Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
TORONTO — Ricky Ray, S.J. Green and James Wilder Jr. have centred much of the discussion around the East Division-winning Toronto Argonauts, but there’s an important underlier in all of the team’s success.
The Argos go into their Eastern Final matchup with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as one of the CFL’s hottest teams (5-2 in their last seven games), with a lot of their success due to one of the league’s top-ranked defences.
That defence, led by Defensive Coordinator Corey Chamblin along with six East Division All-Stars this year, has quietly put up elite numbers all season long, limiting yards and big plays while tying for the league lead in sacks.
We break it down in this week’s PWC Weekly Insight:
This group, of course, has earned the moniker ‘The Dreaded D’ for the number of players with dreadlocks, including Marcus Ball, Bear Woods, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Rico Murray and Johnny Sears Jr. But the descriptor goes well beyond hair styles.
The Argo defence has ranked near the top of the league in most categories in the first year under defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin, from stopping the run to pressuring the quarterback.
That unit ranks second in the CFL with 329.1 yards allowed per game overall, but there’s no major descrepincy between stopping the run or the pass. The Boatmen, led by the late addition of Mitchell White, have allowed the third-fewest passing yards in the league (267.9 yards per game) and the fewest rushing yards in the league (82.8 yards per game).
They’ve also gotten after the quarterback, despite some key injuries on the D-line. And after tying for the league lead with 50 sacks, the Argos will boast a fully healthy unit that includes three defensive all-stars in Cleyon Laing, Dylan Wynn and Victor Butler.
One thing the Argos have not done this season defensively is force turnovers — they rank sixth with only 28 takeaways in 2017 — so look for Chamblin to dial up some new looks in Sunday’s Eastern Final.
Either way, while fans sit at the edge of their seats as Ricky Ray, S.J. Green and James Wilder lead the Argos’ offence, the other side of the ball should not be overlooked.
