How a new home, revamped defence make the Argos a contender

TORONTO — For Argos fans, all that’s left to do is wait.

June 23 is the day the Argos play their first game at BMO Field, still three months and three weeks away. It’s early March and Toronto is covered by a heavy blanket of snow, and for the players and front office the work is far from over.

Combine, the draft, mini-camps, training camp – they stand between now and then. But when asked about the thought of stepping onto fresh grass on that late June Thursday evening against, who else, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, some Argos had chills.

“That first game, oh man,” said Argos safety Jermaine Gabriel, almost at a loss for words. “Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.”

Gabriel, a 25-year-old Toronto native, signed a contract extension with the Argos in February just in time for free agency. One of the reasons was he just couldn’t miss the transformation of his hometown franchise, both on and off the field.

That first game,
oh man . . .  Just
thinking about it
gives me goose-
bumps.

“Just knowing that the organization is moving on up to better things, I wanted to be a part of that and just see the progress from where we were two years ago to where we’re going to be now,” said Gabriel.

“It’s just an exciting moment for us and even when I’m talking to my teammates, we’re just excited to see how it’s going to be on game day.

“Everyone can’t wait.”

While players count down the days, so do the fans, and on March 1 it all got a little more real as season tickets officially went on sale for the first time (available HERE). Fans could see how their view of the field will look from any seat in the house with a virtual stadium map, while the team advertised tickets priced as low as $199.

Off the field, President and CEO Michael Copeland is certain the Argos are ready to restore their prominent place in the City of Toronto.

“It’s not that we’re going to try to,” said Copeland of the stated goal in a video posted on Argonauts.ca. “We will.

“This is going to be the best experience in professional sports. That is our goal, and not only is it going to provide a fantastic fan experience, but it’s going to be home.”

‘Home’ is the operative word there, and it’s exactly where the on-field aspect comes into play as well. Scheduling conflicts at the Rogers Centre forced the Argos to play four home games outside of Toronto last season including one outside of Ontario, a non-issue for the team in its new venue.

Instead, the Argos have a chance to establish a true competitive homefield advantage, much like they watched the Ticats do during their rise as an elite CFL powerhouse.

“Every seat in this house is gonna be taken,” said Ricky Foley, also a Toronto-area native. “It’ll be a home base, homefield advantage, playing on grass – I think it’s going to be the best gameday experience in the CFL, bar none, and I can’t wait.”

Added Copeland: “It’s going to be a really tough place for opposing teams to play.”

Now set to enter his fourth season, Gabriel remembers playing in that infamous Labour Day matchup with the Ticats in 2014, a sweltering afternoon in the Hammer and the first ever game at Tim Hortons Field.

“That was crazy,” recalled Gabriel, who made two tackles in that game.“It was loud, hot – they were handing out little footballs and they were pelting them on the field and the fans were going crazy, calling names. It was hectic.”

Cupholders lined with souvenir footballs at the inaugural game at Tim Hortons Field (THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The Ticats won that game 13-12 and eventually established themselves as the best home team in the CFL – a spark that helped Hamilton go from 1-6 that season to appearing in the Grey Cup before falling to the Calgary Stampeders.

It was nearly a year before the Ticats lost their next game at home, and by that time Tim Hortons Field was a place no one wanted to visit.

“That’s what we’re hoping to have,” said Gabriel. “We’re hoping to have the same things they’ve got over there. You go over there to play and everyone knows it’s a madhouse.

“We just want the same thing for us – we want the fans to come out, go crazy at our games, we want to put on a performance for them so they have a reason to come out, and we just want to have a good time.”

Of course, Hamilton’s success at home might not have happened without one of the best defences in the CFL. That fact isn’t lost on the Argos, who spent their off-season adding proven veteran players and on the sideline a renowned defensive specialist in Defensive Coordinator Rich Stubler.

With Casey Creehan and a young, unproven defence, the Argos were anything but difficult to play against in 2015. They surrendered a league-worst 429 completions, allowing opponents to complete 70.2 per cent of their passing attempts.

Overall, Creehan’s defence ranked sixth in the league in allowing 348.6 yards per game, but opposing quarterbacks often shredded Toronto’s secondary at will. A look back to last Labour Day is a stark reminder for Argos fans, when former Argonaut Zach Collaros threw for 400 yards and four touchdown passes in a 42-12 win – a game in which the outcome was never truly in doubt.