On the heels of Saturday’s 29-24 loss at Winnipeg, one question must be asked: Can it get any worse for the Toronto Argonauts?

At 3-9, their winning percentage is worse than Vernon Wells’ batting average (.262). On Saturday night, they showed less discipline than Dennis the Menace. They face another quarterback controversy after Kerry Joseph’s decent play coming off the bench. But it’s also the way they lose games.

It’s hard to tell what’s worse: losing games they led only to give them away in the final minute (BC in Week 7, Calgary two weeks later), or being absolutely terrible for most of the game and still fall just short. They did manage to win the fourth quarter 15-0, but it was a case of too little, too late.

Running back Jamal Robertson was less than convincing, with only 42 yards on 11 carries, which included a lost fumble on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. The defence couldn’t make key stops on second down when it mattered, and two of their best players — Rob Murphy and Zeke Moreno — lost their cool and were ejected in the fourth quarter.

I’ll never call a game “a must-win” until we get to the point of mathematical elimination, but the Basement Bowl was the closest thing. Toronto is stuck at three wins, two games behind BC for the final Eastern playoff spot. Furthermore, they lost both of their matchups against the Lions this season. Winnipeg is in a decent spot. One game behind BC, they play four of their six remaining games at home, including a tilt against Wally Buono and company on October 18th.

On top of that, the Bombers, for once this season, have to be pleased with the play of their starting quarterback. Michael Bishop was very efficient, completing 23 of 32 passes with two touchdowns, but the best part of his game was between the ears. He knew when to stretch the field and when to check it down to Fred Reid, who himself was productive, with 86 total yards on 17 touches.

Before the game, I was walking through Canad Inns Stadium and saw one fan with a paper bag over his head, with black writing that read “Coach Kelly makes me drink”. Another fan came equipped with a sign that said “Gretzky can coach the Bombers”. Funny how after the game, the very same fans likely shared in the collective optimism that surrounds the city of Winnipeg.

Now it’s Toronto that faces all the questions. Could Bart Andrus start Kerry Joseph for the remainder of the season and claim that he’s looking towards 2010? Some might call that naive, seeing how Andrus should be more worried about his job security, but we’ll see how it unfolds.

So can it get worse for the Argos. Yeah, they could get shutout by Montreal next week. That would be rough…

-Marc Tessier

On the surface, there is no reason to tune into Saturday’s matchup between the Argonauts and Blue Bombers. Yes, it’s simply a clash of two 3-8 teams. Yes, the teams might well duplicate the 13-12 snoozer they played earlier this year. Yes, the winner will only slightly improve its chances of making the playoffs. But what about the loser?

In a season that has been disastrous for each team on and off the field, a loss would not only solidify their spot in the CFL’s cellar, but also further question each team’s off-season hirings.

Toronto faced many questions after firing Rich Stubler in early September of last season. Their 0-8 record with Don Matthews — then the winningest coach in CFL history — left them with even more. Enter Bart Andrus. Having spent five seasons as an offensive assistant with the Tennessee Titans, he was given the task of igniting the fire under 2008’s worst offence. The Argos reached the 30 point plateau in their first two games, but haven’t hit it since.

New Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly is a reporter’s dream, a funny and honest man who will tell you exactly what he thinks. Though with his team at 3-8, he hasn’t had much positive to say. He entered his first CFL head coaching gig with a fine resume of positions on the offensive side of the ball as well. He had been an offensive coordinator with the Bombers, in the XFL, and at small colleges in the States. The Bombers have only scored 200 points this season (fewest in the league), and granted he hasn’t exactly had Joe Montana and Steve Young on his bench to choose from, his reputation for offensive craftiness has taken a hit.

But for each man, the main critique hasn’t come from their teams’ inability to score, but from handling of fragile situations. Former All-Star receiver Derick Armstrong refused to play for the Bombers in Week 2 unless he started, so Kelly released him. Bart Andrus had a few run-ins with his best playmaker, Arland Bruce, which caused Bruce to be shipped to Hamilton, and create havoc in the Argos’ secondary on Labour Day. Winnipeg’s best player, linebacker Barrin Simpson, was insulted that Kelly would ask him to take a reduced role a few weeks ago, and hasn’t played since.

So will a win on Saturday completely exonerate the winning coach from his mediocre season? Not likely, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the loser is shown a pink slip on the field as the final whistle sounds.

Now that would be must-see TV.

-Marc Tessier

Will the real Jamal Robertson please stand up?

After 187 total yards in Toronto’s Canada Day stomping of the Tiger-Cats — including 134 on the ground — Toronto’s starting running back went into a drought. He entered Friday’s game averaging only 50 yards rushing in the games since. But as the old saying goes, there’s no time like the present.

Robertson played his best football of the season after halftime. After just five rushes in the first half, he carried the mail 13 times after the break, including key rushes of nine, six and eleven yards in overtime, leading the Argos to a 25-22 win.

Toronto head coach Bart Andrus said that the decision to go away from the run in the first half wasn’t by design, but knew he could depend on it late in the game.

“We ran it a couple of times early and got stuffed. [...] I really felt like we would be able to run the ball if we could be close,” he said.

Sure enough, Robertson delivered on his coach’s words, and was grateful for the faith he was shown.

“It’s great that they believe in me, that they have confidence in me. I’m just glad I could come through for them when they need me,” said the second-year Argo. “I train hard in the off-season, and hope that I’m able to carry that load, and hope I can do that for the team when they call on me.”

Andrus also spoke highly of quarterback Cody Pickett’s play. While Hamilton head coach Marcel Bellefeuille brought in backup Quinton Porter on multiple occasions, Pickett played the entire game (minus a 2nd & 1 play which Kerry Joseph came in for, which turned out to be negated due to a penalty), and earned his first win as a starter in the CFL. He threw for 254 yards, but that wasn’t the only thing that impressed Andrus.

“He’s able to accept the play. He didn’t throw any interceptions. He has a high completion percentage, even with a few drops,” said Andrus. “That stuff will take care of itself as he gets more and more familiar with the guys running routes.”

Robertson had the best analogy for a team that snapped a franchise-record ten game home losing streak.

“We’re trying to get that momentum. It’s like when a basketball team goes on a 10-0 run. We’ve got to try to take advantage of this.”

Though there are few games that carry more weight on their schedule emotionally than those against Hamilton, the Argos go on the road for two games that could make or break their season. Matchups at BC and Winnipeg, the two teams directly above them in the standings, will go a long way in determining their fate come November.

One positive from Friday’s win is that Toronto has already eclipsed their post-Labour Day win total from a year ago. For Robertson and the Argos, what happened in recent history doesn’t matter.

-Marc Tessier

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times, the CFL season doesn’t really start until Labour Day. There are too many weeks in the eight team league for any mid-summer game to carry extra weight in the standings. But tonight’s game against the Blue Bombers is more important than the win or the loss.

By this point, we all know that Toronto’s number one receiver Arland Bruce was sent home from Winnipeg for — among other things — failing to attend special teams meetings, forgetting his playbook on a flight to Calgary, and let’s not forget him playing his music too loud in the locker room.

When I first saw the Argos’ media guide for this season with new head coach Bart Andrus on the cover as opposed to, say, former league and Grey Cup Most Outstanding Player Kerry Joseph, I knew that the team was determined to turn the page from last year’s disaster with a new attitude, and that Andrus was the man to lead the change. He certainly made his presence felt with the Bruce benching.

He took part of the blame for Bruce’s outrageous tribute to Michael Jackson in the season opener by saying: “I made the mistake of telling him in camp that once he got to the end zone I didn’t care what he did, but he’s straight with it now and I think next time around he will celebrate in an appropriate manner.”

Bruce wasn’t too pleased when he heard he wouldn’t dress in Winnipeg, and took the chance to speak his mind to The Globe and Mail’s Dave Naylor, who even offered him the chance to go off the record with his comments.

“For him to inactivate me because he says you’re not being a pro and fine me on top of that [...] this is the second time he’s told me he could get rid of me. Instead of worrying about me, he needs to worry about getting the quarterback right and getting on his ass. I didn’t wait six months to sit on my ass because I know I can contribute to this team whether it has an all-star quarterback or a mediocre quarterback. I’m the wrong one to set an example with,” he said.

The Argos’ situation is ironically similar to the predicament that Blue Bombers coach Mike Kelly found himself in with Derick Armstrong (also a former All-Star receiver), where the first year coach ended up releasing Armstrong. Winnipeg went out two days later and upset Calgary.

Bruce and his agent have received permission from the club to explore trade possibilities, but it would be unlikely that Toronto could get an equally explosive offensive weapon in return. It’s certainly in each party’s best interests to bury the hatchets in time for next Saturday’s rematch at the Rogers Centre, especially if you are one of those standings observing people, because tonight’s loser will be alone in the East division cellar.

-Marc Tessier

Maybe it just looks bad in comparison to their Canada Day steamrolling of the Tiger-Cats, but Saturday’s 46-36 loss to Saskatchewan was a huge eye-opener for everyone sporting the Double Blue. The score wasn’t a true reflection of the outcome, as the Roughriders outscored the Argonauts 30-0 in the second quarter. New head coach Bart Andrus has been preaching discipline since training camp, and feels even more strongly about it after his Argos were reckless on the field.

Toronto took 14 penalties totaling 131 yards. Defensive tackle Adriano Belli was benched in the first quarter after taking a needless unnecessary roughness penalty for headbutting a Roughrider after the play. Andrus made it very clear that there’s a place for that behaviour, and it isn’t the gridiron.

“Do you want to be a WWE wrestler or a professional football player? It’s as simple as that,” he said. When Belli was informed of his coach’s statement, he replied with a brisk “No comment.” He half-heartedly pointed to his foot in the locker room as the reason for his removal from the game, leaving it open to interpretation.

“It’s a fine line. We’re trying to kill the quarterback [...] but play within the rules of the game,” he added. “I think everyone was a little hot.”

Quarterback Kerry Joseph wasn’t pointing any fingers, putting the onus on the entire group to be sharper.

“Overall as a team we’ve just got to be better, more disciplined. Everyone was at fault today,” said the former Saskatchewan pivot. “We can’t give yards away. Bottom line. This is a game of inches and you have to make them earn every bit of it.”

Andrus did see some positives. He pointed to Joseph passing for over 300 yards, Reggie McNeal’s 114 yard receiving performance, as well as running back Jamal Robertson eclipsing 100 total yards from scrimmage. Still, he acknowledged there’s work to be done before this team gets to where it wants to be.

“Some of [the problems] are real easy to identify right now, and some we’ll study tomorrow. That’s the only thing I know to do,” said the coach. “90% of the time, if you have a negative turnover ratio, you lose.”

Though the Riders had it in cruise control after halftime, the Argos were still able to win the second half 23-9. (The roof was open for the second half. Read into that what you will.) Andrus saw positives that can be applied to future games.

“They came out. They played,” he said of his players. “We held them to field goals and we scored touchdowns.”

The Argos visit 0-2 Calgary on Friday.

-Marc Tessier

It’s only the second week of the season, but there are countless storylines as the Double Blue prepare for to tackle Saskatchewan in their home opener tomorrow.

Are the Argonauts for real, or did they simply feast on a weak Hamilton team on Canada Day?

Will Offensive Player of the Week Jamal Robertson crack the 100-yard plateau again?

Will Arland Bruce deliver an encore?

Oh yeah, and Kerry Joseph is playing his former team. Almost forgot.

Joseph delivered the Grey Cup to Rider Nation in 2007, and was then traded to Toronto in a goodwill move by Saskatchewan after he had elected to take a substantial pay cut to stay in Regina. He couldn’t get a win in his return in week 5 amid cheering watermelon-wearing fans, and despite throwing a career-high five touchdown passes in last year’s season finale, the Argos fell after botching a fake punt after their final drive had stalled.

That was an interesting, yet understandable call by then-coach Don Matthews, what with the Argos having been eliminated from playoff contention. But that was then and this is now. Bart Andrus is the new captain of the ship, and has installed a better, brighter mindset since training camp. That was evident in his comment following last Wednesday’s win over the Tiger-Cats with regards to receiving his Gatorade shower.

“I would never want to do this job if I couldn’t have fun at it and I preach that to the players because I want them enjoying the game again. At some point when they were young they played this game because it was fun and went back the next day and played again because it was fun and we want to keep that part of it,” he said.

If the Argos can keep the momentum rolling, they’d be primed for this season’s best turnaround in the CFL, following a disastrous 4-14 campaign last year. Arland Bruce must be thrilled.

I’ll have updates throughout the game on Twitter (YYZsportsmedia) and postgame with reaction from the teams on TSM.

-Marc Tessier

Here’s your bikini of the day from bikinibeat.org:

On Fan 590 Tonight- thanks to Mike S.

Rob Faulds and Jim Kelley

Hedo Turkoglu press conference coverage
Paul Tracy
Bart Andrus
Paul Waldie of the Globe
Hedo Turkoglu himself
Dan Shulman
And HOPEFULLY McCown from the Gretzky tourney

On 640 with Brady and Watters:

Greg Brady hosts
440 – adam foote
540 – kerry joseph
645 – david naylor
And joe sakic at some point

TSM TAKE: Wilbur is away, so Brady drives solo. Sakic retires, Foote played with him. It’s almost time for the Argo’s opener so stuff to talk about there too. Raptormania has taken over Toronto. Well not exactly, but man are people singing Bryan Colangelo’s praise. Toronto the smelly is getting PR in the sports world. Let’s hear from someone who chose us and why. The one opinion on the Jays mess I am interested in is Dan Shulman’s. Doc’s a going and BJ’s a gone. Is JP soon to follow? We can only hope! OH and it’s indy weekend for the gearheads- never been to a race, one day would like to go. PAul Waldie is a good biz writer, I could careless about the Phoenix Coyotes ownership situation right now. Mccown a guest on his own show? Believe it when I see it.

On The Fan590
5:40 Bart Andrus, The Head Coach Of The Toronto Argos
Rob Becker on the Bonds case,
Keith Law on Off-season baseball
Iain Page of the Golf Channel

On 640 Toronto
540 Christine Simpson, NHL Network
550 Michel Therrien, Penguins head coach
610 Darren Dreger, TSN
640 Mark Seidel, Chief Scout for North American Central Scouting

New Argos Coach

A hearty welcome to Toronto Bart (d’oh) Andrus!

We are very happy to have you here. We have heard good things about you. LT didn’t sleep last night he was so excited that you have taken over the double blue.

My favorite part of his press conference was when he thanked his kids, saying that “being the kids of a football coach isn’t easy, all the other kids talking about your dad, the team….” Ummmm, Bart (D’oh) your kids won’t have that problem here. Steve Simmon’s in his article today was on the right track, suggesting that the job ahead of Andrus is huge, but the risk if he is unsuccessful isn’t obscurity it’s total irrelevancy. Interest in the double blue is really low. If the teams keeps failing they will become totally irrelevant, the worst thing that can happen to a sports team.

For those of you non-Argos fans here is the new coaches coaching history:

Bart Andrus Coaching History:
2008: Offensive Assistant Coach, Tennessee Titans – NFL
2001-07: Head Coach, Amsterdam Admirals – NFL Europa
2000: Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks, Rhein Fire – NFL Europa
1999: Quarterbacks, Tennessee Titans – NFL
1997-98: Offensive Assistant/Quarterbacks, Tennessee Titans – NFL
1996: Head Coach, Rocky Mountain College
1993-95: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Southern Utah University
1990-91: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Montana State University
1986-89: Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Humboldt State University
1984-85: Graduate Assistant, Brigham Young University

on 640:

Burke at 540…

Dreger 610

Kelly Hrudey 630

Bart Andrus 640

On 590

at 5:05: The New Head Coach Of The Toronto Argos, Bart Andrus, IN STUDIO!
Bob McCown, Jim Kelley, Michael Grange & Jeff Blair around the table