OTTAWA, CANADA - JUNE 20: The Toronto Argonauts on the road for a regular season CFL game against the Ottawa Redblacks at TD Place. (Photo by: James Paddle-Grant/Toronto Argonauts)
It was a shocking result.
The Toronto Argonauts headed to Calgary on a high, coming off wins in Ottawa and Saskatchewan, confident they could make it three straight Ws in Calgary. The Stampeders were not gracious hosts and did not accommodate their visitors from the east.
The Boatmen gave up 56 points on eight touchdowns, six of which came through the air. A defence with several new players, led by a new coordinator, is not expected to play pristine football right out of the gate, but this result wasn’t expected.
Greg Quick’s group will have a chance for redemption in Winnipeg on Friday night when they visit the Blue Bombers. They’ve been looking to clean things up in time for the rematch of the 2022 and 2024 Grey Cup games.
“I think we just have to come together as a group,” said middle linebacker Isaac Darkangelo. “We’ve got to keep being the dawgs that we are, and we’ve got to believe in ourselves. We’re a close-knit group and we’ve got to trust that everyone’s got each other’s back and we’ve got to keep rolling.”
There’s also some solace when realizing how veteran laden the group is. Five of last week’s starters are in at least their fifth season in the CFL, so they’ve been there before. They can provide the leadership needed to sail through the choppy waters.
Darkangelo, a native of Brighton, Michigan, a town of about 7,500 just west of Detroit, is perhaps the most vocal of the defensive players, despite only being in his third season in the league, all with Toronto.
When he’s talking on the field it’s all business, making sure his teammates are aware of what’s he’s seeing from the opposition pre-snap, but he’s not a cheerleader on or off the field, he’s just taking a leadership role.
“He’s becoming his own man,” boundary halfback DaShaun Amos said of his teammate. “He’s becoming his own leader, taking on that role in a willing way. He’s in every meeting, whether it’s the linebackers, whether it’s the DBs, whether it’s the d-line, he‘s soaking everything up, he’s a sponge. He prides himself on knowing everything. He’s that vocal leader that we need on the defence.”
The linebacker admits he’s grown as a player. Darkangelo, who split his NCAA career between Northern Michigan and Illinois, credited every Argo defensive coach for his development this year, but focused on the defensive coordinator.
“GQ (Greg Quick) is a brilliant football mind,” said the player of his coach. “He’s worked with a lot of linebackers. The way he’s helped me change my stance, read offences differently, understand schemes, it’s helped me grow tremendously this year.”
Amos and Darkangelo were teammates for two seasons – the linebacker’s first two in the CFL – before Amos left to play in Hamilton last year. He was asked by Argonauts.ca what changes he’s seen in Darkangelo since his rookie season.
“Maturity is one word that comes to mind,” answered Amos. “I’m not saying he was hardheaded before, but he just has more willingness to learn things outside of his position. That’s a testament to who he wants to be as a teammate, and the role he wants to play as a leader. He brings it every day; the energy, the wanting to get everything perfect. He’s a perfectionist now and it shows.”
The linebacker has grown and gives credit to some people outside the Argo organization for that.
“I give a big credit to my parents and my five older siblings,” he said. “I’ve always been one to learn from others. I lead by example, I’m not a rah-rah guy, I’d say I’m more about getting the work done and people are going to see that.”
One of those siblings, Shiann, has set the bar high. She’s played on the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team, captained the Toronto Six to a PHF championship, then two months ago won the PWHL’s Walter Cup with the Montreal Victoire. But despite his sister’s success, and his Grey Cup ring in 2024, it’s another family member that has the family’s athletic bragging rights.
“Honestly my mom has the upper hand,” Darkangelo said of the family matriarch, JoAnn. “She’s got the national championship out of all of us. She won it in volleyball at Indiana State, which is pretty cool.”
On Friday night, Darkangelo and his teammates have a chance to redeem themselves after last week’s shocker. With the Blue Bombers expected to lean on running back Brady Oliviera, Darkangelo will have a big role in making sure the Argos defence turns the page.