Argos seeks unbeaten record at home in season finale

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The Argos need to escape Tuesday’s meeting with the Elks injury free.

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At last count, Argos had 29 players on the disabled list, many of whom will be available for the biggest game of the year on December 5, when Toronto will host the Eastern final.

Argos’ opponent that afternoon will be Hamilton or Montreal and the winner will advance to the Gray Cup the following Sunday at the Hammer.
The Ticats and Als will hook up in the Eastern semifinal on November 28.

A Ticats win this week over visiting Saskatchewan will give Hamilton a playing field over the Als, who will host Ottawa to end the regular season.

A Ticats loss coupled with an Als win and Montreal will host the divisional semifinal.

The Argos can close out their regular season by staying undefeated at home.
A win over Edmonton will also give the Argos their 10th of the season during the league’s shortened 14-game schedule.

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That old axiom of the need for a program to identify players holds true for Argos, whose list is a collection of names that probably no one has heard of or seen played.

Antonio Pipkin has played in the CFL, but never started a game as a quarterback for the Argos.

He will do it on Tuesday night.

Cole McDonald, a true CFL rookie, has never been snapped, but he will against the Elks.

The list goes on, including the debut of kicker Toshiki Sato, a global player who will take over all of Boris Bede’s duties.

The backfield will consist of AJ Ouellette, who rushed for more than 100 yards two weeks ago in a win over the Redblacks, and Cameron Scarlett, the team’s MVP at Stanford during his senior season two years ago before he made stops in the NFL with Tennessee and Seattle.

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Whether it’s Josh Huff making his debut for the Argos as a catcher, starting the game with an all-American defensive line, there are some odd combinations at various positions for the Argos.

Canadian rookie Josh Haggerty, for example, has started as a free safety and has served primarily as a backup in the defensive backfield and has played on special teams. He will start as a strong side linebacker for the first time as a professional.
Eric Rogers will return for the first time since Toronto’s visit to Regina on Sept. 17 when he was injured.

Rogers is a deadly target in the red zone and his size and capture radius make him an ideal target in any downhill and range situation.

As for the catcher, the Argos will start Brian Jones in his first game back at Double Blue, Cam P hillips in his Toronto debut with Damion Jeanpierre, rookie Dejon Brissett and Huff.

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Huff will also be used in the comeback game.

Chandler Worthy, Toronto’s leading returner, goes on the one-game disabled list.

“You can’t go out there and pretend,” Dinwiddie said, giving an overview of Tuesday’s game. “You have to go out and play soccer.”

Players cannot afford to simply follow the moves knowing that they can easily injure themselves on any play. No one expects Argos to mail it.

If a good impression is made, Dinwiddie and his staff will have an additional film to judge as they begin the serious task of preparing for December 5.

One area the coaching staff will pay close attention to is along the offensive line.

Dinwiddie acknowledged that rookie Peter Nicastro and veteran Jamal Campbell are unlikely to play in the Eastern finals, leaving huge gaps to fill and a game to determine whether any of Tuesday’s untested starters can play.

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Martez Ivey will start at left tackle, while Thaddeus Coleman will start at right tackle.

They are both Americans, but neither has taken a photo for the Argos.

Two Canadian rookies, Jonathan Zamora at center and Theren Churchill at right guard, will make their starting debuts.

A Toronto native, Zamora has a chance to be in the mix for the East final if he can handle himself well against Edmonton’s defensive line.

If he can handle the job, the option of starting Zamora at center and moving veteran Philip Blake to guard becomes viable.

Coleman is a CFL veteran who played for Edmonton.

Of the five O linemen projected to start Tuesday, only Shane Richards has started for the Argos.

Given the position he plays, all eyes will be on Pipkin while starter McLeod Bethel-Thompson has the night off.

Pipkin is athletic, but he has yet to show his arm talent like Argo. So far, the team has used it in limited packages, including short distances.

“He has all the arm talent in the world, but we haven’t had a chance to see him,” Dinwiddie said.

McDonald, according to Dinwiddie, has a great arm.

“Very similar to Pipkin’s skill set,” he said. “We’re going to make sure we call plays that allow these guys to have fun and go out and compete.”

Dinwiddie plans to go with Pipkin for at least the first half.

“I definitely want to get Cole out and give him some play time,” Dinwiddie said.