 that you don’t make if you don’t have some character.”

It was that effort that led to the Argonauts putting points on the board in the second half. Hickman’s blocked punt led to quarterback Drew Willy finding Spencer who plunged in for the Argos’ second major of the ball game. Shaw scored the first touchdown, taking advantage of a turnover in the third quarter, when Willy found the receiver wide open in the end zone.

Spencer finished his night with four receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown, while Shaw led all Argo receivers with six receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. Jones, in his first start as an Argonaut, caught five passes for 39 yards.

Overshadowed by the loss was how sound quarterback Willy played in just his second start in the Double Blue.

Also playing in his first start at home, Willy completed 26-of-31 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns against a stellar Calgary defence. His completion percentage on the night, 83.9 per cent, ranked eighth in Argonauts single-game history.

Milanovich didn’t want to make excuses for his pivot after back to back losses, first in Montreal and then against the Stamps, but he did recognize that Willy had been put in unique situation coming into an entirely new team where he had to learn a new playbook.

“He’s played two games against two tough defences. Drew is going to have the unfortunate task of having to play Calgary four times this year,” Milanovich said of Willy’s first two starts with the Boatmen. “It wasn’t the easiest first two starts for him but he’s doing a nice job. There are some things that he needs to fix. He’s missed a couple reads that you wouldn’t miss if you knew the system a little longer. But he’s competing out there.”

And that’s all the Toronto bench boss wants out of his club if they want to turn their season around. They still have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs with the East Division anyone’s for the taking. The Argos are just three points behind the first place REDBLACKS and two behind the second place Tiger-Cats. A couple wins, combined with Ottawa or Hamilton losses, will catapult Toronto up the standings.

“I told them at half time that when you’re in a situation like that, you have two choices. You can either quit or you can fight.”

Scott Milanovich

Before they can look too far into the future, Toronto only has one thing on their mind: the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Argos host Saskatchewan in Week 17, who despite their 4-10 record has been playing well over the past few weeks, in a game where they need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

“You can only play one game at a time,” Willy said when asked about looking ahead to the final three games of the regular season. “This week it will be Sask. It was obviously already a must win, but now it depends on what happens (in the rest of the East). I’m not sure how it’s all going to work out but we just need to win.”

The Argos have a short week to make improvements before the game against the Riders on Saturday where Milanovich hopes his team can get back to what they love doing the most: winning football games.

“Football’s not much fun when you don’t win,” said the Toronto head coach. “Every game tears your heart out, you feel sick and when you wake up the next morning it’s terrible. Everybody in the league will tell you that after every loss. Whether Calgary loses their second game, it’s going to feel the same way to (head coach) Dave (Dickenson).

“The thing that keeps you coming back is the great feeling that you have when you win and the comradery and the relationships in that locker room.”