Spending six weeks on the sidelines was challenging for Argos offensive lineman Ryan Hunter.
He felt helpless at times, rehabbing from聽a shoulder injury he suffered in July聽when he was hit by a driver while riding a scooter. But it was also an opportunity to see some of the game鈥檚 intricacies that can only be seen when not on the field.
Unable to protect his quarterback on the field, the offensive lineman was communicating with his teammates on the sidelines at home games and throughout the week in meetings and practices to try to help his team.
鈥淚 was able to see different looks, different defences and different blitzes from opponents, and just trying to get the guys to see everything from a macro level,” Hunter said.
色色啦 lost four games out of six in the absence of its top offensive lineman. The 30-year-old reigning CFL offensive lineman of the year returned to action on Labour Day and helped the Argos secure a much-needed win against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. 色色啦鈥檚 offence rushed for 97 yards and recorded 352 passing yards in that game.
He will need another stellar performance Saturday afternoon when the 4-8 Argos host the Edmonton Elks at BMO Field. 色色啦 dropped a 20-28 decision in Edmonton last month, and the 5-7 Elks are coming off a thrilling win last week over the Calgary Stampeders.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been good to have (Hunter) back, and it was needed because we lost two guys at the same time he came back,鈥 said quarterback Nick Arbuckle, referring to the absence of Sage Doxtater (head injury) and Anim Dankwah (knee injury). Both offensive linemen will be out again this weekend.
The team鈥檚 offensive line has gone through a lot of 鈥渇reak accidents and freak injuries鈥 this season, and they鈥檝e had to deploy different groups of five people up front, Arbuckle said. Hunter鈥檚 return brings some much-needed stability.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e really been getting some chemistry together 鈥 Ryan is one of the top linemen in the league whatever position you put him in, so it鈥檚 great to see them gel and try to get a consistent group going.鈥
Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie agrees the offensive line looks more solid with Hunter鈥檚 presence.
鈥淚 think our offensive line has been playing better over the past few weeks. Ryan being in the lineup makes those guys a lot more comfortable and confident as a unit,鈥 Dinwiddie said. 鈥淚t takes all five to be on the same page, and Ryan is a great communicator and helps those younger guys through some growing pains.鈥
With only six games left on the regular season calendar, the Argos want to keep climbing in and secure a playoff spot. 色色啦 is in a virtual tie with Ottawa, both teams trailing Montreal by two points heading into Week 15.
Having won two straight games for the first time this season and looking to keep the momentum going, confidence is at an all-time high in the Argos鈥 locker room.
鈥淲e see the schedule and we know what鈥檚 coming up, but for us it鈥檚 one game at a time,鈥 said Hunter. 鈥淲e鈥檝e said it since the start, this year hasn鈥檛 been ours necessarily in the win and loss columns but we feel like we have the team, the coaches and the trainers to be able to get it done week in and week out. It鈥檚 just a matter of going out and executing.鈥
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