I want to get some thoughts down on the Argos. I didn't have time to do write-ups for all teams but I wanted to do this one because I think they will be much improved. I see all sorts of predictions out there of 3-5 wins this season but I think they could easily be 8-10 or 9-9. I'll revisit this post later in the year to see how well its aged.
To understand the Argos in 2019, you have to take a step back and look at the larger picture. In 2017 the Argos had a fairytale type year. Entering the year they had no GM, head coach or permanent practice facility but the hiring of Jim Popp (who'd worn out his welcome in Montreal) and the subsequent hiring of Marc Trestman as head coach a mere few weeks before the season put a solid staff in place. The team started slow, going 4-7 but won 4 of their last 6 to make the playoffs and then, continuing the hot streak, made it all the way to the Grey Cup and beat a heavily favoured Calgary team in the snow on the strength of the leagues best defence, led by DC Cory Chamblin, and a remarkable performance by Ricky Ray. Much the same as Henry Burris had done the year before, everyone expected Ray to retire after his 4th cup win.
That offseason, the Argos made a deal to acquire James Franklin, who had looked like a rising star in Edmonton behind Mike Reilly. Over the previous 3 years he had completed 65.3% of his passes on 176 attempts with a respectable 8.23ypa and an incredible 12:1 TD to INT ratio. He looked calm in the pocket, could make all the throws and had some scrambling ability when needed. He was ready to take on his own starting role. But then Ricky Ray surprised everyone by not retiring, relegating Franklin to a backup role once again.
Meanwhile, the Argos ownership structure had changed as Rogers finally stopped being petty and allowed the team to be folded into the MLSE group. This brought Bill Manning into the picture as team president. No one knew it at the time, but significant tension would develop between Manning and the football staff, in particular Trestman. The first red flag went up when DC Cory Chamblin bolted immediately before the season. Most telling was the fact that Chamblin didn't leave to take on another job, he just left. In desperation mode, the team promoted Mike Archer to DC. Archer has a wealth of NCAA experience but little CFL knowledge and it would become glaringly obvious as the season wore on. Football coaches and insiders that I follow on twitter were openly mocking Archers defensive schemes during games, noting that some had not been used in pro football in decades. The defense, Toronto's hallmark from the year before, took a nosedive. It wasn't all Archer's fault as the team had to deal with a rash of defensive injuries all season. MLB Bear Woods had season-ending back surgery before week 1 and SAM linebacker Qudarius Ford was lost for the season in game 1. On and on it went with the team shuffling the back 8 all year trying to fill holes.
Offensively, the season came to a crashing halt when Ricky Ray suffered a serious neck injury in week 2 vs Calgary. James Franklin entered in relief but looked completely out of place in Tommy Condell's offence which was entirely designed around Ray. The Argos tanked and lost that game 41-7. Franklin did manage a win at home against his former team the next week (largely due to an Esks receiver slipping on the different surface in the endzone and missing a sure TD) but after that it was all downhill. We would later learn that Franklin was dealing with a family situation. His wife and infant baby moved back to the US after they found adjusting to life in the GTA difficult. It was pretty much all downhill from there. Franklin was benched in favour of McLeod Bethel-Thomson who managed a spectacular comeback against Ottawa but did nothing else the rest of the season. Franklin's confidence was shot by that time and he finished the year with an 8:9 ratio and <7ypa.
As the season wore on, Trestman looked increasingly tired at his pressers. The words were the same but he just didn't have the same positivity and can-do vibe that he'd always had in the past. It would later come out that he was dealing with a pretty tough family situation of his own. One family member had died from cancer and another was currently battling the disease (his father and wife respectively IIRC). Between him and Franklin, there was enough distraction to go around. The tension between him and Manning reared its head when the team signed Duron Carter after he was cut from Saskatchewan. Trestman didn't want Carter, refused to play him at first and then did only sparingly. At some point the team also traded DE Shawn Lemon to BC which was an odd move as they were relatively thin on the defensive line at the time. At 2am in the morning as the team returned home from their final game at Ottawa, Bill Manning called Trestman on his cell phone, on the team bus, and fired him. Thus ended the Argonauts 4-14, snake-bitten 2018 season.
Looking back at all this, I see a team that was coming together nicely in 2017 and poised to take another step in 2018 until things got derailed. 2018 should be viewed as an aberration and the 2019 version of this team comes into the year healthy and with a significant amount of talent that people overlook. Surprise, surprise, Cory Chamblin is back as head coach and DC. I have nothing but respect for Chamblin. Hes a very detail oriented guy, has high expectations of his players and pretty much everyone who has worked with him raves about his ability to groom young talent. He's been a success pretty much everywhere he's coached and has a Grey Cup win under his belt as a HC in 2013. New OC Jacques 'le coq' Chapdelaine has designed an offence that is better suited to Franklin's skill set and watching it in preseason was impressive. Franklin looked comfortable and in command in both games and moved the ball very effectively. They have a good offensive line and even though they had to dump ratio-breaking tackle Chris Van Zyl, they have the talent to replace him and more cap space to shore up other spots. Another surprise, Shawn Lemon is back as well. There are some question marks, especially at LB and in the secondary but I trust that Chamblin can find ways to fill those spots.
People see the 4-14 team from last season and without considering the full picture with all the distractions, injuries and weird nonsense, think thats what this team is. They'll be surprised that the Argos challenge Hamilton for the division (although I think the cats edge them out). Furthermore, I think they enter the season on a bye, like a caged animal, ready to wipe away the stink of last year. I like what I've seen from this team the past few weeks and it would not surprise me one bit to see them wipe the field with the cats this weekend.
