They're battered and bruised and tied for last in the East Division standings but Michael Fletcher says the Toronto Argonauts can't afford to look past the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The Ticats (1-5), who've lost four straight, will be without starting quarterback Casey Printers (thumb) and rushing leader Jesse Lumsden (ankle) when they face Toronto (3-3) at Ivor Wynne Stadium on Thursday night (the first game of a doubleheader on TSN, starting at 7pm et/4pm pt).
It will be the second meeting of the year between the two teams. Fletcher and the Argos would rather forget about the first encounter as Hamilton rushed for over 300 yards in downing Toronto 32-13 at Rogers Centre in July for its only win of the season.
Lumsden anchored Hamilton's rushing attack, running for 189 yards on 20 carries and scoring two touchdowns.
"They really were able to run against us," Fletcher said. "We can't afford to forget about that and I don't think we will, to be honest."
That's good, because the running game is a staple of Hamilton's offensive gameplan.
The Ticats are leading the CFL in rushing, averaging a whopping 167 yards per game. In contrast to its success on the ground, Hamilton is ranked last in the league in passing, averaging 238 yards per game.
And through six games, the Ticats have yet to throw a touchdown pass.
Stout pass defence has long been a forte of Argos defences, and this year is no different. Toronto is ranked first in the CFL against the pass, allowing 242 yards per game and a league-low four TD passes.
But Toronto has had trouble against the run this season, allowing a league-high 150 yards per game. But last week, the Argos held the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to less than 70 yards rushing and just 272 total yards offensively in a 19-11 victory.
After the game, Fletcher said he felt like Toronto's defence, which was the CFL's best last year, had got its "mojo back."
"We did play well last week," he said. "But like I said, we can't take Hamilton for granted because the run is such an important part of what they do on offence."
Toronto's defence should also be bolstered by the return of linebacker Kevin Eiben, who missed two games with a knee injury.
Terry Caulley will start in place of Lumsden, and will present a different sort of challenge for Toronto. The six-foot-two, 226-pound Lumsden is a punishing runner who also has blazing speed and the ability to quickly cut outside to make a long run.
The five-foot-seven, 185-pound Caulley is smaller than Lumsden and more a north-south runner. But he also has enough speed to hurt a team downfield.
"They're different runners, really," Fletcher said. "But we still have to be able to control the run because it's what Hamilton does."
Backup Richie Williams gets his second straight start in place of Printers. Williams was 18-of-24 passing for 260 yards and two interceptions in last week's 40-33 road loss to Montreal. However, he ran for a team-high 79 yards against the Alouettes and scored two touchdowns.
The Ticats (1-5), who've lost four straight, will be without starting quarterback Casey Printers (thumb) and rushing leader Jesse Lumsden (ankle) when they face Toronto (3-3) at Ivor Wynne Stadium on Thursday night (the first game of a doubleheader on TSN, starting at 7pm et/4pm pt).
It will be the second meeting of the year between the two teams. Fletcher and the Argos would rather forget about the first encounter as Hamilton rushed for over 300 yards in downing Toronto 32-13 at Rogers Centre in July for its only win of the season.
Lumsden anchored Hamilton's rushing attack, running for 189 yards on 20 carries and scoring two touchdowns.
"They really were able to run against us," Fletcher said. "We can't afford to forget about that and I don't think we will, to be honest."
That's good, because the running game is a staple of Hamilton's offensive gameplan.
The Ticats are leading the CFL in rushing, averaging a whopping 167 yards per game. In contrast to its success on the ground, Hamilton is ranked last in the league in passing, averaging 238 yards per game.
And through six games, the Ticats have yet to throw a touchdown pass.
Stout pass defence has long been a forte of Argos defences, and this year is no different. Toronto is ranked first in the CFL against the pass, allowing 242 yards per game and a league-low four TD passes.
But Toronto has had trouble against the run this season, allowing a league-high 150 yards per game. But last week, the Argos held the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to less than 70 yards rushing and just 272 total yards offensively in a 19-11 victory.
After the game, Fletcher said he felt like Toronto's defence, which was the CFL's best last year, had got its "mojo back."
"We did play well last week," he said. "But like I said, we can't take Hamilton for granted because the run is such an important part of what they do on offence."
Toronto's defence should also be bolstered by the return of linebacker Kevin Eiben, who missed two games with a knee injury.
Terry Caulley will start in place of Lumsden, and will present a different sort of challenge for Toronto. The six-foot-two, 226-pound Lumsden is a punishing runner who also has blazing speed and the ability to quickly cut outside to make a long run.
The five-foot-seven, 185-pound Caulley is smaller than Lumsden and more a north-south runner. But he also has enough speed to hurt a team downfield.
"They're different runners, really," Fletcher said. "But we still have to be able to control the run because it's what Hamilton does."
Backup Richie Williams gets his second straight start in place of Printers. Williams was 18-of-24 passing for 260 yards and two interceptions in last week's 40-33 road loss to Montreal. However, he ran for a team-high 79 yards against the Alouettes and scored two touchdowns.
