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When the Argonauts step on to the gridiron for the first time in 2010, about all that might be recognizable is their classic Double Blue jerseys.
And with the amount of upheaval that could happen in Argoland this off-season, maybe even that is assuming too much.
Co-owners David Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski, who rescued the Canadian Football League club from bankruptcy in 2003 with a large financial assist from David Braley, have turned their attention to pucks from pigskin, but the duo has not said publicly whether the Argos will be sold, likely to Braley.
ABANDON SHIP
Two years of losing badly, a struggle to draw fans from a Greater Toronto Area that is not as football friendly as it was 10 years ago and less-than-sympathetic ears with the CFL's board of governors regarding revenue sharing might have convinced Cynamon and Sokolowski it's time to get out of the football business and into that of the National Hockey League. That's the educated guess, as Cynamon and Sokolowski refused requests to be interviewed for this story, with a team spokesperson saying in an e-mail that "many things with ownership are uncertain and will not have closure or answers at this time. Speculation coming from us does not serve to benefit anyone in any way at this point."
That doesn't make the silence any less maddening. Unless Cynamon and Sokolowski really are unsure of their plans, fans unfairly are left to wonder.
But some CFL observers think a sale to Braley, who owns the B.C. Lions, will get done, with one source insisting that all that's holding the transaction back is "the end of the season." Braley would not necessarily be required to sell the Lions first, but doing so would go a long way in keeping respectability for the league as a whole.
Here's what we know: The Argonauts are an awful football team, and assurances from head coach Bart Andrus that things will be better in the future aren't good enough. Toronto has gone 3-22 since the firing of head coach Rich Stubler in September of 2008, with little improvement along the way. Had there been measurable steps forward, the Argos wouldn't be riding a seven-game losing streak into today's 2009 finale at home against the Montreal Alouettes.
Andrus, with roots in offence, was supposed to be the guy to get quarterback Kerry Joseph's groove back. That didn't happen, and the offence is dreadful. The idea that the team has become more of a professional outfit under Andrus should raise some eyebrows. It's one thing to run tighter practices and make hard decisions, such as the trading of Arland Bruce, but the cold reality is the Argos have won once since July and will be the most penalized team in the CFL when the regular season is done.
Why hasn't this team won more games if the gains were made off the field to restore the attitude and change the culture?
Andrus was not terribly convincing.
"Eventually we will (win more)," Andrus said. "We've had the opportunities and not converted them. Eventually wins will transpire. It's the next step."
Granted, Andrus was not handed a championship-calibre team when he was hired last January.
"He inherited a mess," former Argo Orlondo Steinauer said. "But as bad as it has been, there is no reason they need to be 3-14. If he returns, I think he will be better. But how do you attract free agents? This is a small league. It's not 32 teams. Guys talk."
Some decisions made by Andrus have puzzled. The Argos will start third-string quarterback Stephen Reaves against Montreal today, but Andrus left it so long that he won't know any more about Reaves tonight than he would have at the end of training camp. Across the league, people have scratched their heads at the Argos' decision to carry only two quarterbacks -- Joseph and Cody Pickett -- for much of the year. Keeping two import kickers, Justin Medlock and Eddie Johnson, when camp broke, was something that was unheard of otherwise.
And as one observer said: "Where is the return game? Every team has a water bug. Guys who are 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds and who are fast are a dime a dozen south of the border. The days of putting a defensive back in there are long gone."
Andrus' hiring of coaches without CFL experience did not help. It's great to have men on staff who might be good teachers, but it's a can of worms to face in-game situations with coaches who have not experienced them before. That, one watcher said, has led to almost no improvising and little adjusting.
"This is not the NFL," the source said. "It's not always going to be a chess match."
And there's some thought that Andrus may have been zealous in his handling of holdover veteran players. Bruce was gone in an instant after going public with criticisms, and cornerback Byron Parker did not last long after speaking out. Yet in Winnipeg, Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly was able to smooth over an acrimonious separation with linebacker Barrin Simpson and welcome Simpson back.
General manager Adam Rita has overseen the organization's downfall and though the assumption by many is that Rita will be canned, it might not be the case.
"Rita is Braley's eyes and ears," one source insisted. "He's safe if Braley takes over."
If there are changes in management or in the coaching staff, the Argos don't plan to make any announcements until after the Grey Cup.
Despite the atrocious record, the Argos aren't getting killed at the box office. Though season ticket sales are thought to have fallen and overall attendance has dropped, it has not plummeted through the floor. The average through eight games is 26,134, a decrease from 29,189 in 2008. In the Cynamon/Sokolowski era, which has produced a Grey Cup only in 2004, attendance peaked at an average of 30,931 two years ago. In 2003, the year before the pair took control, attendance was 15,083 on average.
TSN has had a jump in the average television audience for Argos games, the ratings undoubtedly helped by the Portable People Meters introduced in September. Argos games draw an average of 547,000 viewers, with 37% of viewers in the 18-49 demographic and 20% living in the GTA.
Fighting the daily battle to stay relevant in a market where the choices are endless is among the integral aspects of Argos president Bob Nicholson's job.
"This year we had a lot more casual fans," Nicholson said. "But season ticket holders have slipped. We've heard frequently from them about the lack of success in back-to-back years. Winning is a big part of (keeping fans), but it's not the only solution. It's not going to be an easy sales job. We have to show we are a premier team in the league and we're not near that right now."
TERRY.KOSHAN@SUNMEDIA.CA