After a 0-3 start to the season, it sounds like change could be on the horizon for the defending Grey Cup champions.
The Toronto Argonauts lost a heartbreaker to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday that sent head coach Spencer Dinwiddie into a passionate rant after the game.
“I’ve never really got after those guys, this is the first time I’ve had to after a game. Pretty embarrassed by it. I thought it was selfish play, selfish penalties,” Dinwiddie told the media in an impassioned post-game rant. “I told those guys, ‘Someone’s going home tomorrow.’ Heads are rolling. I ain’t putting up with that stuff no more.
“I think that might open up some eyes. We gotta come and do the work. These guys are getting paid, this is their job. They need to come here with some purpose. It’s coaches as well. It’s not a good atmosphere right now. We’ll get it fixed. We’re men and we’re pros, we get paid to do this, but I’m not happy right now.”
Trailing by eight late in the fourth quarter, the Argos managed to tie the game with a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion with 23 seconds remaining. But the good times wouldn’t last long, as Riders receiver Mario Alford returned the ensuing kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown with just eight seconds left on the clock.
To make matters even worse, Toronto only had 11 players out on the kick coverage team for Alford’s return.
“We didn’t stay in our lanes. They had a blatant block in the back that they missed — I couldn’t challenge that. We had 11 guys on the field too, and we had a chance to huddle up and get everything squared away,” Dinwiddie said. “Special teams, I thought, was pretty bad for the third week in a row. We’ve got to get that fixed.”
Dinwiddie also took direct aim at his team’s offensive line in his rant after the group allowed four sacks on Friday.
“I thought we got beat up front,” Dinwiddie said. “We’ve got one of our guards who’s 280 pounds. I don’t know what he did all off-season.”
“We had one six-yard hitch where we didn’t even have time to throw that. Week 1 and Week 3, I thought our O-line got physically beaten. … We have a veteran O-line, it doesn’t look like it right now.”
The 0-3 start is the worst the Argos have had under Dinwiddie since he took over the team in 2020.
Toronto played the first three games of the season without star QB Chad Kelly who is still working his way back from a broken leg he suffered in last season’s playoffs.
The Argos will head to Ottawa in Week 4 to take on the Redblacks still searching for their first win of the season.
