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Argos coach Clemons defends his team leading up to game versus Alouettes
By DAN RALPH
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (CP) - The smile was gone, the gentle, playful demeanour quickly replaced by a no-nonsense, serious tone.
An upbeat Mike (Pinball) Clemons spoke openly about the Toronto Argonauts facing the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday (7 p.m. ET) in an important East Division contest at Rogers Centre. But Clemons' easy-going attitude quickly changed to that more like a mother lion protecting her cubs when questioned about his club.
After starting the season with a 24-22 loss to B.C., the Argos reeled off two straight lopsided wins - 30-5 against Hamilton, then a 48-15 decision against Calgary. However, on Saturday night the Stampeders gained some revenge, beating an Argos team minus starting quarterback Michael Bishop and receivers Arland Bruce and Tony Miles by a 33-10 score.
That prompted a reporter to ask Clemons on Wednesday if the real Toronto Argonauts would show up against Montreal, a question which lit an obvious fire under the congenial head coach.
"You're talking about my team," Clemons said. "When your starting quarterback is out and you're missing nine other guys on the injured list, including your two best receivers, it causes challenges in what you do.
"There is a difference between Arland Bruce and the next guy, there is a difference between Tony Miles and the next guy, there is a difference between Michael Bishop and the next guy, Kenny Wheaton and the next guy, Adrian Mayes and the next guy . . . do you care for me to go on?"
CFL action resumes Friday night with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Winnipeg to face the Blue Bombers (8 p.m. ET). On Saturday, the Edmonton Eskimos take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3:30 p.m. ET) before the B.C. Lions play the Calgary Stampeders (7 p.m. ET).
Mike McMahon is expected to make his second straight start for Toronto despite enduring a CFL debut to forget last week in Calgary. McMahon was just 6-of-18 passing for 58 yards before giving way to veteran Damon Allen, who ended the game with a 29-yard TD pass to rookie Obed Cetoute.
"The main thing is calming down and having a pocket presence . . . my feet kind of almost got set in cement there (last week in Calgary)," said McMahon. "I just want to make sure I relax a bit, go through my progressions and not hurry things so much."
Toronto's offence will again be minus receiver Tony Miles (hamstring), but Bruce, the CFL's second-ranked receiver last year, is expected to play despite missing last week's game with a leg injury. John Avery will also replace Jamel White (ribs) at running back while former NFL first-round pick Rashaun Woods will take over for Miles.
"Just having Arland on the field is a huge advantage because defences are aware of where he's at and sometimes they might have to double him and open up another guy," McMahon said. "If they single him up he's a great receiver there, too."
Clemons felt it was important to come right back with McMahon.
"If we evaluated quarterbacks on their first start, there would be many Hall of Famers who would've been cut the first week," Clemons said. "We saw in him several weeks ago something that we were very, very excited about in terms of his decision-making process, his ability to make plays, the composure that he had for such a new guy to our league,
"He didn't all of a sudden turn into a different guy."
The game is the first of a home-and-home between two clubs trying to catch front-running Winnipeg (2-1-1) in the East Division standings. Toronto (2-2) is a close second, with Montreal (1-3) third, ahead of Hamilton (0-4).
The Alouettes have struggled as they adjust to a new offensive co-ordinator (Marcel Bellefeuille), a new offence, injuries and a host of new faces in their lineup. But quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who two weeks ago became just the fourth player in CFL history to surpass 50,000 yards passing, said it wouldn't take much to reverse Montreal's fortunes.
"Winning always makes the locker-room exciting," he said. "When you're losing, it just makes everything frustrating.
"But we know we're just a game and a half behind Winnipeg and just a game behind Toronto and we play (the Argos) back to back."
Head coach Jim Popp says inconsistency has been Montreal's biggest problem this season.
"We've played solid quarters offensively and defensively in games," he said. " We just haven't put four quarters together."
Montreal will make five lineup changes for the game, including Canadian Dahrran Diedrick and Jarrett Payton, the son of former NFL star Walter Payton, joining Robert Edwards in the backfield. Also suiting up will be linebackers Louis Mackey and Spencer Walter and punt returner Avon Cobourne.
