Breaking down the Argonauts

By Elliotte Friedman,
CFL.ca

“I am 43, you know.”

Those five words hung there, and then Damon Allen put his head down and walked towards the practice field.

So many people in life feel entitled to your respect. Damon Allen deserves it. I am loath to write him off, especially since it he’s made so many look so stupid before. At 41, he was Grey Cup champion. At 42, he was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player. Last month, he became pro football’s all-time leading passer.

Now, at 43, he finished a regular season where he ranked ninth among all quarterbacks to throw 100 passes. Only Jason Maas was worse. But more of a concern than his arm might be his legs. As Sean Millington astutely pointed out: Allen is not running the ball, carrying it just 25 times this year, his lowest total ever. Injuries did cost him five games, but for the first time since 1986 – his second season – Allen averaged less than two carries a night. He will need surgery on the finger that was hurt back in Week 1, and played through another game where he didn’t even notice his knee brace was damaged beyond repair until taking off his pants.

Asked about the fewer attempts on Monday, he came up with the “I am 43, you know” answer. It was a stunning response because Allen rarely, if ever, makes concessions to his age. I remember doing a sit-down interview with him the day before Toronto played its first game in 2005, and realizing what a mistake it was to ask him how long he intended to play.

He bristled, mumbling how much he hated that question. It was interesting to see how he considered it to be almost an insult. (He did, however, joke that the only change to his preparation was taking a golf cart during his usual round the day before a game.)

One of the Alouettes’ major defensive changes at halftime last weekend was ordering rookie defensive end Alain Kashama to attack inside along the line – basically throwing another body in the middle of John Avery’s/Ricky Williams’ running lanes. In the first half, Kashama had been charging upfield towards Allen, leaving open spaces for Toronto’s backs. Montreal’s coaches were well aware Allen wasn’t running, so they weren’t worried about him attacking the spot that was vacated.

If Allen isn’t running, he’s simply not as dangerous.

It is an enormous week for the Argonauts, who host the Grey Cup next season. Much was made about how they sold 20,000 tickets during a special 24-hour window two weeks ago. That leaves about 30,000 more, and if this offence does not shake rigor mortis in the playoffs, you can imagine how hard it will be sell those seats without big changes in the CFL’s most fickle market.

Just being the quarterback makes Allen a target, especially since there may be some big names available. (Dave Dickenson? Casey Printers?) And, if he is making concessions to age, that makes him more vulnerable.

But…let’s bring up another scenario: that Toronto’s offence is seriously overrated, frightening for a group that is the CFL’s worst. In the aftermath of Saturday’s collapse, the frustration came pouring out of Arland Bruce. “All week long, I said I would do whatever it takes. I must have told D.A. 15-16 times that I would do whatever it takes. I was open in the second half. The ball just didn’t come my way.”

Now, there are two ways to look at this diatribe. One: Bruce is a selfish player pulling a Keyshawn Johnson bitchfest moments after the Argonauts lost the right to host the East Championship. Two: Bruce is a fierce competitor who badly wanted to win, just giving honest answers to a question.

I choose the second version.

Bruce was the game’s dominant player through halftime, with five catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. (A second, more spectacular, score was erased by a video replay challenge, a call I personally thought was bang-on.) But in the last 30 minutes, Bruce had just one catch for 33 yards as Khari Jones went apoplectic on the CBC panel wondering why the Argonauts decided to put their best offensive player into the Witness Protection Program.

In the Montreal dressing room, Chip Cox was taking some of the credit. The Alouettes played a lot more man-to-man in the second half, and Bruce was his guy. Cox credited Bruce for being a great receiver, but added this:

“I just don’t believe that in this league, anyone can beat me man-to-man. I believe in myself and my ability, and I knew that I could control him.”

Bruce clearly disagreed and so did Allen. Two days after the loss, the quarterback said, “They didn’t shut him down,” but didn’t offer more of an explanation. Pinball Clemons credited Montreal pressure.

Cox did have help from Lamont Brightful. Moved from corner to safety for the benched Richard Karikari, Brightful was instructed to keep a special eye on Bruce. Several Alouettes said after the game that he was by far their number one priority. He was the guy they were determined to take out of the game, because, as another player said, “No one else could hurt us.”

Ouch.

Now, passionate Argonaut fans are quick to remind everyone that Toronto won the 2004 Grey Cup with defence and special teams, in theory the formula that will be used again this time. Here is the problem: The Argonauts hold onto the football for 28:13 a game this season, which is 1:16 more than 2004. They are excellent at protecting it, second-best in the CFL in interceptions allowed, third-best in fewest fumbles.

But their production is worse. Check this rudimentary chart:

I emphasize the rushing statistics because this is what the Argonauts are pushing as the offensive key to their post-season. Even with John Avery, Ricky Williams and Jeff Johnson, the 4.7 average carry tied Hamilton for worst in the league. The 5.4 total from 2004 was one of Toronto’s most impressive stats, third-best overall.

Conspiracy theorists out there might say that statistics can be manipulated. Okay, let’s look at personnel. Someone who has forgotten more about football than I will ever know asked me this question the other day: “Take out Bruce. How many 1,000-yard rushing and receiving seasons are there among current Argonaut players compared to the other playoff teams?”

Let’s start with the running backs. Avery has one, which was four years ago (although he just missed in 2004). No one else has any, admittedly little unfair with Williams, who hasn’t made an enormous impact this season. (The two players combined for 958 yards.)

Elsewhere: Charles Roberts has five; Joffrey Reynolds, Kenton Keith and Robert Edwards two. The only team with zero is B.C. This is deceiving because Joe Smith did have 887 yards in just 14 games. That projects to 1,140 over a full year, which would be third-best in the CFL. (Smith also ran for 1,000 in NFL Europe last season.)

Among the pass catchers: Remove Bruce and the only Argonaut with any 1,000-yard seasons is Tony Miles – two. Miles better be healthy for Sunday. The other five receivers/slotbacks who dressed for Toronto last weekend – R. Jay Soward, Michael Palmer, Keith Stokes, Andre Talbot and Chad Rempel – combined for 905 yards this year. Bruce alone had 1,370. Some of those guys are real good football players, but none are gamebreakers. No wonder the Alouettes dared someone else to beat them.

Meanwhile, Blue Bombers’ receivers have 11, including nine from Milt Stegall and one from Derick Armstrong in his only full CFL season; The Alouettes have 10, six by Ben Cahoon; the Lions seven, with Ryan Thelwell above 900 in two more; the Stampeders also have seven; the Roughriders four.

Allen’s admission is troublesome, something that would alarm me if I was running that organization. But the problem is clearly deeper than just him. The Blue Bombers – and anyone else who plays Toronto – are going to do anything short of locking Bruce in leg irons.

Who is going to step up? Right now, I’m not even sure Pinball has an idea.

FOR CALVILLO’S CRITICS: Anthony Calvillo can’t get enough credit for what he did in the second half last Saturday. Every offence in the CFL knows the Argonauts will concede the run, but not everyone has enough patience to take advantage. (Ask the Eskimos. In their two losses to Toronto, Troy Davis sliced through the Argonauts like Mikey in the old Hallowe’en movies. Disaster struck when both Jordan Younger and Byron Parker scored huge touchdowns on interception returns.)

Calvillo calls Montreal’s plays, so he was the guy who kept giving Robert Edwards the chance to mulch through Toronto’s defence. Quarterbacks want to throw, but Calvillo resisted the natural urge. It prevented him from a shot at a record-setting fifth consecutive 5,000-yard passing season, but it did get his team a week off. And that’s more important.

Also, the team’s biggest second-half passing play came on an adjustment Calvillo made with Ben Cahoon. The quarterback noticed that linebacker Antonious Bonner was sitting on Cahoon’s 10-yard curl routes, jumping into the pattern, making it unavailable. With Montreal down 20-11 in the fourth quarter, Calvillo told Cahoon not to curl and just go. The result was a 42-yard completion; the first play of the drive that led to a Damon Duval field goal and started the comeback.

Terrific leadership.

Elliotte Friedman is the host of the CFL on CBC.

(The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the Canadian Football League)