Improved defence has Argos on upswing

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This article was published 12/07/2017 (3009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Toronto Argonauts lead the CFL in sacks (14) and forced fumbles (three), and are second in interceptions (three) and third in points allowed (68) and pass knockdowns (13).

In short, they have been much better through three regular-season games than many would have anticipated after allowing a league-worst 568 points in 2016.

The difference? Well, the most obvious is a change at defensive co-ordinator, where Rich Stubler is out and former Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Chamblin is the new man in charge. Personnel changes have had an impact, too, with the addition of experienced defenders such as Johnny Sears Jr., Victor Butler, Marcus Ball and Bear Woods.

Butler, a 29-year-old who spent seven years in the NFL and was out of football in 2016, is wreaking havoc early in 2017 and leads the CFL with seven sacks. He also has 13 tackles. His defensive end partner Shawn Lemon, in his second season with the Double Blue, has two sacks and three tackles.

Ball and Woods, both linebackers, are tied for fourth in the league with 18 tackles apiece. Getting Woods during the pre-season, after his shocking release by the Montreal Alouettes, has been a real coup.

Winnipeg quarterback Matt Nichols admits game preparation for the current Argos squad is quite the ordeal.

“It’s a huge difference,” Nichols said. “Just the philosophies of the D co-ordinators is much different. Coach Stubler I’ve played with for multiple years and been with him on the same team before and I know his style is kinda keep everything in front of you, bend but don’t break, you allow underneath stuff. This defence is a lot of pressure. They’re coming after you, they play man(-to-man), they trust their guys in the back end and they try to play hit-you-in-the-face-type defence. To me, those are complete polar opposites of philosophies.”

Controlling Toronto’s aggressive attack could have a lot to do with how well the Blue Bombers run the ball.

“They have a solid front seven. I mean across the board their defence swarms to the ball, they’re a team that’s fast, they’re disciplined, so they’re going to be a challenge for us,” said Winnipeg tailback Andrew Harris, who rushed for only 32 yards on 10 carries against the Calgary Stampeders in Week 3.

“We’ve gotta match their physicality. That’s where it starts. We’ve gotta start fast, establish a run presence earlier in the game. I mean, we also can’t be forcing things. They’re a team that likes to… bring pressure and we have to be ready for that.”

“We’d like to get some more yards along the ground, try to open some other things up that way,” said receiver Weston Dressler, who leads the Blue Bombers with 200 yards on 12 receptions in two games. “We need to do a better job in the air and open up the ground game. They kind of work hand in hand. Just trying to be more consistent with both phases of the offence… We’ve checked out all the film from the first two games and recognized the mistakes we made. Now, we’re trying to correct those mistakes at game speed, not just recognizing and seeing them in practice.”

Sack attack

The Argonauts have been generating plenty of heat on opposing quarterbacks. The club’s 14 sacks are double the No. 2 team on that list — the Stampeders.

Dealing with that issue tonight at Investors Group Field is not solely the responsibility of Winnipeg’s offensive line.

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“Make sure that our receivers are in the right place at the right time,” Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said. “Make sure the protection is there when they do bring pressure and win your one-on-one battles when they’re only bringing four (pass rushers). And make sure you’re on the ball on time, which is married to people being at the right place at the right time.”

Nichols on Ray

Nichols, once an understudy to Ricky Ray in Edmonton, has a lot of admiration for the veteran 37-year-old Toronto QB.

“The thing I learned from him is he’s just so good at blocking out the noise,” Nichols said. “He’s a guy that doesn’t have social media, doesn’t listen to what anyone else says. He just goes out and plays his game. It’s something a lot of guys can learn from, even myself.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sawa14