It seems like a thousand years since Peter Nicastro last played for the Toronto Argonauts.
The offensive lineman was injured in a game against the BC Lions at BMO Field on October 30, 2021. He’d miss the rest of that season and all of 2022 after surgery on his knee. Since then the team has won a Grey Cup and added offensive linemen like Ryan Hunter and Gregor MacKellar last year, and Darius Ciraco this season.
It doesn’t matter who he lines up with, he’s just happy to get back on the field.
“I was tired of watching,” Nicastro told Argonauts.ca following Sunday’s practice. “It’s good to be back out there, just to be with the guys on the field. It’s such a good group of guys so it’s awesome to be back.”
Despite the injury, Nicastro was rewarded for his rookie season in ’21 by being named the Eastern All-Star centre, the team’s Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. He was a finalist for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie award but lost out to now teammate Jordan Williams.
One person thrilled to have the soft-spoken Calgarian back in the lineup is Offensive Line Coach Kris Sweet. He joined the Argos before the ’22 season, so he’s only worked with Nicastro in the classroom, not on the field. If he had any worries about how the versatile lineman would look after missing all that time, that anxiety is gone.
“He’s been a pleasant surprise,” said Sweet. “Coming in we knew he was a tough sucker; we knew he was a gritty guy who was going to give you great effort and he hasn’t disappointed there. His play has been really good; he’s physical, he uses his hands well, and he plays with great anchor, so he doesn’t look like he missed any time last year.”
But he did miss the full season. While it was a tough season physically with his rehab done mostly back home in Calgary, it was also a tough grind mentally for Nicastro, being away from his teammates for most of the season and realizing just how much he missed playing the sport.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t realize how much I do love the game and how much I took it for granted, just coming out on the field,” he admitted. “In that way it was a good kind of eye opener, but I still wish I didn’t miss that time.”
His return simply adds to the Argos treasure chest of Canadian offensive linemen. Along with Nicastro and the aforementioned Hunter, MacKellar and Ciraco; there’s Darius Bladek, Shane Richards, Dylan Giffen and two players from this year’s draft, Edouard Paradis and Anthony Vandal.
It’s a great position to be in; certainly, much better than not having any talented Canadians on the o-line. But it would appear the plan is to start just three Nationals on the interior. That means that when everyone is healthy, two talented players will be backups, while two other veterans won’t be on the game day roster. That doesn’t even include the two draft picks.
The good news for Nicastro is that he can play either centre or guard. Where does his positional coach think he’s a better fit?
“I don’t see a big difference,” said Sweet. “He can do both of them really well. He’s just a football player. He stays around here late in the evening (watching video) and asks a lot of questions. He loves to play and is tough. You can go a long way with guys that love to play who are tough.”
Nicastro gave the answer one would expect; especially after the year he just went through.
“I’m just happy to be out there, just to help the team out any way I can. Whether that be any position on the field, any role that I can help win a Grey Cup.”
His return hasn’t been perfect – Coach Dinwiddie targeted him during one series during Sunday’s practice session – but that’s to be expected after missing a full year.
There is zero question, however, that everyone is thrilled to see No. 52 back on the field again.
ARGO NOTES
The Argos scrimmaged offense against defense more than any of the previous days in camp. That led to the scrappiest day by far as there were several heated exchanges with at least one punch being thrown…There were a handful of CFL officials on hand, working the scrimmage session. Referee Tom Vallesi and company were there to essentially hold their training camp, getting used to their positioning and working a game at that speed…Vallesi and an entire crew will be on hand to officiate Monday’s Blue and White game. It will see the teams go at full speed in different pre-determined situations. It’s not a Team Blue against Team White game…At Sunday’s practice Chad Kelly threw a remarkable 60-yard pass off his back foot, hitting Kurleigh Gittens Jr. in stride. He’d later hit Gittens with a great pass and follow it up by connecting with BJ Byrd for a 20-yard TD. Kelly was extremely demonstrative after connecting on that one…Quarterback Bryan Scott had a good day. He threw a beautiful sideline pass to David Ungerer, then hit him on the next play for a touchdown. He also threw a pass in tight coverage to Cam Phillips, who elevated over a pair of defenders for a spectacular TD grab…Both Boris Bede and newcomer Alfredo Gachuz Lozada were showing off their leg strength on kickoffs. One Bede bomb hit 5 yards deep in the end zone, 85 yards from where he launched it…Again, fans are invited to attend Monday’s Blue and White game. It starts at 4:00 at Alumni Stadium in Guelph. There is no charge and there is lots of parking in the area.