MMQB: Opportunity knocks at the 111th Grey Cup

11/11/2024 10:00 AM

Some have already written off the Toronto Argonauts before they’ve even arrived in Vancouver for the 111th Grey Cup.

I guess that's what happens when a team loses its starting quarterback in the process of punching its ticket to the final game of the season. And after losing Chad Kelly with a lower body injury in Saturday's 30-28 Eastern Final win over Montreal, that's exactly what Toronto is staring down.

That's where Nick Arbuckle comes in. Opportunity has never knocked louder for the 31-year-old CFL journeyman.

Arbuckle entered Saturday's win late in the third quarter and kept the ship steady in hostile waters. He completed five passes on eight attempts for 73 yards and crucially didn't turn the ball over as the Alouettes mounted a furious fourth quarter push. Just as important was Arbuckle's ability to keep the Argos' offence on the field as the defending champions turned up the volume.

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Following a two-and-out in his first series, Arbuckle bounced back by eating up almost four minutes on a seven-play drive that ended with a Lirim Hajrullahu field goal. That score ended up being the difference in a game decided by two points. And don't forget Arbuckle finding David Ungerer III on second-and-long on Toronto's final possession to essentially seal the win.

It was nerves of steel stuff.

"I trust Nick, I believe in Nick," said head coach Ryan Dinwiddie following the win. "We didn't change our game plan when he went in. We were aggressive."

Now Arbuckle enters the biggest start of his professional career with more perspective than ever. Arbuckle signed with the Argonauts late in training camp after an eye-opening off-season as a free agent. He endured a winter where continuing in pro football was anything but certain.

"That aspect of feeling unsure about whether I was going to get to play again…I think that’s allowed me to have a great level of appreciation for this opportunity to be on the field again and to play football," Arbuckle told TSN's Matthew Scianitti in May.

"I would be lying if I said I was 100 per cent sure this was going to happen."

It's that type of perspective, and the understanding of the incredible opportunity that lies ahead, that hits home for me. After his last few years, and this past off-season especially, who knows what 2025 holds for Arbuckle. But one thing is certain: he's about to start the biggest game of the season.

There are lots of other elements that give the Argonauts a chance in Sunday's showdown with Winnipeg. They have the league's most dominant defensive line. Tailback Ka'Deem Carey is having a resurgent season and went for 92 yards on 12 carries over the weekend. Hajrullahu nailed 90.2 per cent of his field goals in his return to the league.

But it's Arbuckle and his situation that will likely get the most attention leading into this weekend. On the outside many will look at it as a hornet's nest of pressure. In reality, though, we're talking about a player fully aware he's got the chance of a lifetime and in a better position than ever to embrace and make the most of it.

It's tough to bet against that.

THE FOUNDATION HAS BEEN LAID

Much like any team that falls short of its championship goal, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be disappointed for quite some time. After falling 38-22 to Winnipeg in Saturday's Western Final, the Riders wrapped up year one of a new era under head coach Corey Mace.

In the long run, though, Mace's first season in Regina has to be viewed as an extremely successful one.

Among many positive steps taken, Saskatchewan finished as the CFL's best team defending the run in 2024. Rolan Milligan Jr. led the league with eight interceptions and was named the West Division’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player. And Trevor Harris was one of the league's most effective quarterbacks, especially upon returning from injury in the second half.

There really were a lot of building blocks laid going into year two.

"That's why this sucks," lamented Mace as the Roughriders cleaned out their lockers on Sunday.

"But we'll grow as a team. I'll grow as a coach. A lot of us will be better for it. There's a lot of people who are sick right now in that locker room and maybe some way, somehow, it'll be motivation for us as we push forward."

Sure, Saskatchewan has important questions to answer over the next few months. The biggest of which is the future of 38-year-old Harris as he becomes a free agent in February. But after two straight non-playoff years ending with seven-game losing skids, Mace and the Riders took undeniably huge steps in 2024.

For the first time in a few years, there's reason for a ton of optimism after the final game of the season.