Pinball Clemons no longer gushes when he talks about John Avery.

His face tightens, his tone changes to terse, his wide infectious smile somehow disappears when he is asked about his quarter-of-a-million dollar bust.

Six weeks and four wins into the Canadian Football League season and the heat at a noisy SkyDome last night wasn't only about temperature and humidity. It was about the highest-paid Argonaut playing the part of decoy, a big-dollar gamble now in doubt, and the discomfort that surrounds misspent dollars in the frugal world of the CFL.

John Avery was supposed to be the answer for the Argos but no one remembers exactly what the question is anymore.

Again the Argos won last night: Again the stars were the ancient Damon Allen at quarterback and the quiet Tony Miles at receiver, and always the Argo defence, and almost nothing came from the player expected to make this city, this country, this league Avery fans.

"This couldn't have been what you expected (from Avery)?" coach Clemons was asked after the Argos' win last night.

"Four-and-two as a team, that's what we expected," Pinball said.

When the question was repeated, the tension only grew.

"It's a little subtle thing that makes the difference in ball games," Clemons said. "We added him (Avery) to help complete our football team and make us a better team and I think he's done that."

This just in: In a league where the players earn next to nothing, the Argos signed their highest-paid players for reasons of subtlety. That's the story as of late last night. It wasn't the story when training camp began, when Clemons was raving about the talents of Avery, comparing him to no less a player than himself.

"Except," he said, "I never had that kind of speed. I've never seen anybody who did."

With one third of the CFL season gone, John Avery hurts almost everywhere. His knee. His clavicle. His hip. "It's like connect the dots," he said. "Everything hurts. I need a full makeover."

Last night, he carried the ball seven times for 15 yards, only twice in the first half. He never looked explosive, sharp, dangerous even. Last night, he caught just two of Allen's 30 completions. In all, he accounted for 33 of the Argos' 417 yards of offence.

And afterward, he bit his lip and forced a smile and talked with his usual bravado about being a team player and enjoying the win. "As long as we get the 'W,' " he said, "I'm cool with that."

Cool, sure. But he has to be feeling it. He and his team. His teammates must look at him funny -- like, "How is it you're getting all this money and we're doing all the work?"

The season is six games old and Avery has not seen the end zone except to celebrate someone else's score. Last night, he became the highest-paid pass blocker in league history. But next game, you'll see the real Avery. That's the spin now. That's the latest.

"I need this bye week," he said. "I need it so bad. It's been a fight every game, an uphill battle (to get ready). After two weeks off, I'm going to be like a totally different guy. Nobody's going to touch me, nobody's going to hit me. Then you'll see what I can do."

Give him two weeks, Pinball Clemons pleaded. "We have 18 days between games ... after this game we will probably see the biggest jump in John Avery."

For his part, Avery agrees. He maintains he is an explosion waiting to happen.

"If you're going to play conservative, I'm going to kill you," he said. "If you're going to blitz, they're (receivers) going to kill you. Either way, you're going to get a slow death."

Which is about where his career is headed if things don't change soon.