Fears for Boatmen’s biggest ’backer
Woods injury mystery clouds pursuit of playoff home date against Richardson and Riders
For the Toronto Argonauts, the news on the injury front didn’t get any better on the eve of a key home date.
They might have to take on the tough Saskatchewan Roughriders at BMO Field without star linebacker Bear Woods, who was sent to hospital during Friday’s practice with an undisclosed injury.
“We want to make sure he has no internal issues,” Argos coach Marc Trestman said, without elaborating.
The Argos would clinch a home playoff date with a win on Saturday. If the Ottawa Redblacks also lose to the B.C. Lions on Saturday night, Toronto would win the East and host the division final.
Their biggest immediate concern, though, was Woods’ health.
The linebacking corps had already been weakened by the loss of Marcus Ball, placed on the six-game injury list Friday with a leg injury suffered in last week’s overtime win over the Hamilton TigerCats.
The Argos were expected to activate former NFLer Akeem Jordan, signed to the practice squad on Sept. 12.
If Woods can’t play, the Boatmen would be without two of their three starters. Terrance Plummer was pencilled in on the depth chart to start for Ball, who had a team-leading 57 tackles in 14 games. Rico Murray will also move out of the secondary and into the middle linebacker slot to help out.
The day before being hospitalized, Woods was in his usual upbeat mood at practice, talking up the big game against Saskatchewan — who will test the Argos defence with the addition of Trent Richardson, the former NFL star running back they signed two weeks ago.
Richardson was drafted third overall in 2012 by the Cleveland Browns out of Alabama, where he put up 3,130 career rushing yards and 35 touchdowns in 38 games, helping the Crimson Tide win national championships in 2009 and 2011.
He followed that up with 11 rushing touchdowns in his first NFL season, a rookie record. Richardson’s NFL career would also include stops in Indianapolis, Oakland and Baltimore, totalling 2,032 yards and 17 touchdowns on 614 carries.
Saturday’s game will mark his first as a pro since 2014, but he isn’t the only threat the Argos face.
Duron Carter, Bakari Grant and Naaman Roosevelt each hauled in 100 or more yards in receptions — the first Roughriders trio to hit the mark in the same game in 25 years — from quarterback Kevin Glenn during Saskatchewan’s 38-24 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Labour Day. At that point, Saskatchewan had rolled up133 points over a three-game span.
The Argos are especially familiar with Carter’s work.
He was the difference in the Riders’ 38-27 win over the Boatmen on July 29 in Regina with 131 yards on nine receptions — including two highlight-reel touchdowns — to offset a 386-yard performance by Argos QB Ricky Ray.
“Kevin Glenn is having a great year,” Woods said Thursday. “He had an injury, but he’s back and he’s playing very well. The receiving corps he’s had is incredible . . . We know that first-hand because they put up big plays against us.”
Saskatchewan brought in Richardson to improve on their league-low rushing average of just less than 70 yards a game, while the Argos have allowed a total of 314 yards on the ground in their last two games.
With or without Woods, it’s perhaps the biggest challenge of the Argos’ season to date. They’re 1-5 against West Division teams this season, with only West opponents left on their schedule.
“It seems the West teams, they’ve controlled the ground game, but since Labour Day it looks like the East teams have a ground game, too,” Woods said.
“You know, two weeks ago, I said it was playoff football. I said it because we had important games against the East and we needed those wins. Now, the message is: Do it again. We’re not a winning football team, we’re 7-7. We’re hungry, we’re motivated.”
And they’re hoping Woods is good to go on Saturday.