In their Wednesday practice, the Toronto Argonauts looked loose, comfortable and excited for Sunday’s huge tilt against the Montreal Alouettes. The winner of this game will be in first place in the CFL East division with only one week to go.
The Double Blue have been equal to the injury and practice space challenges that have been thrust on them this season, and have gone 4-2 since the Labour Day loss in Hamilton.
Asked about the Labour Day loss, Chad Owens said, “It was about understanding what we want out of this season. We could have settled for maybe making the playoffs, not making the playoffs. Or we can focus and really believe in each other on what we are doing here. The common goal, winning that Grey Cup, that’s what it’s about and winning a division gives you the best chance.”
Owens also touched on the adversity they’ve dealt with. “It’s a belief system, head coach Scott Milanovich constantly telling us what it’s going to take. Fortunately for us Ricky Ray had been able to stay healthy and persevere through all the changes due to injuries. He’s maintained his composure and we have a chance whenever he’s behind center.”
The Argos seem confident in practice, and they’re pumped up as well. Curtis Steele was clearly feeling ready for this shot at first place. “We are very excited,” he said. “We have been through a lot all year long but this is more fulfilling knowing we are playing for first. We are treating this as a playoff game. We don’t want to leave up to other teams to help us; this is a must win for us.”
Steele also reflected on how the team has managed to battle through all the distractions and negativity. “We just lock into the task at hand, prepare for each week, each opponent, their tendencies and what we have to do to improve as a group.”
A rib injury kept Steele from playing in last week’s game against the Ticats. On his health, he said, “I needed a week off to let the ribs heal up. I feel good to play. I’ll play my game but will monitor it.”
Chris Van Zeyl missed last week’s game as well with a thumb injury. His status is less clear; head coach Milanovich said, “We are waiting for an update. We’re hopeful he can play.”
The CFL East has been two separate stories this year. In the first half of the season fans were wondering about the idea of going to one division. Now as it stands, with two weeks left, we will see one of these three teams (Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton) miss the playoffs despite suddenly finding their stride in the second half of the season.
The way the Argos have battled through distractions all season, we can assume they have one or two more sets of ear plugs to once again drown out the background noise and focus till the end.
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