Argonauts.ca staff
TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts continue their road trip on Monday when they travel to Calgary to take on the defending Grey Cup Champion Stampeders.
The Stamps’ record stands at 1-1 after a surprising loss to Rakeem Cato and the Montreal Alouettes in week 2, while the Argos have the chance to move to 3 – 0 for the first time since 1991.
Trevor Harris and the Argos enter week three fresh off a thrilling double-overtime victory against the Roughriders. But despite the win, coaches and players alike admit the team’s performance in week two was far from optimal.
“We’re salty because we didn’t execute,” said Argos linebacker Brandon Isaac, who spent two seasons with the Stampeders in 2008 and 2009. “There were some plays where there was a lack of communication, and we can’t allow that to happen. We have to be sound in our defence and know where we’re supposed to be at all times.”
Calgary’s offence boasts a couple of the league’s best in QB Bo Levi Mitchell and RB Jon Cornish, who ranked at numbers one and two, respectively, in TSN’s Top 50 CFL Players ranking this season.
Isaac knows Cornish from his days with the Stamps, and attributes his success to a phenomenal work ethic.
“It’s his belief system. He sets goals and he comes to work each and every day to prepare himself to reach those goals,” said Isaac. “He’s a guy who believes in his skillset and he works hard to get the job done.”
Mitchell has struggled so far in 2015, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns and completing just 62% of his passes, while recording the lowest quarterback efficiency rating of any CFL pivot this season.
“We’ve been watching his tendencies,” said Isaac, “some of the balls he’s been throwing haven’t been on time. Those are balls he usually gets out quickly after diagnosing the defence.
But the Argos won’t put much stock into the previous two games for Mitchell, as he’s proven his worth over the past two seasons as a starter.
“He seems like he has a magnetic leadership quality to him,” said Argos’ head coach Scott Milanovich. “He led [the Stamps] to a Grey Cup win as a first year starter, so the sky’s the limit for that kid.”
The other side of the ball offers no easy routes for the Argos either, as Calgary’s defence is known around the league for their tenacious blitzing and relentless pursuit of the quarterback in the backfield.
“I don’t even know the best way to describe them,” said Argos right tackle Chris Van Zeyl. “They get after you with a few different looks, they blitz differently, they’ve got Charleston Hughes.”
Hughes is a perennial all-star who’s recorded at least seven sacks in the past five seasons, including a CFL-best 18 in 2013.
“It’s got a lot to do with his motor and his football intelligence,” continued Van Zeyl. “I don’t think he does anything play-in, play-out that shows his dominance, it’s the little things he does, the way he handles different situations and how he always ends up around the ball that makes him such a standout in this league.”
Toronto enters the matchup with one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league in Trevor Harris, whose seven touchdown passes leads the CFL. After spending three full seasons as the back-up to Ricky Ray, Harris has seized the starter’s role and flourished to the surprise of many around the league, though not to his teammates.
“It’s no surprise to us that he’s doing as well as he is because he comes out here and prepares like Ricky does,” said Van Zeyl. Speaking after Toronto’s second practice of the week, he motioned to where the quarterbacks, Ray included, were working after much of the team had headed for the locker rooms.
“These guys come out, you can see them now, they’re getting better every time they’re out here. It’s a commitment to excellence,” he said. “Trevor prepares like he’s the starter and he’s been doing that since he got here.”
Despite their 1-1 record and shaky play to start 2015, the Argos cannot and will not underestimate their foes.
“They were 15 – 3 last year, you don’t do that by accident” said head coach Scott Milanovich. “They’re going to be prepared, we know that we have to play well to win.”