Massive questions linger like a totally new DL for the Argos and can Alexander hang with the big boys as starting QB for the Als?
Intriguing contest. I don't which team I want to lose more here.
Quote from: GOLDMEMBER on June 05, 2025, 10:27:37 PMMassive questions linger like a totally new DL for the Argos and can Alexander hang with the big boys as starting QB for the Als?
Intriguing contest. I don't which team I want to lose more here.
Toronto is the worst. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Quote from: Jesse on June 05, 2025, 11:09:06 PMToronto is the worst. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
LOL, you got a point there.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GsssQHkWAAEEROi?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gsssc3JXYAAdSWQ?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
Grey Cup MVP Nick Arbuckle leads Toronto Argonauts into opener with 13 different starters
By 3Down Staff -June 5, 2025
The defending champion Toronto Argonauts will still have the Grey Cup MVP at the helm when they open the 2025 season on Friday, but the lineup will include 13 different starters from the last time they took the field.
Nick Arbuckle will get the nod at quarterback as franchise pivot Chad Kelly begins the year on the one-game injured list while recovering from the broken leg he suffered in the East Final. The 31-year-old native of Oxnard, Ont. threw for 252 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in his last start, capturing the championship hardware. Rookie Tucker Horn and recent signee Jarret Doege will back him up.
The rest of the lineup around him will be dramatically different, however. Following the surprise release of running back Ka'Deem Carey, second-year scatback Deonta McMahon will lead a backfield tandem alongside rookie Miyan Williams. In the receiving corps, the Argonauts will start three Canadians with former Hec Crighton Trophy winner Kevin Mital earning a promotion to the first team in his second season.
Up front, the team will roll with inexperienced American youngster George Moore at left tackle, bumping the reigning Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, Ryan Hunter, over to right tackle. Highly anticipated rookie Sage Doxtater will start at left guard, Anthony Vandal holds on to his job at right guard, and Darius Ciraco will get the nod at centre. Peter Nicastro and Dylan Giffen will provide depth.
On the other side of the ball, the entire defensive line will have a new look. Defensive end Derek Parish and defensive tackle Jordan Williams will step into full-time starting roles after promising rookie seasons, while the unproven Andrew Chatfield Jr. makes his debut as the other defensive end. The Argos will start a free-agent acquisition at defensive tackle but it is former Rider Demarcus Christmas who gets the nod, with Anthony Lanier serving as a backup.
Canadian linebacker Cameron Judge will start on the weak-side after he was acquired via a blockbuster trade in January, forming a talented duo with Wynton McManis. Donald Rutledge Jr. takes over at strong-side linebacker after last playing in the CFL in 2022 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he made 58 defensive tackles, two sacks, and an interception.
In the secondary, free-agent signee Darrius Bratton will debut at field-side halfback after coming over from Edmonton in the offseason. Rookie Derek Slywka, who began training camp as a receiver before returning to his college position of defensive back, will start the season at safety.
Toronto will also have a change in the return game, as reigning Most Outstanding Special Teams Player Janarion Grant will begin the season on the one-game injured list after missing practice with a bad ankle. Rookie Calvin Turner Jr. is expected to handle his responsibilities.
In addition to Kelly and Grant, Canadian offensive lineman John Bosse (knee) will begin the season on the one-game injured list. Defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. (Achilles) has been placed on the six-game injured list and is expected to miss the entire season. Canadian receiver Hergy Mayala, American defensive back Kenneth George Jr., and American defensive linemen Atlias Bell and Celestin Haba are all listed as healthy scratches.
The Argonauts will begin their season on Friday, June 6 against the Montreal Alouettes. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT at Percival Molson Stadium.
https://3downnation.com/2025/06/05/grey-cup-mvp-nick-arbuckle-leads-toronto-argonauts-into-opener-with-13-different-starters/
QB Davis Alexander begins tenure as face of franchise alongside tweaked Montreal Alouettes lineup
By 3Down Staff -June 5, 2025
The Montreal Alouettes will start a new era on Friday night but most of the players on the field will be very familiar to fans.
The team will introduce a handful of new starters into the lineup for their season opener, though most already have experience with the team. Chief among those is quarterback Davis Alexander, who made just four starts last season but impressed enough to push out Cody Fajardo as the face of the franchise. He'll begin the season as the unquestioned starter for the first time in his career, with McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Caleb Evans backing him up.
Alexander will have another new starter with a familiar face beside him in the backfield, as veteran Canadian running back Sean Thomas-Erlington will get the first reps after the surprise release of Walter Fletcher. Rookie Travis Theis is also expected to get plenty of touches in his CFL debut. The receiving corps will remain mostly unchanged, save for the return of Canadian standout Tyson Philpot from his season-ending injury last year.
Up front, Jamar McGloster will continue to start at right tackle after he took over for the injured Josh Donovan, who has since been released, late last year. The major change is a ratio swap that will see American Donald Ventrelli start at right guard after spending most of last season on the practice roster.
On the defensive side of the ball, free-agent acquisition Shawn Oakman and Canadian Lwal Uguak will start at defensive tackle while Mustafa Johnson (knee) remains on the six-game injured list to start the season. Lorenzo Burns will continue as the boundary cornerback after winning the job late last year, while two raw rookies will earn starts in Byron Vaughns at defensive end and Tiawan Mullen at strong-side linebacker. Second-round CFL Draft pick Nate Beauchemin is also listed as a starter at weak-side linebacker on paper, though he is expected to rotate in favour of Tyrice Beverette to take advantage of the designated nationalized American rule.
In addition to Johnson's absence, running back Stevie Scott III (knee); defensive linemen Trevon Mason (shoulder), Josh Archibald (hamstring), and Antonio Moultrie (back); and defensive back Dionte Ruffin (hamstring) will begin the season on the one-game injured list. Canadian offensive lineman Cyrille Hogan-Saindon and quarterback James Morgan will be healthy scratches.
The Alouettes will open the season against the Toronto Argonauts on Friday, June 6. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT at Percival Molson Stadium.
https://3downnation.com/2025/06/05/qb-davis-alexander-begins-tenure-as-face-of-franchise-alongside-tweaked-montreal-alouettes-lineup/
Haha, I like the new Friday Night Football intro with the players singing. Is that the "new look" the media was talking about?? Or is it a one-off just for this one?
This game will be the "who is best in the east" game and should set the tone for the season. Clearly OTT isn't the powerhouse some pundits thought they'd be...
Montreal playing well and is looking to be ahead of the curve early in the season. They're well-coached and the players are executing.
remember when we lost the Grey Cup to Arbuckle???
i don't...
philpot is going to be great this season
nice without the horns
This makes the Grey Cup loss worse.
Quote from: markf on June 07, 2025, 12:55:36 AMThis makes the Grey Cup loss worse.
Meh. Not winning just means things didn't go your way. Happens.
Quote from: The Zipp on June 07, 2025, 12:27:17 AMremember when we lost the Grey Cup to Arbuckle???
i don't...
Montreal has an aggressive D the same way Toronto has over the past few years. With all of the change in TO over the offseason and Arbuckle starting, this was bound to happen.
Well, this sucks.
Alexander was doing fantastic but got his leg twisted good there.
He ran off while I was typing that so hopefully he's fine.
Quote from: Jesse on June 07, 2025, 01:46:10 AMWell, this sucks.
Alexander was doing fantastic but got his leg twisted good there.
He ran off while I was typing that so hopefully he's fine.
Alexander was just doing the Fajardo flop which he was well schooled in last year. It was amazing how much better he felt after he realized the guy was blocked into him lol. Cody would have pretend winced back to the sideline though.
Just like this Arbuckle one near the end of the first half, there's been a lot of those fumble-right-as-arm-goes-forward scenarios in the CFL the last few years. Normally they blow them dead as incomplete.
Even if challenged and reviewed they usually stay or become an incomplete pass. Even the slightest forward motion by the arm is enough to make it not a fumble.
So this goes against precedent a bit. What must be going on here is the league is favoring their "don't overturn much of anything" standard set last year.
Quote from: markf on June 07, 2025, 12:55:36 AMThis makes the Grey Cup loss worse.
Well, a) TOR lost a ton of talent in FA, and b) MTL had the benefit of the entire GC worth of film on Arbuckle. We had zero film on him in double-blue.
3Q13:11
Isn't that a (newly) illegal low hit on a REC during reception-in-progress? Right on the knee area as he turns after the catch.
Didn't the refs get the memo? Are they really only going to apply the rule if someone gets injured?
3Q5:26 The wacky on-pylon INT: he was still bobbling it, that's why the ref right there said no INT. Then on-field refs changed it to "INT", and command, I guess, once again didn't want to overturn call-on-field.
The DB bobbled it like 3 times and didn't have full control in 2 hands until his foot was already on the pylon.
If they are saying his bobbling hands are "complete" then that makes me even more angry about the 2019 GC when they stole Bailey's first CFL TD away due to similar bobbles.
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on June 07, 2025, 03:48:46 AMAlexander was just doing the Fajardo flop which he was well schooled in last year. It was amazing how much better he felt after he realized the guy was blocked into him lol. Cody would have pretend winced back to the sideline though.
Haha, I remember those. We may never see them again... aww too bad (NOT).
But Alexander did hyperextend his knee on that pop, clearly visible on the one camera shot. I'm actually shocked he's ok.
Moral of the story is: watch what's going on around you even after the play appears over. The other moral: if you're an OL, stop fighting with the DL
if he has inside leverage after the play is over. Not worth crippling your qb.
I know it's just one game, but Montreal looks even better than I expected.
Quote from: TBURGESS on June 07, 2025, 02:39:25 PMI know it's just one game, but Montreal looks even better than I expected.
Maybe. Argos didn't look very good. Arbuckle looked horrible. How did he defeat us in the Grey Cup?
Argos secondary couldn't cover or tackle. I think it was mentioned that 1/2 of yardage achieved by Alexander was YAC. Philpot came close to scoring 2 more TD's by 2' twice. Their defence also gave up 160 yards rushing.
It was one game but the roster turnover hurt the Argos significantly. Not sure if they have the " right stuff ".
Argos used four Canadians on their O line.
Tough row to hoe.
The close up look on Arbuckle's face on the fumble /pass als scoop and score
Was pretty funny. "Nooooooooooooo"
He got pounded hard all game.
Alexander.... Pretty quick at reading defence it looked like.
I thought Luke Wilson was good. Nice to see an NFL guy not looking down on the CFL.
Quote from: markf on June 07, 2025, 03:22:30 PMI thought Luke Wilson was good. Nice to see an NFL guy not looking down on the CFL.
Ya, the new sideline guy really knew how to dish out the info. Great fresh perspective and quick delivery.
Gotta love the 80's stache and hair though, eh? Reminded me of young Shultzy (RIP!)
https://cflnewshub.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/chris-schultz.jpg
Quote from: Blue In BC on June 07, 2025, 02:55:08 PMMaybe. Argos didn't look very good. Arbuckle looked horrible. How did he defeat us in the Grey Cup?
Ya, maybe if Zach had been healthy all 4th Q we may have pulled it off, even though we were being modestly outplayed.
But also, MTL studied the GC film and just threw big pressure on Arbuckle, which clearly was the key to beating him. They also successfully baited him into deeper throws with guys waiting for picks. We could have sent more blitzes in the GC, which would have helped. Our front 4 was useless so I would have sent 5 every other snap but with a different 5th every time.
Part of the "dynasty" in WPG has been the ability to weather the leeching off of 3-5 top talent guys every year. TOR may not have the same ability.
Of course, this game was without Kelly, so I wouldn't judge anything with any finality quite yet.
Quote from: TBURGESS on June 07, 2025, 02:39:25 PMI know it's just one game, but Montreal looks even better than I expected.
MTL looks exactly like the 2024 MTL. Which makes sense because they lost almost no one in FA. And ditching Cody was the smartest move ever (as long as Alexander doesn't get a booboo).
However, very strange that they had a great run game with "just" STE... who would have ever thought he'd be a franchise guy? Bizarro world. Now MTL gets the extra IMP elsewhere.
For everyone who though Montreal qb might be feigning injury..
you owe him an apology!!!
Montreal Alouettes franchise quarterback Davis Alexander overcame a scare during his 2025 regular-season debut as he momentarily feared he'd suffered a knee injury.
"(I felt) very scared, I didn't think it was good. I'm good now, though," Davis told the media on Monday. "I think (the defender) got maybe thrown into me a little bit. It was a little bit after the play, I just wasn't expecting it."
Quote from: TecnoGenius on June 08, 2025, 04:39:44 AMMTL looks exactly like the 2024 MTL. Which makes sense because they lost almost no one in FA. And ditching Cody was the smartest move ever (as long as Alexander doesn't get a booboo).
However, very strange that they had a great run game with "just" STE... who would have ever thought he'd be a franchise guy? Bizarro world. Now MTL gets the extra IMP elsewhere.
Wait till Mustafa Johnson returns from injury, they already have a very dominant D-line and have to be seen as the team to beat this season. Argos have been significantly weakened by loss of personnel in the off-season and will not be able to rebuild it quickly enough IMO.