Game Thread: BC Lions vs. Toronto Argonauts Sat Oct 3 at 3 pm ET

[Scooter McCray]

Kelly was limited today and is officially listed as questionable for Saturday.

I am guessing Nick Arbuckle has been taking all of the first team reps this week? Nick played his best game last year at home versus the Lions at the CNE game in 2025. He hasn't started all year. He's got fresh legs. Still hope Kelly gets in, but Nick will give us a good show.

[Don_from_Dryden]

Bill Needle is always bang-on, I find, and that's just the way I see it.

Is there not bus loads of football fans coming up from up-state NY to attend every Argo home game (or Ticats' ones as well) ? Gee, I wonder why not?

Maybe cause MLSE types identify more with the Bills & the NFL; as opposed to the dinky little minor league CFL team they are supposed to be running ? These clowns are too embarrassed by the Argos / CFL to do anything to try to promote or market them. One dollar hot-dogs to die hard fans who go to games anyways? - wow, that's really something.

Very safe to say Buffalo notices when Canadians do not show up and the reason for their interest in promoting the Bills north of the border. I do find it odd that they play the Canadian National Anthem at their games.

Also agree about busing Americans up for CFL games as BC should be with Seattle and other nearby cities. It's a no brainer with the exchange rate for anyone looking for great live entertainment. May also reflect on the state of their economy though.

[IssuesMcgee]

I wasn't a fan of this Argos-Bills partnership and I still don't much care for it.

However I realized at some point this season the one good thing to come out of it is that when it comes to the NFL, Toronto is Buffalo Bills territory. That to me indicates the odds of Canada getting an NFL team are slimmer than they ever were.

It's kind of funny. If the NFL quislings in Canada actually supported their CFL teams 30 years ago, Canada would probably have an NFL team by now because the appetite for football would be clearly evident. Instead, the NFL fans surrendered their territories to existing NFL teams, which makes expansion/relocation into these territories more challenging than ever.

Their treason is the undoing of their fevered hopes and dreams.

[OV Argo]

I wasn't a fan of this Argos-Bills partnership and I still don't much care for it.

However I realized at some point this season the one good thing to come out of it is that when it comes to the NFL, Toronto is Buffalo Bills territory. That to me indicates the odds of Canada getting an NFL team are slimmer than they ever were.

It's kind of funny. If the NFL quislings in Canada actually supported their CFL teams 30 years ago, Canada would probably have an NFL team by now because the appetite for football would be clearly evident. Instead, the NFL fans surrendered their territories to existing NFL teams, which makes expansion/relocation into these territories more challenging than ever.

Their treason is the undoing of their fevered hopes and dreams.

Yep - well said. The NFL fan boys up here though are mostly not real big pure football fans - more like the wannabes who need betting, point spreads and office pools (and now "Fantasy" stuff) to have any interest in the NFL. Sunday at the sports bar with your buds watching NFL - and be lucky if any between them could name more than 3 players on any NFL team - yeah, just huge football fans.

However, IMO, if Toronna all of a sudden got a modern 60K plus football stadium and had the rich guy to pony up some outlandish "sports valuation" franchise fee, I have no doubt that the NFL would be here in no time. And they would IMO get SRO crowds - at least for the first few seasons, with the sheep flocking to games.

[Mike Hogan]

https://argonauts.ca/2026/04/03/hogan-t ... -football/

[AngeloV]

https://argonauts.ca/2026/04/03/hogan-t ... -football/

Great write up Mike. Sad the paranoia runs rampant among some.

[Scooter McCray]

https://argonauts.ca/2026/04/03/hogan-t ... -football/

MLSE have established this partnership with the Bills. Mike do you know why they chose to have youth camps done in July when the Argos were not in town instead of August or September? Were Argo alumni asked to participate alongside Bills alumni?
I want MLSE to be an awesome owner of this historic franchise. I want to see them put effort, resources, passion into a team that has given Toronto a rich sporting history since 1873. I want to see their commitment to the team shine through in all their actions and decisions when it comes to the Argos.
I want them to be that owner because they have the resources, and they have demonstrated their interest and care in the management of their other teams in Toronto, just without the onfield results.
But, it is easy to be skeptical when their decisions seem to not have their team or fans best interest at heart. The success they are having this year is due to players and coaches overcoming challenges ownership put in front of them. I hope MLSE make me eat my words. I want to be wrong. Rogers and MLSE need to demonstrate to this team they have their back and support.

[shatto]

It is naive to believe that the Bills have any interest in Southern Ontario other than to establish that Southern Ontario is Bill's territory. If they were really interested in profiling the Argos, they would have ensured the youth camps were held at a time Argo players could have been involved.

The Bills now play the Canadian national anthem before games. Does anyone believe it is because they have suddenly come to love Canada or are they more concerned about losing the 15% of season ticket holder who are Canadians?

I'd love to believe the Bills want to make the CFL and the Argos stronger and more popular but I really doubt it.












.

[Scooter McCray]

It is naive to believe that the Bills have any interest in Southern Ontario other than to establish that Southern Ontario is Bill's territory. If they were really interested in profiling the Argos, they would have ensured the youth camps were held at a time Argo players could have been involved.

The Bills now play the Canadian national anthem before games. Does anyone believe it is because they have suddenly come to love Canada or are they more concerned about losing the 15% of season ticket holder who are Canadians?

I'd love to believe the Bills want to make the CFL and the Argos stronger and more popular but I really doubt it.












.

Like many ideas, if managed and run properly, success can come. This is year 2.
Anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 Canadians are putting their elbows down and attending each Bills game, and the rest are Western New Yorkers. I am sure if marketed and managed properly - players and alumni from both teams (Kelly, Flutie, Pinball, Josh Allen, etc) can have camps on both sides of border, be at Bills and Argos games and entice some of those Bills fans to cross the border with 40 cents more in their pocket and come watch Chad Kelly and the Argos play at BMO. Don't really know if that is the plan. It should be, otherwise cynicism takes over and it is as you mentioned a play to secure Canadian fans during this period of elbows up.

[paulwoods13]

Kelly is OUT, Delaurent is in. That's the only lineup change.