The 2008 Toronto Argonauts season was the 51st season for the team in the Canadian Football League (CFL) 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.

Round Pick Player Position School/Club team 2 13 Mike Bradwell WR McMaster 3 21 Jean-Nicolas Carriere LB McGill 4 29 Delroy Clarke DB Ottawa 5 37 Richard Zulys OL Western Ontario 6 42 (via Edmonton) Mark Dewit OL Calgary 6 44 (via Montreal) Tyler Scott REC Western Ontario 6 45 Matt Black DB Saginaw Valley

Notable transactions

Date Type Incoming Outgoing Team March 5, 2008 Trade Kerry Joseph, Quarterback Riders third round pick in the 2010 CFL Draft 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.

Allen retires as pro football's career passing leader with 72,381 yards. He played on four Grey Cup-winning teams and in 2005, he captured the league's outstanding player award.

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

2008 Toronto Argonauts preseason roster Quarterbacks

Running backs

RB/KR

Receivers SB WR WR WR WR R/TE WR TE SB WR SB SB SB WR Offensive linemen

C OT OG OT OT OT OG OG OT

Defensive linemen DE DT DT DL/LB DE DE Linebackers ILB ILB OLB OLB OLB OLB ILB OLB ILB ILB ILB

Defensive backs DB S CB S DB DB CB CB S DB DB CB DB CB

Special teams K/P LS/LB K/P Injured Reserve

Suspended list OL DT WR

Practice Roster

Italics indicates Import player Roster updated 2008-06-10 Depth Chart • Transactions 69 Active, 3 Inactive

End of season roster 2008 Toronto Argonauts final roster Quarterbacks

Running backs

Receivers

Offensive linemen T G/C C G T G G

Defensive linemen DT DE DT DT DE DE Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams K/P LS

Reserve roster DT WR T DB

Practice roster DT [DB WR RB TInjured list LB WR RB RB LB LB DB DB T

Italics indicates American player Roster updated 2026-04-24

Schedule

Preseason Week Date Opponent Location Final score Attendance Record A June 12 @ Alouettes Molson Stadium T 34 – 34 20,202 0–0–1 B June 19 Tiger-Cats Rogers Centre L 28 – 21 21,422 0–1–1

Regular season Week Date Opponent Location Final score Attendance Record 1 June 27 @ Blue Bombers Canad Inns Stadium W 23 – 16 26,155 1–0 2 July 3 Tiger-Cats Rogers Centre L 32 – 13 30,822 1–1 3 July 10 @ Eskimos Commonwealth Stadium L 47 – 28 31,707 1–2 4 July 20 Eskimos Rogers Centre W 35 – 31 28,522 2–2 5 July 27 @ Roughriders Mosaic Stadium L 28 – 22 28,800 2–3 6 August 1 Blue Bombers Rogers Centre W 19 – 11 28,523 3–3 7 August 7 @ Tiger-Cats Ivor Wynne Stadium L 45 – 21 19,423 3–4 8 August 15 Alouettes Rogers Centre L 32 – 14 30,521 3–5 9 Bye 10 September 1 @ Tiger-Cats Ivor Wynne Stadium W 34 – 31 25,911 4–5 11 September 7 @ Alouettes Molson Stadium L 45 – 19 20,202 4–6 12 September 12 Blue Bombers Rogers Centre L 39 – 9 28,453 4–7 13 September 20 @ Stampeders McMahon Stadium L 34 – 4 33,135 4–8 14 September 27 Stampeders Rogers Centre L 44 – 16 28,672 4–9 15 October 3 Lions Rogers Centre L 24 – 20 28,273 4–10 16 October 10 @ Blue Bombers Canad Inns Stadium L 25 – 16 27,268 4–11 17 October 18 Alouettes Rogers Centre L 43 – 34 30,262 4–12 18 October 25 @ Lions BC Place Stadium L 55 – 32 35,994 4–13 19 October 30 Roughriders Rogers Centre L 45 – 38 28,654 4–14

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 Hamilton Tiger-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 Spider-Man mask produced from his pants. Several days later, the Canadian Football League fined the Argonauts receiver an undisclosed amount for his touchdown celebration. 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, Stubler was released as head coach of the Argonauts after posting a 4–6 record. There was the belief he could not 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, 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 Player Att Comp % Yards TD INT Rating Kerry Joseph 536 307 57.3 4174 17 14 82.0 Cody Pickett 104 63 60.6 610 1 2 72.2 Reggie McNeal 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 2.1

Rushing Player Att Yards Avg, TD Fumbles Jamal Robertson 117 645 5.5 6 2 Kerry Joseph 78 493 6.3 4 7 Dominique Dorsey 6441 0 6.4 2 2 Jeff Johnson 8 31 3.9 1 0

Receiving

Player Receptions Yards TouchdownsArland Bruce 92 1210 9Andre Talbot 76 915 4Reggie McNeal 43 606 2P. K. Sam 36 499 3James Robinson 25 381 1Tyler Scott 19 309 0Dominique Dorsey 15 286 0

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 Arland Bruce, Eastern Division All-Star, Offence Jonathan Brown, CFL Eastern All-Star, Defence Dominique Dorsey, CFL Eastern All-Star, Special Teams John Agro Special Teams Award – Dominique Dorsey (RB), Toronto Argonauts Kenny Wheaton, CFL Eastern All-Star, Defence

Milestones

References

Further reading On training camp

External links 2008 Toronto Argonauts Season Official CFL team training camp preview