Game 11 Preview – Argos visit Steeltown

Hey we missed posting a preview for Game 10 vs. the Stampeders and people who aren’t related to me actually noticed.  As always thanks for reading , it’s always a good day when my fellow Argo Admirals keep the Boatmen in the news cycle in this very weird social media world we all live in.

The second half of the season starts at the 11 game mark and that’s because play-off races are still wide open in a league that plays 18 games.  That’s good news for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats who sit at 0-9 as the weak Eastern conference(why do they call it division?) looks like they will only have two teams make the play-offs. It’s another weak year in the East and even though they made a big sell-off trade , it’s not impossible to make the play-offs at 8-10 or 7-11.

Same Story, Better Results

Every week I’ve asked the Argos receiving corps and coaches to step up so that S.J. Green isn’t sitting on an island being double teamed.  Well against the Stamps DeVier Posey made 5 receptions against a tough Calgary D.  That’s a good start, from injured to starting to hopefully the second best receiver for the Argos in the second half of the season.  It has to be imperative to have a second option that is consistent so that defensive units have to sacrifice coverages that force them be wide and give S.J. Green space. He’s become so good in the slot back position grabbing a quick slant for first down.

June is here for September

It’s always news worthy when June Jones takes a coaching gig, his ascent to the Head Coach position of the Tabbies was sped up when Kent Austin fired himself as head coach.  Jones is an offensive guru who took the Run and Shoot offence he learned as a player and introduced it to teams in the USFL, NFL, NCAA and CFL.  I didn’t use the word genius as some folks may think that June Jones forces his offence onto players that might not fit the system. Either way he has street cred and for football players you need to believe in the head coach who during the week you may only interact with a few times.

Collaros is Out

Based on performance , Zach Collaros is out as the starting QB for Hamilton.  This is what I think is going down and that is June Jones wants to light a fire and get a re-set going for Collaros.  I definitely think that Collaros is talented enough that all 9 teams in the CFL want him on their roster. Jeremiah Masoli gets the start , he played some big minutes last year due to injury so he has game experience.  I really think the game plan will try to play a quick tempo , short passing game, it just won’t be the run and shoot offence but it will be a hybrid.  That means Masoli will need to be quick on the release and read defences in that first 10 yards.

Argos Sack Attack

With a new QB for the Cats , it will be interesting see if the Argos force the issue on Masoli getting comfortable.  Look I know that make sense at any time but they can also choose to disguise some defensive coverages and let Masoli try his luck against the Argos defensive backfield that is just so aggressive.  Ken Bishop is back from injury, now that should mean an improvement but really they lead the league in sacks so he just needs to get some playing time and stay healthy and that front line will be it’s very intimidating best.

Who Needs Tickets?

I miss the 30,000 seats at Ivor Wynne compared to just 24,000 seats at the new donut store.  I do like the intimacy of Tim Horton’s Field but I’m sure they miss those extra fans every Labour Day Monday. I don’t missing peeing in a trough at the old stadium, awkward moments shared between men.

The Extra Point

The Argos need to be smart with kicking to Brandon Banks.  They struggled against the Stampeders and Banks might be due to improve on his 28 yard and 31 yard best returns on punts and kick- offs.

 

The Game Plan

Kickoff:	6:30pm	Tim Horton’s Field
TV & Online:	TSN
Radio:	TSN 1050 & SirusXM 167

Argos Depth Chart

Ti-Cats Depth Chart

By Peter T. Kourtis