Argonauts' injury bug continues. Now they've lost a star player after he was hit by a car
Argonauts
just can't seem to catch a break this season on the injury front.
As a couple of much-needed reinforcements are returning for the struggling defending Grey Cup champions, another key member is going to miss extended time.
Reigning
CFL top lineman Ryan Hunter
suffered a serious shoulder injury this week when he was hit by a car while riding a scooter in Toronto. A team official confirmed Hunter is expected to be out at least six to eight weeks.
The 30-year-old North Bay, Ont., native had been one of the most durable players on a banged-up Argos team, appearing in all five games this season. His untimely injury comes as the Argos await the return of
quarterback Chad Kelly
, who suffered a broken leg in last year's East final and has already been ruled out for Thursday's road game against the Montreal Alouettes (3-2).
Nevertheless, the Argos will welcome back two key players who had been sidelined with injuries as they try and dig themselves out of a 1-4 hole following a bye week.
All-star linebacker
Wynton McManis
and running back
Deonta McMahon
have been cleared to return to action after missing several weeks. McManis, 30, suffered a right-knee injury during the team's
first home game of the season against the Calgary Stampeders
. McMahon, 25, sprained his ankle in the same game.
Their return is a breath of fresh air for an Argos team still struggling to find its footing.
'Wynton is the leader of that defence and he gets those guys lined up, communicates the calls,' head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said after Tuesday's practice. 'Getting him back I think is going to elevate the play of the other guys. We know who Wynton is, he always makes plays, he's got a knack for finding the football and we need that this week.'
The Argos have especially suffered in
the running game
this season, averaging a league-worst 46.2 rushing yards per game after Week 6, with a total of 231 rushing yards in five games. The return of McMahon should help.
'D-Money (McMahon) gives us that explosiveness, the shiftiness. We need him at the back for catching the ball and we haven't had that for a few weeks,' Dinwiddie said.
The head coach expects his team, fresh off a week of rest, to cut down on its turnovers and take care of the football on both sides of the field while winning the special-teams matchup against Montreal — a team that already
beat Toronto in the season opener
.
'The penalties have been killing us. When we play clean football, play physical, execute, I think we should have a great day,' he said.
McManis said it was tough to be on the sidelines watching the team struggle and not being able to help on the field. That said, it was also important to let others lead, 'get their feet wet and kind of see what we got' in his absence.
Now healthy, McManis is looking forward to being able to 'fly around, make some plays' and ultimately help his team get some wins. Staying upbeat, despite their record, is also important.
'I think the culture around here that we have to keep everybody's spirits up,' he said.
'No one around here feels like a loser, no one around here has a loser mentality. None of us feel like (we're a 1-4 team). We just know we've got to have some urgency and detail in getting the job done, just trying to be right.'
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