Don Landry
CFL.ca
One of the more daunting tasks for any CFL team right now has to be facing a Saskatchewan Roughriders club that has apparently found traction following a half-season of fits and struggles.
Two games spent in close proximity to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers leads one to conclude that swagger may be a contagion, and that it has found a new host in the pass-happy Roughrider offence.
Cue the 2-8 Toronto Argonauts and their charismatic free safety, Willie Pile.
While much is being made, these days, of the rebuilding Argo offence and what it can become (and how quickly) under the guidance of quarterback Steven Jyles, perhaps the more important question surrounding this weekend’s matchup at Mosaic Stadium deals with Pile and his defensive mates, and how successful they can be at bogging down Darian Durant’s devil-may-care pass-catching crew.
If Pile is intimidated by Mosaic Stadium, he doesn’t show it. If he’s concerned to be leading an Argo defence against a rejuvenated Saskatchewan offence, he won’t let on. If there’s a feeling of hopelessness over what can only be described as a sub-par season, you can’t find a trace of it on his face.
As the “quarterback” of the Argo defence, shouting out the down and distance situation as well as the defensive set calls on every play, Pile is well aware of the challenge his squad faces on Saturday in trying to keep the likes of Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf and Andy Fantuz buckled down.
“We understand that this is the situation we’re in. We’re 2-8 and we need to go out on the road and win in a very tough place, but we’ve done it before. We did it last year. And we did it with defence by bottling up their best players,” said Pile.
It’s one thing to say it; it’s another thing to do it. In their 24-18 victory over the Riders on Aug. 18, the Argo defence did a fairly decent job of keeping Saskatchewan’s offence off-balance. Or did they?
While it’s true that the score was 24-4 after three quarters, the Riders had racked up 468 total yards. They were done in by penalties and turnovers. When they tidied up, they converted their drives and very nearly stole the game as the final seconds ticked down.
One of the catalysts in their turnaround was a 70-yard touchdown by Getzlaf in the fourth quarter. Busted coverage was the culprit.
“The biggest thing we have to do is eliminate those big plays and those communication errors,” said Pile. “It’s unfortunate that every time a big play happens, it’s because of a lack of communication. It’s not a physical thing, teams are not earning it, and it’s us giving it up.”
“We’ve got to have more game savvy. If it’s second-and-ten there’s no need to break hard on a three-yard hitch route. That’s what happened (on Getzlaf’s touchdown). Two guys broke hard on the hitch, the receiver goes free, they go over the top and it’s a TD. Those little things are what are keeping us from taking it to the next level, and that’s what we need to do going into Regina.”
Ah, yes, Regina. Mosaic Stadium will be rocking, again, what with the home team’s re-emergence as a force. But Pile doesn’t see any reason to be withered by the prospect.
“We’ve won there. I’ve been in the league five years, I’ve played there four times and I’m 2-2. I should be 3-1 because we had another game that was pretty darn close. We have no qualms about going into that facility and winning the game, on the road, in a high-pressure situation.”
In blasting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in consecutive games, the Roughriders had great success in hooking up on long passes on corner routes. It’s a great strength of theirs and all of their receivers run it as well as Durant can throw it.
Pile and the Argos have to expect to see a lot of that on Saturday.
“I wouldn’t doubt it. They took advantage of what Winnipeg was giving them. It looks like they (the Bombers) were trying to funnel stuff to the outside.”
Expect Toronto to try and take those gravy routes away from the ‘Riders with an aggressive coverage scheme.
“The adjustment that should have been made (by Winnipeg) and needs to be made is that the guys need to get physical with the receivers at the line of scrimmage to not even let them get down the field,” claimed Pile.
It’s a philosophy Argo cornerback Sean Smalls agrees with.
“Yeah, being physical is one thing,” said Smalls. It throws off the timing. So, that can definitely help take away those corner routes. They like to push the ball downfield before they throw it short. So, if we can take away the deep routes, give them the short ones and ride up to make the tackles, then we can be successful.”
According to Pile, it’s essential for the Argos that the defensive backs and linebackers force Durant to spend as much time with the ball before he can let it fly.
“We like the way our front matches up with what they’re doing to protect him. So if we can give them that extra second, to let Ron Flemons turn the corner and get a big hit, that could change the dynamic of the game,” said Pile.
“Our strength lies in covering well and giving our front a chance to work. Because when they get in a rhythm, it’s like boxing; punch, counterpunch. And I like the way our guys punch.”
Just so long as you don’t give the other guy an opening for one of those corner route haymakers.
