Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
When the Toronto Argonauts said farewell to General Manager Jim Barker last off-season, it felt like a turning of the page. With or without Scott Milanovich, the Argos had suddenly changed and were left with many more questions than answers in style of play, identity and leadership.
Those question marks were accompanied by an exclamation mark or two when Head Coach Scott Milanovich jumped ship for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.
Suddenly, the Argos were in need of an identity. Someone or something to call their own and build a team personality around.
With an aging quarterback who was openly considering stepping away from the game in Ricky Ray, even the most important position on the field was up in the air with little assurance any alternative options existing in house were or could be ready in time for training camp in June.
Where would the Argos find their personality and leadership?!
Enter Marc Trestman.
Trestman’s accolades as a leader of men and an offensive mind speak for themselves. We all assumed when Trestman returned to the CFL (once Ray confirmed his attendance at training camp) that Ray would become a 2017 version of Anthony Calvillo’s Montreal days with high efficiency passing being the main course of a hearty Argos meal.
That was absolutely true in the first month or two of the season and remains a constant threat which defences must honour and prepare for. The Trestman passing system with offensive coordinator Marcus Brady is among the best designed in the Canadian Football League but it is Trestman and Brady’s willingness to adjust their schemes which could truly make the Argos a threat come November.
Trestman never exactly shied away from running the ball while in Montreal but the Argos deployment of the ground game over the last month has opened football fanatic eyes from Victoria to St. John’s due to its frequency of use and rate of success.
I took a look at the Argos run/pass play calling tendencies by down and found that while there has been some variation, second down largely remains a passing down as anyone who has ever watched a modern CFL game will attest to.
Leaning on James Wilder Jr. on the ground has taken heat off Ricky Ray in the Argos offence, keeping the veteran QB upright and opening up his options in the passing game (Johany Jutras/Argonauts.ca).
The big change in Toronto this month has come on first down run/pass playcalling.
The Argos started the 2017 season passing more than 80 per cent of the time in three of their first four games. Since the final game in that first down passing trilogy Toronto have not chosen pass over run more than 80 cent of the time on first down again.
That’s significant because the early season scouting report on Toronto was grounded in the principal that they were challenging Hamilton and Saskatchewan as the most pass happy team in the league especially on first down.
All of a sudden the Argos are amongst the most aggressive first down ground attacks in the league with the last two weeks against Edmonton and Montreal showing a clear change in run/pass play calling philosophy.
In fact, the Argos last two games are both in their top four run heavy gamelans of the 2017 season.
Does this have to do primarily with former offensive line coach Jonathan Himebauch being brought back into the double blue fold to lead the men up front?
Perhaps, but I believe it is equal parts Trestman and Brady’s flexibility, Himebauch’s knowledge of the Argos surroundings and the emergence of a running back capable of making every play Trestman needs a back to be able to make in his offence.
James Wilder Jr. has shown an explosive ability in CFL shoulder pads right from when training camp started this season but with Brandon Whitaker starting the season as a veteran back and Anthony Coombs taking the next step of his career there wasn’t much ball to go around for Wilder, until now.
Whitaker has been placed in cue for the foreseeable future while Coombs continues to recover from an unfortunate shoulder injury which required surgery in late August.
That has led to Wilder Jr’s targeted touch percentage exploding over the last two Argos outings.
Targeted touch percentage is simply the percentage of available touches a player is given in both the ground and air attack. Essentially a measure of the coaching staff and quarterbacks interest in getting a given player involved in the offensive attack.
It is very clear that Wilder has earned the right to be a feature back in an offence that thrives on players with his skill set.
Due to the offensive lines continually improving play, Trestman and Brady’s flexibility in game planning and the emergence of a running back who fits the mold I believe the Argos ground game is here to stay.
Wilder Jr. will not rip off 60+ yard runs each week – at least I don’t think so – but he doesn’t have to. In order to make Ricky Ray effective throwing to the flats Wilder just has to be a constant threat to bust one and he has certainly made all in CFL circles aware of that over the last two weeks.
