2008 Toronto Argonauts season


The 2008 Toronto Argonauts season was the 51st season for the team in the Canadian Football League and 136th season overall. The Argonauts attempted to win their 16th Grey Cup, but they failed to make the playoffs ending the season on a nine-game losing streak.

Offseason

CFL Draft

In the 2008 CFL Draft, 48 players were chosen from among 752 eligible players from Canadian universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. The first two rounds were broadcast on TSN.ca with host Rod Black.
RoundPickPlayerPositionSchool/Club Team
213Mike BradwellWRMcMaster
321Jean-Nicolas CarriereLBMcGill
429Delroy ClarkeDBOttawa
537Richard ZulysOLWestern Ontario
642 Mark DewitOLCalgary
644 Tyler ScottRECWestern Ontario
645Matt BlackDBSaginaw Valley

Notable transactions

DateTypeIncomingOutgoingTeam
March 5, 2008Trade
  • Glenn January, Offensive Tackle
  • Ronald Flemons, Defensive Lineman
  • Argonauts first round selection in the 2008 CFL Draft
  • Argonauts second round selection in the 2010 CFL Draft
    		• Saskatchewan Roughriders
  • The Toronto Argonauts signed former National Football League receiver/kick-returner Bethel Johnson on May 26. Johnson is a two-time Super Bowl champion, who posted a league-best 28.2-yard kickoff return average as a rookie in 2003 with the New England Patriots. Johnson signed with the Argos on Monday, May 26.
  • Damon Allen, 44, announced his retirement from the CFL on May 28. Allen had maintained during the offseason that he intended to attend training camp and compete for the starter's job. Allen would have gone into camp third on the depth chart behind newly acquired Kerry Joseph and veteran Michael Bishop, both of whom signed new deals with the Argos in the off-season.
  • June 5, 2008: The Argos acquired running back Jamal Robertson from the Saskatchewan Roughriders for Canadian cornerback Leron Mitchell. He was a former University of Western Ontario Mustangs star who this off-season had a workout with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

    Rosters

    • Preseason roster

    As of June 10, 2008

    End of season roster

    Schedule

    Preseason

    Regular season

    Regular season

    Toronto started the season off well, winning against the Blue Bombers 23–16, but after that they compiled a 2–5 record the next 7 games. After the Bye week, everything went downhill, they won only one game and lost 9 start to finish the season 4–14 and missed the playoffs.
    A raucous Labour Day crowd of 25,911 at Ivor Wynne Stadium witnessed a game that ended with a 34–31 Argo victory, the team's first win against the Ti-cats of the season. Argo head coach Rich Stubler's job was rumoured to be on the line. Argos receiver Arland Bruce III found time for a little theatrics, celebrating an 11-yard TD catch by donning a Spiderman mask produced from his pants.
    Several days later, the Canadian Football League fined the Argonauts receiver an undisclosed amount for his touchdown celebration against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by donning a Spider-Man mask. Game officials had handed Bruce an objectionable conduct penalty after the incident. Bruce went on to have his best game of the season, catching 10 passes for a game-high 149 yards.
    On September 9, Rich Stubler was released as head coach of the Argonauts after posting a 4–6 record. There was the belief he couldn't get along with those he worked with. The Argos hired Don Matthews, the head coach with the most wins in CFL history and head coach during Toronto's back-to-back Grey Cup victories in 1996 and 1997, to return to the club as head coach for the third time in his coaching career.
    During the team's next game on September 12 at Rogers Centre, Winnipeg Blue Bombers slotback Milt Stegall became the most prolific receiver in the history of the CFL. The slotback caught a 92-yard pass at 9:02 in the second quarter to raise his career total to 14,983, breaking the mark of 14,891 yards previously held by former Stampeders receiver Allen Pitts. Stegall took a pass from Kevin Glenn and scored a touchdown, his second of the game. It put the Bombers ahead 28–3.
    On October 31, Don Matthews resigned from the Argonauts a day after the conclusion of the Argonauts 2008 regular season, which saw the Argos fail to win a game in the eight games under his leadership and finishing out of the playoffs for the first time since the 2001 CFL season.

    Season standings

    Statistics

    Offence

    Passing

    Rushing

    Receiving

    PlayerReceptionsYardsTouchdowns
    Arland Bruce9212109
    Andre Talbot769154
    Reggie McNeal436062
    P. K. Sam364993
    James Robinson253811
    Tyler Scott193090
    Dominique Dorsey152860

    Defence

    Postseason

    The Argos finished third in the East Division with a record of 4 wins and 14 losses. The Edmonton Eskimos, who finished fourth in the West, had a better record of 10 and 8, and under the cross-over rule eliminated Toronto from the playoffs and play the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the East semi-final.

    Awards and records