Toronto Argonauts turn to McLeod Bethel-Thompson in big game against Alouettes

The Toronto Argonauts will go with McLeod Bethel-Thompson as the starting quarterback in a critical game against the Montreal Alouettes.

If there is one thing we have learned about Toronto Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie, he won’t put his players in a position to make a minor injury turn into a long-term issue.

Quarterback Nick Arbuckle had been limited in practice with a hamstring injury, it’s also noteworthy that he missed most of training camp with a similar ailment. With Toronto’s next game not until Oct. 6 against the Ottawa Redblacks, it makes sense to take the extended time to let Arbuckle rest his injury.

Bethel-Thompson is excited to get back into action after initially stepping in for Arbuckle at the start of the season before giving way in Week 3. The main thing he will be asked to do is avoid costly turnovers which was something he did well in the action he saw.

When Bethel-Thompson was the Argos starter in 2019, he played against the Alouettes throwing for 464 yards and two touchdowns in one game, then 342 yards and a pair of scores in another. Unfortunately, neither game ended up in a win for Toronto which is the next challenge for the quarterback.

So far this season, the Argonauts have shown they are a better team than in 2019 and if Bethel-Thompson can find a way to move the ball down the field, they have a good chance to come away with the win.

Toronto Argonauts and Chris Jones faces a tough challenge to get up to speed

The Argonauts will have a new coach calling the plays on defence with Chris Jones joining the team. Last week, Rich Stubler stepped in with defensive coordinator Glen Young and defensive backs coach Josh Bell not with the team because of personal reasons and it was a less than ideal performance against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

It’s a move that shows how serious the team is about being competitive this season as they brought in one of the more reputable defensive minds who returns to the CFL after spending two years in the NFL.

Jones certainly has his work cut out for him with Henoc Muamba and Cameron Judge sidelined with injuries. This means he will have to be creative with the players he puts on the field as the focus will likely be on William Stanback.

Dexter McCoil Sr. said the team did make it a point to address the issues they had with tackling against the Roughriders. It was the team’s worst performance against the run after going into that game as one of the top-ranked units in the league.

It will be interesting to see how Jones will try to shut down Vernon Adams who has struggled at times to get the ball in the endzone. That will likely be a big part of the defensive game plan as they try to give the offence as many chances to establish a rhythm.

What are your thoughts on the Argos upcoming matchup against the Alouettes? Can the defence get back on track with Jones in charge? Let us know in the comments below.