It wasn’t a true exhibition game as there was no tackling, but Monday’s Double Blue Game served its purpose for players, coaches, and members of the player personnel department; it allowed them to see the players in more of a game situation.
“I think so,” Toronto Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said when asked if he got what he needed out of the exercise. “I think both sides of the ball have got a lot to learn. We really wanted to get them out there in a game situation and to get them ready for our first pre-season game. There was a lot of good, a little bit of bad, and some of the bad we’ve just got to clean up and get better.”
Attempting to simulate a game situation, the afternoon started with teams lining up along the sidelines at Guelph’s Alumni Stadium for the national anthem. Veteran CFL referee Tom Vallesi worked the game along with a crew comprised of CFL and OUA officials, and a game clock and 20-second clock were both employed.
It gave the players, especially those new to Canadian football, a taste of the pace of the game.
At times it looked like anything but a true game. Returners had no teammates on the field, they just caught the punt or kickoff as the coverage teams headed in their direction. The offence would take the ball at a pre-determined spot on the field and work their way toward the end zone. Some drives started at the offence’s own 5-yard line, others in the red zone, while each group ran an overtime situation with no running clock.
The whistle was blown if the defence was able to one-hand touch the quarterback, simulating a sack.
But the exercise shed some additional light on what’s been working and what hasn’t.
“It went well,” quarterback Cameron Dukes told Argonauts.ca after things had wrapped up. “There’s some stuff to clean up, it will be a good film to watch and study. I’m trying to get better at those anticipation throws, I may have forced one down there in the red zone, but it’s something I’m working on in practice so we can get it done in the games.”
Like every player in a game like this, Dukes had some good moments and at times was shaking off some rust. Perhaps his best throw was a perfect 30-yard corner route which resulted in a DaVaris Daniels touchdown catch.
The native of Shepherdsville, Kentucky, located just south of Louisville, was thrilled to get in this type of scrimmage, which is much more of an accurate simulation of a game than what the players have been going through at practice.
“It’s great,” said a smiling Dukes. “It’s always nice after you go through a long off-season, especially with the way the season ended last year, we’re all itching to get back on the field in game situations and get ready to play. It’s nice to get out here and compete.”
It was a hot, humid day in Guelph, with the scrimmage ending not too long before thunderstorms rolled into the area. That heat took a toll on some of the linemen, who were working up a good sweat, then taking advantage of misters that were set up at the benches, providing players with some cool, wet relief.
Defensive tackle Jared Brinkman was still showing signs of the heat after the game and then running up and down the hill on the east side of the stadium with some teammates. Like everyone else involved, he loved the pace of things.
“It feels good,” he told Argonauts.ca. “We’re making it as competitive as possible out there. At the end of the day they’re teammates, so there’s not going to be any cheap stuff, but we’re going to get after each other and try to make each other better.”
A few players, like new Argo Jake Ceresna, weren’t in the lineup for various reasons. Most were nursing some soreness, which is the norm for this point in training camp. The team prefers to err on the side of caution at this stage.
Despite Ceresna’s absence, Brinkman was fired up to play with his fellow linemen.
“There’s still some rust, that’s the point of the pre-season, just getting some of that off,” said Brinkman. “It just feels good to be out there. Jake wasn’t out there today, but with Oak (Shawn Oakman), D.K. (Deionte Knight), Flo (Orimolade), Robbie (Smith), all the ends and all the new guys, it’s just getting familiar with each other and playing together, getting comfortable. It just feels good being out there with the guys.”
It’s getting closer to decision time for the front office and coaching staff. There’s still a week-and-a-half of training camp and two pre-season games for players to either keep their job or win a spot on the roster. There’s one final cut to come, the day after the final pre-season game on May 31, and Dinwiddie says they have some tough decisions to make.
“I think we do, especially on defensive side of the ball. I feel really good about the depth there, if we keep everyone healthy it’s going to be a tough discussion at the end of our pre-season. Offensively there’s going to be a few tough decisions, but we have a lot of veterans coming back who have solidified their positions and a few young guys fighting for spots.”
There’s still ample time for players to make an impact, with the next chance being Saturday’s exhibition game in Montreal against the Alouettes.
ARGO NOTES: The Argos announced the signing of receiver Makai Polk from Mississippi State yesterday. He spent time in the NFL with the Giants and Ravens…One of the best battles in camp has been between the Canadian receivers. Each of the veterans has played well in camp, while first-round pick Kevin Mital is working his way into the mix after suffering a minor injury during rookie camp. “You look at what Tommy (Nield) has done; you see the growth in him. You’ve seen the growth in (Dejon) Brissett the year before, and Dave (Ungerer) is solid all the time. I’m very happy with those guys.” …Ritchie Sindani has also looked better and better every day. He was on the receiving end of the longest play in Monday’s Double Blue Game, a 61-yard bomb from Bryan Scott…Brissett drew applause from the crowd after making a one-handed catch…Nick Arbuckle played, even though it was just his second day back in an Argo uniform. The veteran hit Sindani with a 32-yard deep pass…The defence was overanxious to get after the quarterbacks, going offside three times, something that was addressed when the club met at midfield after the game was over…The Argos are in Montreal Saturday for a 7:30 game against the defending champs, while the Boatmen will host Hamilton in their lone home pre-season game. It’s a 7:00 kickoff in Guelph on Friday, May 31.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here bit.ly/3TWmNxw