With Argos training camp just around the corner, argonauts.ca has been preparing fans for the start of the 2009 season by breaking down the competition at each position as the Boatmen prepare to bounce back with a new coaching staff, new mentality and personnel. 

It is amazing how much a year has altered the course of an entire defensive scheme in Double Blue land.  Perhaps no group on the defensive side of the ball has seen more turnover in the last year than the linebacking unit.

At this time last season, the linebacking corps was arguably the most stable position on the entire squad.  The club entered training camp with a 3-4 defence that featured four linebackers that had not only played the majority of the last five seasons together, but had 511 regular season games under their collective belts.

In a change in philosophy that started mid-last season, the Argos defence now predominantly features a 4-3 scheme and no longer showcases the likes of veterans Michael Fletcher, Mike O’Shea and Adrian Mayes.

That being said, concern is likely the furthest thing from the minds of Argos brass and fans alike.  The 2008-2009 off-season included three critical transactions that helped solidify the Argos’ linebacking corps.

1)    New Year, Familiar Face
The Argonauts wasted no time in locking up one of their most coveted potential free agents by inking veteran NIP Kevin Eiben to a contract extension in January.  Heading into his ninth year with the Boatmen, Eiben has been the model for which Canadian linebackers should learn from.  The Bucknell product has not only been one of the CFL’s leading tacklers in numerous seasons, but his versatility allows him to play both inside and outside depending on the defensive package given.

2)    Meet Zeke
In the middle of the madness that is the first five days of CFL free agency, the Argos pulled off a trade to help fill the void left behind in the middle of the defence by the departure of O’Shea.  In what could be one of the most important trades in recent years, the Boatmen sent DE Riall Johnson and a 2009 6th round draft pick to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for superstar linebacker Zeke Moreno.  Moreno has led the CFL in tackles in each of the last two campaigns and could be a game-changer in the middle.

3)    Staying Put
Arguably the Argos most productive linebacker the last two seasons has been IMP Willie Pile who has done nothing but make tackles since joining the Argos in 2007.  Pile did indeed enter CFL free agency but was not there long as he officially signed a new contract with the Argos a mere eight days after free agency opened.

With the core of the linebackers in place, the Argos will look towards some of the newcomers acquired in the off-season to add depth.  Two former B.C. Lions in NIP Jason Pottinger and IMP Nick Hannah have been brought in along with IMP Derrick Ballard and as of Wednesday afternoon, James Green, the Argos 3rd pick in the 2009 Canadian Draft, has signed a contract with the club out of the University of Calgary. 

After playing both DE and LB in 2008, Richard Seigler enters the ’09 campaign once again wearing two hats so it is unsure at this point where he will find himself playing the most when camp begins.  There is also promise in sophomore Jean-Nicolas Carriere who impressed coaches last season after being drafted out of McGill but suffered a mid-season injury that placed him on the sideline for the remainder of the year.

There is no doubt that the linebacker position has seen an entire overhaul however, it seems like despite the change, it may be one of the most experience, cohesive and productive units in Argos camp.