The Toronto Argonauts are off to a tremendous start this CFL season with two straight road wins–well, one road win, another win “at home” on the road in Fort McMurray.
The wins come in two different ways as well. In Fort Mac the Argos looked poised from the the start and didn’t let up against the Edmonton Eskimos, a team many chose to be in Grey Cup this November. The second win came against the Riders.
After a shaky start in Regina, the Harris-led Argos showed a lot of character in getting the all-important W in hostile territory. This could be considered the coming out party for the relatively green starter wearing double blue. Regina was more of a provincial exam compared to the Eskimos, who were more like a quiz for the 29-year-old Harris. But he aced both of them and with relative ease.
Many were quick to write off the Toronto Argonauts for the 2015 campaign, with the knowledge of perennial all-star pivot Ricky Ray was starting the season on the six game injury list. Combined with a nightmare schedule that places the double blue on the road till August 8th, they looked dead in the water before the year started.
Trevor Harris has breathed life into this team. But we should point out that it is not just him responsible for the Boatmen’s great start, but a combination of players.
Running Game
With Curtis Steele starting the year on the six game injury list and Steve Slaton announcing his retirement from football, it was crucial to get a RB who could provide stability and help the Argos offence both on the ground and through the air.
Brandon Whitaker has provided both of those needs, and has proved to be the biggest signing for the Argos in the off season. The former Alouette has an outstanding career 8.5 yards per carry average, but he’s extended that to 14.9 yards per carry along with his total of 104 receiving yards over the past two games. And there you have Harris’ playmaker.
Whitaker has 290 all-purpose yards through his action on the ground and playing out of the backfield through two games. That’s 145 yards per game. Jim Barker gave Whitaker a chance to reset his once-promising but underachieving career. Who would have thought he’d provide this invaluable production so soon with Toronto?
Receivers
Toronto in the off season didn’t go out and sign anyone flashy with a name already in the CFL, typical for Jim Barker. However, he did manage to find two great additions, Kevin Elliot and Tori Gurley. They are both averaging big per-catch yardage, with Gurley at 10.6 yards and Elliot coming in at a brilliant 18.2 yards per catch in their first two CFL games.
One also can’t underestimate the importance of Chad Owens, another weapon that Harris will use and use often. Owens is second in the CFL with receiving yards totaling 187 over two games. Surrounding Harris with targets who understand how to get open, and who make the catches they should, has made life much easier for the QB.
Trevor Harris is not Ricky Ray, but he has played the lights out in his first two starts this season. Now the Argos have a chance to go 3-0 in 2015 as the take on the defending champs Calgary on Monday.
What a problem to have in Toronto–while most teams hope they never have to rely on their back up to keep pace, the Argos are in first place in the East, and need only to keep their road warrior mentality in place till they head home on August 8th. Jim Barker deserves a lot of credit for finding these offensive tools, and Scott Milanovich for coming up with a game plan that puts these pieces to good use.
