Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
It may be a tired proverb, but it accurately describes the aerial battle that fans at Ivor Wynne could be witness to on Monday.
On one side, you have the Tiger-Cats’ multifaceted and highly-productive receiving corps. On the other: an Argonaut defensive backfield that has rightfully gained a reputation as one of the best pass disrupting units in the CFL.
The Double Blue’s secondary is a careful mixture of experience and youth, with seasoned safety Jordan Younger and third-year corner Evan McCollough anchoring a group that includes three newcomers.
A quick glance at a stats sheet hints at the success that unit has had against the pass this season.
The Argonauts have held opponents to the lowest passing percentage of any CFL team (57.4%) and have allowed the fewest completions against (144). They sit second behind only the Lions in fewest net passing yards against (1870) and average passing yards allowed per game (233.8).
So what exactly are the Argos’ defensive backs doing so well?
Tiger-Cat Head Coach George Cortez believes that much of Toronto’s success in defending against the pass can be traced to their ability to create favourable man-to-man matchups on a weekly basis.
“They do a very good job of matching guys up,” says Cortez. “If you watch them week-to-week, they put whoever they think is their best cover guy on the best receiver they think they’ll be facing. So a guy who usually plays corner might not be playing corner in the next game because he’s covering a guy who plays slot.
“I know for example that one of their guys followed Andy (Fantuz) around in some situations the first time that we played them and that’s not really the spot where he plays. They’ve pretty much done that in most of their games.”
Beyond their ability to manipulate personnel packages, the Argos are flexible in their schematics. It makes the Double Blue’s defence a difficult group to pigeonhole.
“They also will just play their position and play man, so that you can’t always tell what they’re doing,” says Cortez of Toronto’s defenders. “They also play zone. Some games they’re predominantly man, and others they’re predominantly zone.
“People who don’t become patterned are the hardest ones to play against.”
The Tiger-Cats’ players are alert to the danger posed by that backfield as they prepare for Monday’s encounter.
Rookie receiver Sam Giguere expects a physical challenge and an Argo group hungry for the ball on Labour Day.
“They’re ball hawks, they go after the ball,” says Giguere. “They’re very physical in their coverage too. So we have to get ready and be sure that we can get off the line and off of the jam and execute properly.”
Fellow rookie Onrea Jones suggests that he and his teammates must counteract the dangerous Argonaut backfield with precise and varied routes.
“It’s about knowing where you have to be on the field and then running your route,” says Jones of the means to find separation on Monday. “But you can’t do it the same way every single time. You have to mix it up.
“That’s what we try to do in practice. We try to get a feel for the different things we have to do to get to the same spot.”
Properly employing that variety involves using the Tiger-Cats’ considerable speed to probe and challenge the Argonauts on the line and beyond.
“We have to learn to use our speed to our advantage sometimes,” says Jones. “That might mean going halfway up the line and then giving them a burst or something – or vice versa – just to keep them off balance and keep the DB thinking.”
Therein lies the key for the Tiger-Cats’ receivers: to match the unpredictability of the Argos’ backfield with some confusion of their own making.
“You’re always trying to play with everyone else’s mind,” says Jones of a receiver’s goal. “You go out and try something and see how they react to what you just did.
“That’s the fun of the game, just playing that cat and mouse.”
