BY PERRY LEFKO
sportsnet.ca
A season of frustration for veteran Toronto Argonauts linebacker Kevin Eiben has taken another turn, this time for the worst.
Eiben, who has played his entire career for the Argos, who drafted him in 2001 out of Bucknell, has been sidelined for the season with a torn pectoral muscle incurred in last Thursday's 36-23 loss to Montreal. He is scheduled to undergo surgery tonight.
Eiben lost his starting job this year and in six games had only 18 tackles. Last year he had 100, the third time in his career he has hit the century mark, and was voted the team's outstanding Canadian for the sixth time in his career. He has been the Eastern nominee for outstanding Canadian twice.
Eiben's injury comes in the wake of the team's firing of defensive coordinator Chip Garber, who used a 3-4 formation against Montreal with three down linemen and four linebackers. Eiben had three tackles in the game.
The team's new defensive coordinator, Orlando Steinauer, is a former teammate of Eiben's, so it would have been interesting to see how he would have employed the veteran linebacker.
This is the second Canadian linebacker the Argos have lost to injury this season. Middle linebacker Jason Pottinger suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener.
Sportsnet.ca's Arash Madani wrote that the Argos have claimed Canadian linebacker Chris Smith off waivers from B.C., and under CFL rules will be required to include him in their lineup for their next game, this Saturday in Hamilton.
Aside from his experience on defence, Eiben is also the holder for field goals. The Argos have played the last two games without punter/place kicker Noel Prefontaine, who has been sidelined with a quadriceps injury. Grant Shaw, drafted by Toronto in 2010 and who is being groomed as the heir apparent to Prefontaine, has struggled with his consistency, particularly in punting. Prefontaine is one of the best dual-purpose kickers in the CFL, and is one of the best punters because of his ability to kick directionally and with distance.
