Aug 18, 2018; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; BC Lions vs Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski
Seems like I’ve been playing your game way too long,
Seems the game I’ve played has made you strong,
When the game is over I won’t walk out the loser.
Bruce Springsteen – “Trapped”
The concept of the “trap” game is one that many gamblers swear by.
The premise is that a perceived lesser opponent may be taken for granted by a stronger team, especially if the supposed superior team has a big game the following week. The Toronto Argonauts would fall into that category right now.
Friday night the Argos visit the Montreal Alouettes (7:30 TSN, TSN 1050). The Double Blue have won their last two games, while the Als are 1-8, with the average score of their games being 34-16. The following week for the Boatmen it’s the Labour Day Classic in Hamilton, the first of a home-and-home series with their arch rivals.
Marc Trestman returns to the city where he won two Grey Cups as the Alouettes head coach. When Argonauts.ca asked him if he bought into the concept of trap games, he didn’t hesitate with his response.
“I buy into the concept that we’re 3-5 and 0-3 on the road this year,” replied Trestman. “And the team we’re playing went to Saskatchewan and beat them, and Saskatchewan (Sunday) night beat the heck out of Calgary. So that’s my motivation.”
The coach opposed the suggestion that perhaps additional internal discussion was needed to shoot down the trap game theory this week.
“My motivation is I just looked at their defence,” said Trestman. “They have 16 sacks. They had five last week and knocked the heck out of Mike Reilly. That’s what I’m seeing.”
Ryan Bomben saw things in Montreal first hand for most of this season. The Argos acquired him in a trade with the Alouettes on July 29, and he started his first game at right guard in the win over B.C.
He brought his own scouting report to Toronto.
“From just a match-up standpoint, they’ve got good players,” said the Burlington, Ont. native, “What their record is doesn’t really matter, you can’t sleep on anybody in the league. It’s razor thin, the margin of error you have in this league to get a win.”
He then demolished the concept of trap games the same way he does defensive linemen.
“When you’re 3-5 you can’t be looking past teams,” said Bomben.
Trestman echoed his offensive lineman’s sentiments, explaining that his players grasp where they are right now.
“Everybody has a different way of looking at a season, in games, in months,” said the coach. “We are 0-0, but we understand the brutal reality of being 3-5 and being 0-3 on the road, and going on the road to Montreal to me has always been a competitive advantage for the home team.”
Trestman elaborated on Montreal’s je ne sais quoi.
“You go to Montreal and there’s a lot of different ways to get distracted and lose your edge,” continued the coach. “It’s just the way it is, and that doesn’t mean our players do anything wrong, or anything like that, but that’s just the way it is, so we’ve got to be ready on all fronts. We’ve got to go into this with our eyes wide open. We’re playing a divisional game on the road. We’re an 0-3 team on the road and we’ve got to find a way to get better.”
While Montreal is a tougher opponent than it may seem, Springsteen seems to be right. If the Argos play their game and not allow the Als to gain confidence, they should be okay, and they’re focused on this Friday’s game, period.
Don’t even think about talking to them about the Tiger-Cats – yet.