HAMILTON — A frustrating, nomadic season for the Toronto Argonauts ended Sunday in a painful last-second loss on the road.
It was, perhaps, par for the course.
Forced out of their Rogers Centre home by the Pan American Games and the Toronto Blue Jays, the Argos opened their season in Fort McMurray, Alta., before playing ‘home games’ in Ottawa (one) and Hamilton (two). At one point, they went 49 days between games at the dome.
Toronto still managed a 10-8 season and made it to the Eastern semifinal in Hamilton, where they lost 25-22 to the Ticats on a 47-yard field goal by Justin Medlock with no time remaining.
Did the Argos deserve a better fate considering the hand they were dealt this season, veteran quarterback Ricky Ray was asked.
"Obviously this team went through a lot this year," said Ray, who started just three games at the end of the season in the wake of off-season shoulder surgery. "A lot of road games.
"Everybody held together pretty good. I’m just proud of the way we were able to handle those tough situations. We put ourselves in this spot to do something special in the playoffs and we just came up short."
There is hope for the future. Next season, the Argos will call BMO Field home with the hope that the more intimate lakefront venue will spur interest in a franchise that has run the risk of becoming irrelevant in recent years.
This year was also a season of transition in ownership, from David Braley to Bell Canada and Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.
Sunday’s loss was in many ways a microcosm of the season.
Costly penalties hurt Toronto all year, with the Argos the second-most penalized team in the league behind Saskatchewan.
Both teams were called for 92 yards penalties Sunday but a roughing the passing penalty against Toronto lineman Martin Wright on the final Ticat drive was especially painful.
Toronto coach Scott Milanovich clearly did not like the call.
"You guys know what I saw," he said. "I’m not going to get fined."
Leading 10-6 at the half and 18-6 with six minutes left in the third quarter, the Argos were outscored 19-4 the rest of the way.
There was some plain bad luck along the way with defensive back Akwasi Owusu-Ansah falling down on a Hamilton TD pass.
Ray completed 24 of 32 passes for 220 yards with one TD and one interception. At times, he was vintage Ricky Ray as he looked off the defence, went through his reads and found a receiver. At other times, he seemed less than crisp and seemed to force the ball on the interception at the start of the second half.
"I felt good enough to be out there playing," Ray said when asked how close to 100 per cent he was health-wise. "Obviously I’m still improving, still trying to get back to where I’d like to be. The doctor said I’d feel better next year rather than this year."
Ray, quarterback-in-waiting Trevor Harris and kicker Swayze Waters are among the Argos set to become free agents.
With Waters hurt on and off, the Argos went through kickers during the season the way Richard Burton collected wives. Waters was back Sunday but did not have a game to remember, missing two of three field goal attempts against the wind in the fourth quarter.
Medlock, with the wind at his back, kicked a 55-yarder in the first quarter and was on the money when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter.
Milanovich spoke up for his kicker. But Waters, who is money in the bank when on his game, took the blame.
"I can’t remember in my career feeling like I cost a team a game but I feel like that right now," he said. "Obviously with it being the end of the season, it makes it that much worse."
Waters, who was 2-for-4 on the day for field goals, was reminded that a lot of other plays hadn’t worked.
"I’ve got one job, though," he countered.
"I didn’t do my job today. That’s why we’re done. At least from my perspective."
