logo
McManis, Argos look to get back on the winning track at home versus Stampeders

McManis, Argos look to get back on the winning track at home versus Stampeders

Toronto Star13-06-2025
TORONTO - There's no place like home for Wynton McManis and the Toronto Argonauts.
Toronto (0-1) hosts the Calgary Stampeders (1-0) on Saturday afternoon in its home opener. After the Argos began their Grey Cup title defence with a 28-10 road loss in Montreal last week, McManis welcomes the return to BMO Field, where the club is 16-2 the last two seasons.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

What can the B.C. Lions do to get things headed in the right direction?
What can the B.C. Lions do to get things headed in the right direction?

National Post

time12 hours ago

  • National Post

What can the B.C. Lions do to get things headed in the right direction?

Frustration isn't a dirty word with Mike Benevides these days. Article content 'It's not a bad thing,' said the B.C. Lions veteran defensive coordinator, whose team gets its latest crack to find traction in this CFL season on Thursday, carrying a 3-5 record into a visit to the 6-2 Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Article content Article content 'If they (Lions players) are pissed off, they should be. We all are. It doesn't feel like a 3-5 team because of the morale, the talent, how they execute, how they practise. All those things are what you want to see. That frustration is not a bad thing. I'll take it. Article content 'They care. You see it in how they come back wanting to do the work. You see it in how they communicate. You see the text messages at night, doing the extra work. It matters to them. If they didn't care or if they felt there was no chance, then it would be different. Article content 'Frustration is OK. Like I told them, we've been around a long, long time and I can tell them all the stories — from 0-5 to 5-0 and all the rest, from a 5-9 team to winning the Grey Cup in 2001 (with the Calgary Stampeders). All those things are good if you place them in the right place. And I think the men are in the right place.' Article content Your Lions week 10 depth chart is set! Here's how we lineup for Thursday's matchup with Hamilton. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ #BCLions | @PlayNowSports — BC LIONS (@BCLions) August 6, 2025 Article content Article content The Lions are coming off a bye week. Their last action was July 27, when they gave up a 10-point lead in the final three minutes in a 37-33 setback to the Tiger-Cats at B.C. Place. Article content Article content B.C. has two victories this season over the 1-6 Edmonton Elks. Their other win was a walk-off on a Sean Whyte field goal versus the Montreal Alouettes. That's all true. Article content There have been stretches, though, like in the Hamilton game where they've also looked every bit a legit contender. And then there have been these lapses like in Hamilton game where they've simply failed to make plays. Penalties, missed tackles, failed connections on offence have been among the culprits along the way. Article content The stats show some of that. The Lions lead the CFL in net offence (408.3 yards per game). They're seventh in scoring (24.5 points per game). They're second in net defence (344 yards per game). They're sixth in points against (27 per game). Article content Lions running back James Butler leads the CFL in rushing yards (619), averaging a career-best 5.5 yards per carry. There have been six 100-yard rushing games in the CFL this season and Butler had three them, including going for 115 yards on 16 carries in that last Hamilton game.

What can the B.C. Lions do to get things headed in the right direction?
What can the B.C. Lions do to get things headed in the right direction?

Vancouver Sun

time12 hours ago

  • Vancouver Sun

What can the B.C. Lions do to get things headed in the right direction?

Frustration isn't a dirty word with Mike Benevides these days. 'It's not a bad thing,' said the B.C. Lions veteran defensive coordinator, whose team gets its latest crack to find traction in this CFL season on Thursday, carrying a 3-5 record into a visit to the 6-2 Hamilton Tiger-Cats. 'If they (Lions players) are pissed off, they should be. We all are. It doesn't feel like a 3-5 team because of the morale, the talent, how they execute, how they practise. All those things are what you want to see. That frustration is not a bad thing. I'll take it. 'They care. You see it in how they come back wanting to do the work. You see it in how they communicate. You see the text messages at night, doing the extra work. It matters to them. If they didn't care or if they felt there was no chance, then it would be different. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Frustration is OK. Like I told them, we've been around a long, long time and I can tell them all the stories — from 0-5 to 5-0 and all the rest, from a 5-9 team to winning the Grey Cup in 2001 (with the Calgary Stampeders). All those things are good if you place them in the right place. And I think the men are in the right place.' Your Lions week 10 depth chart is set! Here's how we lineup for Thursday's matchup with Hamilton. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ #BCLions | @PlayNowSports The Lions are coming off a bye week. Their last action was July 27, when they gave up a 10-point lead in the final three minutes in a 37-33 setback to the Tiger-Cats at B.C. Place. B.C. has two victories this season over the 1-6 Edmonton Elks. Their other win was a walk-off on a Sean Whyte field goal versus the Montreal Alouettes. That's all true. There have been stretches, though, like in the Hamilton game where they've also looked every bit a legit contender. And then there have been these lapses like in Hamilton game where they've simply failed to make plays. Penalties, missed tackles, failed connections on offence have been among the culprits along the way. The stats show some of that. The Lions lead the CFL in net offence (408.3 yards per game). They're seventh in scoring (24.5 points per game). They're second in net defence (344 yards per game). They're sixth in points against (27 per game). Lions running back James Butler leads the CFL in rushing yards (619), averaging a career-best 5.5 yards per carry. There have been six 100-yard rushing games in the CFL this season and Butler had three them, including going for 115 yards on 16 carries in that last Hamilton game. B.C. is eighth in the league in turnover ratio (minus-eight). They did take a step forward in that regard in the most recent outing against Hamilton at least, winning that category on the night 3-1. 'We have all the pieces to be an undefeated team,' said Lions left tackle Jarell Broxton. 'I feel like we beat ourselves. That's what practice is for — so we can clean up the mistakes. 'This is to create a user group for Sports Writers, to pull stories into the sports slider widget on the home page.'This is to create a user group for Sports Writers, to pull stories into the sports slider widget on the home page.' 'It's about everybody focusing, everybody doing their job. It takes everybody on the field.' Lions head coach Buck Pierce added: 'Things are going to happen throughout a game and we can't let four or five plays determine outcomes of games. We have to be able to move on and use that adversity as a tool for us. In certain instances, we've done that, but that's something you always have to work on and go through.' From above #BCLions | #RoarAsOne The last time the Lions started a season 3-5 was in 2018. They wound up 9-9 that year, which was good enough for fourth spot in the West Division, but put them before the third-place team in the East and gave B.C. the playoff crossover. B.C. lost that East semifinal to Hamilton by a 48-8 count. The crossover is at play this season for the Lions, considering they've already lost twice to both the 7-1 Saskatchewan Roughriders and the 4-3 Winnipeg Blue Bombers, giving those teams the tiebreaker with the Lions. B.C. has two more games with the 5-3 Calgary Stampeders. The Toronto Argonauts are currently third in the East, at 2-6. 'I think the guys really enjoy coming out here to work,' Pierce said. 'I think it's a tight group. I think it's a group that understands we have got to be better and it's not just one area — it's everything. That's what you really enjoy about the group — 'there's things to be fixed, lets get them fixed and lets get to work.'' Teams coming out of a bye week this season in the CFL are 5-5. Hamilton's on a six-game win streak. A win Thursday would make it the Tiger-Cats' best start since the 2019, when they began 7-2 and reached the Grey Cup. Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is 13-7 all-time against B.C. going into the game. Hamilton has outscored their opponents in the fourth quarter in all of its eight games this season, with their combined total coming in at 103-59. Eight of the past 13 matchups between Hamilton and B.C. since 2017 have been decided in the final three minutes. SEwen@

Ciante Evans puts drones on hold to soar again with Alouettes
Ciante Evans puts drones on hold to soar again with Alouettes

Ottawa Citizen

time15 hours ago

  • Ottawa Citizen

Ciante Evans puts drones on hold to soar again with Alouettes

At age 32, Ciante Evans had moved on from football. Article content The native of Fort Worth, Tex., was in Chicago working for a security consulting company. He also owns a drone service company and is a certified drone pilot who performs commercial work for construction sites. Article content Article content While the veteran defensive back continued working out — just in case — he appeared ready to close the book on his CFL career after 110 games, dating to 2015, when he launched his career with Calgary. Article content Article content But the Alouettes have injuries — safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy hurt his shoulder last Saturday against Saskatchewan, while cornerback Kabion Ento (calf) was a late scratch — and you can never have enough depth in the CFL. So when general manager Danny Maciocia called Evans, he gladly accepted an invitation to return to Montreal for a third time. Article content Article content 'I bring experience. I bring leadership and a calm presence,' Evans said this week after a practice at Stade Hébert. Article content The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder played for the Als in 2019, then returned in 2023 as a free agent after two seasons with Hamilton. Evans played an instrumental role in the Als' Grey Cup championship season, intercepting three passes despite playing only 10 games. While there's no guarantee Evans will be in uniform on Friday night, when the Als host the Edmonton Elks and their former starting quarterback, Cody Fajardo, Montreal needs a cornerback because Dionté Ruffin (adductor) is the latest casualty and hasn't practised this week. Article content Article content Along with the addition of Evans this week, the Als also signed cornerback Brandin Dandridge, who spent five seasons with Ottawa and was an East Division all-star as recently as 2023. Dandridge also can return kicks if necessary. That's significant, because Montreal is also missing returner James Letcher Jr. (hand injury). Article content The Als will declare their roster Thursday morning. Article content 'He was part of our (2023) defence that was very good and made plays,' head coach Jason Maas said of Evans. 'He's also a great communicator and a great locker-room guy. He's a smart player who gets our defence. And he knows the league. That's a huge plus.' Article content For reasons that were never made clear, Evans left the Als after their championship run and signed with B.C. as a free agent — presumably for more money because his agent advised him it was an opportunity he couldn't spurn.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store