  Argos quarterback Cleo Lemon is sacked by Tiger-Cats linebacker Otis Floyd at the Rogers Centre on August 20, 2010. (JACK BOLAND/QMI Agency) |
His team played like the Argonauts of 2009 and, after watching a surprisingly undisciplined performance in a loss against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Argos head coach Jim Barker tried to put the blame on himself.
Sorry, coach, but your players aren’t going to get off the hook. In their final game before the bye week, the Argos played like their minds were on their impending vacation from football as the Ticats won 16-12 in a sloppy affair that unfolded with the roof open at the Rogers Centre.
Barker figured the turning point came late in the third quarter, when he threw a challenge flag because he didn’t like the spot of the ball after Andre Durie ran for eight yards. But because it was just second down, Barker couldn’t challenge, and was assessed a 10-yard penalty for delay of game.
Holder Kevin Eiben bobbled the snap for a field goal attempt on the next play, and the Ticats recovered, eventually getting a 13-yard field goal from Sandro DeAngelis to finish the drive early in the fourth quarter.
That began a 13-0 run for the visitors, enabling them to even their record at 4-4 and drop the Argos to 5-3.
“In my mind, it was (the turning point),” Barker said. “That was my error. I am a rookie coach and I should have known better. We have had this officiating crew before and I felt like some of their spots were poor and I felt like that was one of them. It was a rookie coach mistake and I take full responsibility.”
Barker has been a head coach in the CFL before, but whatever. He’s right, he should have known better.
Let’s hope the annual Labour Day match between the rivals at Ivor Wynne Stadium is much more of a classic.
The Argos had no flow on offence, made mistakes on special teams and decided that taking the fewest penalties in the league in the first seven weeks was something that had to be changed.
And the defence, which held Arland Bruce III, the league’s leader in receiving yards, to just 68 yards on eight catches, couldn’t come up with that one big play that was needed near the end.
DeAndra’ Cobb scored the lone touchdown of the game with less than four minutes left, when he ran in from six yards.
That drive started when Ryan Christian, a 110-yard hero the previous week against Montreal, fumbled on a kickoff return and Hamilton recovered at the Toronto 22.
Argonauts quarterback Cleo Lemon, who completed 18 of 31 passes for 208 yards, said the loss was on the team, not on Barker.
“We did not come to do our jobs like we should have, and we will take responsibility for that because we have Coach Barker’s back all day,” Lemon said. “We’re not going to put anything on anybody. This is a team thing.
“(The offence) never really got in a rhythm. This is a tough loss, one we have to take something from. It was a combination of things.”
The Argos killed themselves before many of the season-high crowd of 24,493 had a chance to settle in their seats. Chad Owens’ 79-yard punt return for a touchdown was negated in the opening minute when veteran Jeff Johnson was flagged for holding.
On the next play, Durie had a 61-yard run partially negated by a holding penalty on receiver Jeffery Webb.
The bad penalties served as an omen for the rest of the night. The coup de grace came when Lin-J Shell was ejected late after he was accused of spitting in the face of Ticats linebacker Agustin Barrenechea.
“(The two initial penalties) crushed us,” Johnson said. “We have a huge play and to take a penalty like that on a return, was unacceptable and undisciplined.
“We have to, every guy, look in the mirror. We reverted, and hopefully we got it all out of the way in one game, because that is not about us.”
terry.koshan@sunmedia.ca
