The CFL playoffs are upon us, and it all starts tomorrow with the Toronto Argonauts in Hamilton to take on the Tiger-Cats. We've seen this story before, with a Barker-led Argonauts team falling to Hamilton on the road in the playoffs. While the Tiger-Cats will be hoping history repeats itself, Toronto's going to try to rewrite the ending. To see who's likely to come out on top, let's break down the matchups.
Argonauts' offence: Two golden fleeces (out of five).
Toronto's offence has had some good moments this year. They feature one of the league's top players in running back Cory Boyd, and they have other talented guys like Andre Durie and Jermaine Copeland. However, they only scored 373 points this year, the worst mark in the CFL. Much of that's been thanks to the far-from-great play of quarterback Cleo Lemon (pictured above being sacked by Hamilton's Stevie Baggs), who has shown ability at times but has been quite inconsistent. They'll need Lemon and their offence to step it up tomorrow if they want to win.
Argonauts' defence: Five golden fleeces.
For all the struggles of Toronto's offence, their defence has been amazing this year. Despite often working with poor field position, they've only conceded a league-low 442 points. They've received great production from all-stars like Willie Pile and Kevin Eiben, but also from lesser-publicized players like Ronald Flemons (who Mark Masters had a terrific piece on today). First-year defensive coordinator Chip Garber has done a great job and perhaps established himself as a head coaching candidate.
Argonauts' special teams: Five golden fleeces.
Speaking of great coaching jobs, how about what former Argonauts' linebacker Mike O'Shea's done with the special teams? Toronto's run some tremendous plays there this year, including fake punts and field goals, and they've done an excellent job of kick coverage thanks to the downfield play of guys like Bryan Crawford and Jay Pottinger. Noel Prefontaine's addition has solidified the kicking game, and Chad Owens is by far the league's most dangerous return man. A couple of big special-teams plays might be crucial to Toronto's chances tomorrow.
Total: 12 golden fleeces.
Tiger-Cats' offence: Four of Markeith Knowlton's hair clippers.
The Tiger-Cats' offence was solid if not spectacular this season. Quarterback Kevin Glenn had an outstanding year, throwing for 5,102 yards and 33 touchdowns with a 64.5 per cent completion percentage. Arland Bruce III was again one of the league's top receiving weapons, finishing third overall with 1,303 yards, and Dave Stala, Marquay McDaniel and Maurice Mann also had good seasons. However, the running game was quite inconsistent, with DeAndra Cobb and Marcus Thigpen looking good at times and going MIA other weeks. Against the Argonauts' solid defence, the Tiger-Cats could use some balance.
Tiger-Cats' defence: Four of Markeith Knowlton's hair clippers.
The Hamilton defence was also good but not great this year. Knowlton led the way with a tremendous performance that saw him earn the East Division's nomination for defensive player of the year, and fellow linebackers Otis Floyd and Jamall Johnson also had great years. Johnson recorded 101 tackles on the season, second only to Barrin Simpson league-wide. The Tiger-Cats' defensive front got a midseason boost with the addition of Baggs, but their secondary was more suspect at times. Still, Hamilton only gave up 450 points this year, second only to Toronto.
Tiger-Cats' special teams: Four of Markeith Knowlton's hair clippers.
Hamilton's special teams were quite inconsistent this year. Kicker Sandro DeAngelis struggled to adapt to the winds at Ivor Wynne, and was particularly bad early on, but he improved down the stretch. However, punter Eric Wilbur had a pretty good season and even picked up some first downs on fake punts, and Thigpen was second only to Owens in return yardage this season. If DeAngelis plays well, special-teams play could be a strength for Hamilton; if he doesn't, it could turn into a significant weakness.
Total: 12 of Markeith Knowlton's hair clippers.
Add the factors up: Toronto 12, Hamilton 12.
X-Factor: The Ivor Wynne crowd. Yes, some fans will undoubtedly make the trip down from Toronto, but I'm expecting the Tiger-Cats' faithful to be out in force. Ivor Wynne can be an intimidating place to play, and they might be able to rattle the Toronto offence.
Prediction: Hamilton dominated the season series against their Ontario rivals this year and won all three games pretty convincingly. As the factor total shows, I think this one is going to be closer; Toronto's defence and special teams are good enough to keep them in it. However, on the road, I don't think their offence will be able to do enough to pull out the win. Hamilton 24, Toronto 21.
Jennifer Gimenez Katie Cassidy Estella Warren Cinthia Moura Monica Potter
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