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Riders face Kerry Joseph and Argos in a matinee
Courtesy Regina Leader Post:
Bart Andrus, the rookie head coach of the Toronto Argonauts, hit rewind when he wanted to learn about quarterback Kerry Joseph.
Andrus skipped over 2008, when Joseph endured a tumultuous season as the Argos finished 4-12 and missed the CFL playoffs for the first time since 2001. Andrus turned his attention to 2007 when Joseph was the starting quarterback with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who play the Argos in Toronto on Saturday (11 a.m.) at the Rogers Centre.
Andrus watched every play as Joseph guided the Roughriders to the Grey Cup and was named the league’s most-valuable-player.
“I was interested in what they did that enabled him to lead them to the Grey Cup,” Andrus said Friday. “I wanted to see if we were thinking the same way.”
Based on one game, Andrus and Joseph appear to be on the same page. The Argos, who closed out the 2008 season with eight straight losses, beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 30-17 in the CFL season-opener for the both teams.
In that win, Joseph looked like the quarterback who led the Riders in 2007. He threw for a touchdown and rushed for a major. Joseph also looked comfortable with play action and moving in the pocket. That’s the type of quarterback Andrus wants leading his team.
“I want a quarterback who is comfortable and feels good about his teammates,” said Andrus. “He also needs to have a belief about what we’re doing on offence. He can just play and not worry about all of the other distractions.”
In 2008, the Riders traded Joseph to the Argos in a move that was related to salary issues. The trade marked a start to a rocky 2008 season that saw Argos head coach Rich Stubler fired and replaced by Don Matthews.
Joseph started as the No. 1 man but fell into a rotation with Michael Bishop. Joseph then was given the control of the offence and was even allowed to call his own plays. Bishop was traded to the Roughriders, which did little to alter Toronto’s dismal season.
Joseph finished the 2008 season stronger than the team’s record indicated. In his final four games, he completed 90 of 139 pass attempts for 1,302 yards and 11 touchdowns
He re-signed with the Argos in the off-season through to 2010 because he liked what he saw taking place on the field and in the front office.
“They were making changes and they wanted to win,” said Joseph. “They were doing everything they could to bring players in. Now, we just have to put in the work on the field.”
Joseph also noted there is a new attitude in Toronto. It’s fun and reflects the personality of Andrus, who also conducts the quarterback meetings.
“He laid everything out and the guys respect that,” said Joseph. “He wants us to know our assignments and then we don’t have to worry about anything. We can just play football.”
Joseph said he has already picked up on similarities between Andrus and Kent Austin. Austin led the Riders to the Grey Cup in his rookie season as a head coach.
“It’s similar in the leadership that Bart brings as the head coach,” said Joseph.
