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DJ Foster is about to finish his first year in three-shot football with a chance to finish first.
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The running back returns to the lineup Friday night after a foot injury, hoping to give the Argos that double threat that Foster has shown since he first played in the CFL when Toronto kicked off his season at home. with the visit of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. .
The Argos won that night and will have to duplicate the same formula they ran against Winnipeg when the Ticats arrive in town for a first-rate battle in the East and home-field advantage in the divisional final.
Foster played in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals and remained in the state during his college career at Arizona State.
His stint in the CFL has allowed Foster to understand the rivalry and bad blood that unites the Ticats and Argos.
“Oh yeah, 100%,” Foster began when asked if the games against Hamilton have an additional advantage.
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“That first game at Hamilton was different. It doesn’t matter which league, you can feel a different level of intensity. It is a game of rivalry and there is a different mentality.
“I know there will be a lot of Hamilton fans, as well as our fans, and it will be fun.”
Foster knows what is at stake.
He also knows that the Argos have to play Edmonton next Tuesday in a short week.
There are 22 players on Toronto’s disabled list, including running back John White IV, who injured his knee last week in Ottawa.
Foster and AJ Ouellette, who rushed for 100 yards in Toronto’s win over the Redblacks, will be in the backfield Friday night.
Ultimately, Foster may be the one to make a difference for the Argos given his skill set.
For the Argos to give themselves a chance, they must establish a running game, which will allow head coach Ryan Dinwiddie to expand his playing calling.
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If the Argos can’t run football, their chances of beating Hamilton for the third time this season don’t look good.
Toronto’s two victories against the Ticats were produced by two combined points.
“I know the guys are hit, but we have to put that aside and play ball (Friday night),” Foster said.
Two of the most injured Argos are starting center Peter Nicastro and linebacker Dexter McCoil Jr., who were injured during Toronto’s overtime win over visiting BC two weeks ago.
When the game day list, injured list, practice list and CFL practice list are taken into account, a total of 78 players are on Toronto’s list.
One player not counted is linebacker Nate Holley, the CFL’s rookie of the year two years ago when he was playing in Calgary.
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Toronto signed Holley last week.
A victory on Friday will allow the many injured players more time to recover.
The Eastern Final will be played on November 28.
Hamilton has as much at stake as the host city for next month’s Gray Cup.
The Ticats end their regular season with a home game against Saskatchewan.
Foster hopes that none of his teammates will be caught in the moment, even if the moment is so great with so much at stake in the outcome.
“You have to enjoy games like these,” he said.
“This is what professional football is all about. That’s why I played the game when I was a kid, to have games like this. “
Robbie Smith will play in his biggest game as a professional, having joined the Argos for two years when the club selected Laurier’s defensive end.
On Remembrance Day, when the Argos made their run at BMO Field, the Brampton native felt blessed to be in this position.
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“I am grateful to be able to play in a game of this magnitude,” Smith said.
In terms of schematics, the Argos defense must negate those explosive plays that Hamilton can create when the ball is in the hands of players like Brandon Banks.
Ticats quarterback Jeremiah Masoli will make plays with his feet and arm.
For Smith, the key will be responsibility.
In his first season at Double Blue, Smith played on a four-win team.
A win on Friday night will be Toronto’s ninth.
A royal crowd will also attend.
Even when the crowd was thin, Smith appreciated the support the Argos received.
You have a feeling that something special is about to happen on Friday night.
“Definitely,” Smith said when asked if the home field would be an advantage.
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“I think Toronto is going to go big. When you’re at that local field and the crowd gets you going, add some extra juice, especially playing here at BMO.
“We have some really good fans, I think we will have the advantage of playing at home.”
Smith felt throughout the week during Toronto’s preparation how much the players enjoyed this opportunity.
“You can tell by everyone in the building and their energy that everyone understands how important this game is,” he said.
Smith recorded a sack on Labor Day at the Hammer.
Toronto likes to bomb, but it will do itself a huge favor if all four forwards can put together a passing run.
Fabion Foote and Travis Feeney return to the D line.
As expected, Charleston Hughes will not play as Argos placed the veteran on the one-game disabled list.
Reference-torontosun.com