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Derek Morrison

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The one positive the Toronto Argonauts bring into the 2009 CFL campaign from the 2008 season is that the Boatmen can only go up.

Coming off an extremely disappointing season, which saw the Argos finish 4-14, go through two head coaches and out of the playoffs, upgrades were a priority in the offseason.

Did the front office do enough to make the club competitive in 2009, or are they still a season away?

HEAD COACH

The biggest move came in the form of the arrival of new head coach Bart Andrus. Andrus brings an offensive mindset to a team that lacked pop a season ago. During his playing days, Andrus quarterbacked the University of Montana from 1978-1981.

With no major future as a player ahead of him, Andrus turned to coaching upon graduation and has not turned back since. His most recent job was as an offensive assistant with the Tennessee Titans in the NFL. But, he also possesses a great deal of head coaching experience, leading the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europa from 2001-2007.

Andrus will have to learn some of the nuances of the CFL on the fly, but he brings the charisma and fire the Argonauts need in a leader to turn the franchise around.

OFF SEASON ACQUISITIONS

With the brain trust in place for the season, the Argonauts turned to free agency. The premiere focus for the club revolved around upgrading the offensive side of the ball, a side that recorded a league low 397 points (22 pts/game) in 2008. With quarterback Kerry Joseph already in place, the Argonauts set out to find protection for him.

The front office made a big splash along the offensive live, signing two massive anchors to protect Joseph, bringing in Rob Murphy, the former BC Lion and former CFL Most Oustanding Offensive Lineman award winner, along with the former Winnipeg Blue Bomber and Laval product, Dominic Picard.

Many people believe offensive production starts with the offensive line, so if the two new linemen, who combine to weigh over 600 pounds, live up to their hype, Joseph should find himself more time in the pocket to hit his open receivers which should turn into more points.

One of the more interesting offensive acquisitions for the Boatmen was running back Jarrett Payton. Payton will not start, as that responsibility belongs to incumbent Jamal Robertson who rushed for 645 yards and six touchdowns last year. But, Payton brings intrigue as the son of former NFL great Walter Payton, or Sweetness, as known by many.

Payton will surely be a fan favorite whenever he has the ball in his hands and he truly has a chance to capture the fans support with a productive first season in blue and white, after spending the 2008 season with the division rival Montreal Alouettes.

With the offensive side of the ball improved on the interior, the front office switched focus to the defensive side of the ball.

The biggest move did not come via a signing, but instead a trade with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, as Toronto acquired linebacker Zeke Moreno for defensive end Riall Johnson.

Moreno joins his third team in as many seasons. But that is no indication of a lack of productivity, as he amassed 211 tackles over the last two seasons. His sideline-to-sideline coverage and all out motor should prove to be a positive impact for the Argos defense, which allowed a CFL high 627 points in 2008.

Another new Argonaut in the linebacker ranks will join Moreno, as the team acquired Whitby native Jason Pottinger from the BC Lions before the 2009 draft.

KEY TO THE SEASON

With all the movement in the front office and on the field the fact remains that the Argos will go only as far as Kerry Joseph can quarterback them. Joseph put up his usual high numbers from under centre last year, throwing for 4,174 yards and 17 touchdowns to go along with 493 yards rushing and another four touchdowns. However, Joseph was hampered with inconsistent play at times last year, throwing 14 interceptions and coughing up seven fumbles.

But, without a quarterback controversy to begin this season, as was the case in 2008, Joseph should find himself more comfortable with the 100 per cent support from his coaches along with the key additions to the offensive line.

Joseph should lead the Argonauts to a better finish than last season, though surpassing four wins may be setting the bar a little too low.

SEASON PREDICTION

Though the club did open up the wallet and make sizable efforts to improve the team, the Argonauts will continue to face stiff competition in the Eastern Conference. Their win total should improve, but defending East champion Montreal shows no signs of slowing down, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have made improvements across the board and look to be the second best team in the division. All signs point to the Boatmen staring at a second consecutive third place finish in the Eastern Division.