Toronto Argonauts looking to bounce back in Winnipeg

Going into Week 7 the Toronto Argonauts are 1-4 and still have a chance to turn things around in the East and will need improvements in all three phases to get it done.

One thing that should give the Toronto Argonauts belief that they can turn things around despite a 1-4 start is the fact that they play in the East. The second place Hamilton Tiger-Cats are 2-3 after dropping their last two games and are in tough against the Ottawa Redblacks.

However, the way that Toronto has been playing lately hasn’t shown a lot of confidence especially offensively as they haven’t been able to put up more than 20 points through five games. Granted, they’ve had to turn to James Franklin after Ricky Ray’s injury but the issues were present in the two games prior.

The message going into Week 7 for this group was not deviating from the plan or trying to do too much to overcompensate for the slow start. That’s where a team get themselves into trouble especially with a young quarterback trying to prove that he’s capable of being a starting quarterback in the CFL.

In a bit of a surprising turn, the Argos traded Shawn Lemon to the B.C. Lions on Tuesday for a player to be named later. This should be a wake-up call for the team especially on the defensive front which is tied for last with Montreal in sacks with six, which is the total Edmonton had in their victory over the Alouettes.

Going into this week Franklin is just looking to make some plays that can give the Argos a chance in the game, something he felt he didn’t do in their loss to Winnipeg.

"“It felt like I handed the game over and then watching the film you remember that some good things did happen so now it’s just executing things better,” Franklin said about his performance.“I think just making players where either it’s me making better throws or better decision, receivers making the tougher catchers or the o-line getting the tough blocks.”"

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Ronnie Pfeffer is another player that would like to put Week 6 behind him after a tough time converting on field goal opportunities. However, he’s convinced that he’ll be able to get back on track.

"“You see the mistakes you made, my plant foot was sliding a bit which is why I was pulling left,” Pfeffer said about his missed field goals. “I focused on keeping the plant still, getting some kicks in after practice with my coach to try and try to stay consistent as much as possible.”"

It was hard to ignore the fact that the crowd was getting restless with his performance but sometimes players can’t get hung up on those reactions.

"“You got to shut the noise out especially playing professional sports. Once you start missing or start doing bad you do start to hear the crowd turn a bit,” Pfeffer said.”You just got to keep your mind still and remind yourself of all the hard work to get yourself there in the first place.”"

One thing he knows will help the Argos get back on track is how the team doesn’t hold one person accountable for how a game goes and makes it a point to keep everybody on track.

"“I love this locker room because guys come over and they pick you up and when somebody has a bad game you go over there and pick them which is why I love this family thing we got going on here.”"

What do you think the Argos need to do to beat the Blue Bombers on the road? Let us know in the comments below.