Toronto Argonauts: S.J. Green enjoys milestone night in win over Redblacks

SJ Green reached a career milestone while the Toronto Argonauts defence had one of their best games of the season in their win over the Ottawa Redblacks.

In a game where the S.J. Green was focused on getting the Toronto Argonauts a win, his teammates were looking to help him earn a couple of career milestones.

The 34-year-old had 10 catches for 170 yards to reach 10,000 yards and 700 receptions in his career as the Argos beat the Ottawa Redblacks 28-21 in their first game since Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons took over as general manager.

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Of course, it wasn’t a perfect night for Toronto who allowed Ottawa to recover two onside kicks and almost let a 28-11 lead disappear.

Getting the win was a big confidence boost for this Argos team that wants to prove something to the new management group. Green is one of those players who has tried to keep the team in a competitive mindset all season long which is why his milestone meant so much to everyone.

"“His message to the team after the game was that he couldn’t have done it without his teammates during the course of his career with all the guys he’s played with,’’ said head coach Corey Chamblin after the game.“For him to reach a milestone like that, for guys to see it, for the team to win, that’s huge. There are a lot of young guys in that locker room, a lot of guys whose careers are still growing, and to see the consistency you need to have on a game-by-game basis, day-to-day basis to become one of those Hall of Fame players."

It’s certainly a big moment for Green who suffered a tough knee injury in 2016 that threatened the chances of him playing football again. In one of his first moves as Argos GM, Jim Popp made a call to Montreal for the veteran receiver and the rest is history.

That is something the Tampa native won’t forget especially after Popp was relieved of his duties earlier this week.

"“Jim gave me a chance because he knew the type of person that I was, you know the type of work I’ll put in to try and come back and be the player that I know I can be,” Green said. “I owe a lot to Jim Popp for bringing me back up here. The reality is coming off the injury I had back in 2016, there weren’t a lot of teams that would’ve given me a chance.”"

There was a lot to unpack from this game especially on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson made the most of his return as the starting quarterback throwing for 300 yards and four touchdowns. James Wilder Jr. had a season-high 15 carries for 82 yards and Armanti Edwards continues to be Bethel-Thompson’s go-to guy in the endzone hauling in two touchdown passes.

In his last six games since returning as a healthy scratch, Wilder Jr. is averaging 6.07 yards per game, on 7.33 carries per game. As a comparison, Andrew Harris, the CFL’s leading rusher is averaging 5.58 yards per game while averaging 13.33 carries per game over his last six games.

The numbers do suggest that Wilder Jr. is getting production on the ground but the lack of volume has certainly impacted his total yardage which stands at 405 yards on 82 carries and a touchdown run.

On defence, Toby Antigha made the most of his first start at linebacker with two interceptions including one when the Redblacks were driving down the field. Trumaine Washington also had a pick while the Argos defence recorded four sacks on the night.

Next. What the Zach Collaros trade means going forward. dark

What did you make of the Argos performance against the Redblacks? Is it something they can build off of ahead of their next game against Montreal? Let us know in the comments below.

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