Matt Cauz
CFL.ca
So just how bad has it got for the Toronto Argonauts?
Well according to some of Canada’s leading economists, the recession, that has been wrecking havoc globally, is finally over here in Canada.
Do you know what that means?
On one hand it means that the economy has, for the first time in over a year, actually shown tangible signs of growth. On the other hand it means the Argonauts home losing streak has lasted longer than Canada’s greatest recession in the past 75 years!
August 1st, 2008 … do you know how long ago that was? We’ve seen the birth of Twitter and Lady Gaga, we’ve seen the re-birth of Roger Federer, we’ve witnessed the deaths of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Walter Cronkite and Ed McMahon but we have not seen the Double Blue win at home. Barack Obama has more wins at home in that time span than the Argonauts.
All right I could go on, but I think I’ve beat this joke to death.
The question is … what went wrong? One of the big reasons for the team’s slide can be found by looking at their last home win. That victory, a 19-11 win over Winnipeg, was a defensive slugfest (Of course that’s just code for a really bad game). Kerry Joseph didn’t shine (35-21-219 yards, 1 interception) while Dominique Dorsey was outstanding scoring the only touchdown for Toronto on a punt return, finishing with 287 combined yards.
“I believe Dominique Dorsey’s impact would have led to at least two more wins for Toronto.”
This was a typical win for Toronto, one that relied on great special teams, a defense that ranged from bend but don’t break to flat out dominant and an offense that rarely lit up the scoreboard. The main guy missing from last year’s team to this year’s is Dominique Dorsey.
Dorsey’s ability to shorten the field was invaluable for a team that struggled to move the ball. Now look at the main flaws of the 2009 Toronto Argonauts offense: too many turnovers and an inability to finish off drives. These issues are significantly magnified when you are forced to drive 75-85 yards to the end zone.
Obviously the problems with the team go deeper than one individual, but I believe Dominique Dorsey’s impact would have led to at least two more wins for Toronto.
So now that I have come up with a handy band-aid solution to what ails the 2009 Toronto Argonauts, what about the big picture?
I hate to say it, but the problem is talent, or lack thereof.
The easy thing would be to blame the coach. That is usually the move of a desperate fan. Yes Bart Andrus should have attempted the field goal (By the way kudos to TSN for showing Justin Medlock at the end of the game. Medlock just nailed the “What the F*&K” facial expression. Everyone knew exactly what was going on in his mind) but the problems with Toronto run deeper. And it starts with the man under centre.
Damon Allen’s 2005 Deal with the Devil, Kurt Warner-esque MVP season was an unbelievable accomplishment, but management had to know his time as an elite quarterback was quickly coming to an end. Yet the team has been unable to develop a suitable replacement. Michael Bishop won a lot of games but never could be trusted in big moments and Eric Crouch was never really a quarterback. Kerry Joseph is an MVP but only when surrounded with great talent. This isn’t a knock on him. The history of football is littered with passers who were blessed with talent but never delivered. Unfortunately for Joseph the 2009 Argonauts are not the 2007 Rough Riders. This brings us to their current pivot, Cody Pickett. Yes he has thrown for back to back 300-yard games but he’s needed 85 pass attempts to get that yardage. He reminds me of a shooting guard who scores 30 points but needs 36 shots to get there.
Pickett is a smart guy who doesn’t turn the ball over, but he is not a player who can elevate the rest of his team. Give him a strong running game and wide-outs that can rack up huge chunks of yards after the catch and he can win a lot of games. But with this roster I think we have already seen the best out of Pickett.
Now couple this with a revolving door at wide-out and no return game and the team’s 10-game home losing streak doesn’t seem so improbable.
Of course all is not lost with the Argonauts. They have some of the hardest working owners in the league who have always been willing to spend money. Never count out a team where the people in charge will do anything to win.
But for the Argonauts to return to glory, to become a consistent playoff threat they will need to find and develop a year in, year out All-Pro quarterback. Just look at the best teams in the CFL over the past five years and you will find stability at quarterback. From Anthony Calvillo in Montreal, Henry Burris in Calgary to Ricky Ray in Edmonton, the elite teams have always befitted from quarterback stability.
Hopefully Toronto will have found their quarterback of the future before Twitter becomes obsolete and Barack Obama has beaten Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for re-election.
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