OverDrive - Muamba on the Roughriders' surge to 4-0, Argos’ early-season struggles, and Lawler’s impact on the Ti-Cats.

Episode Date: July 10, 2025

CFL on TSN analyst Henoc Muamba joins OverDrive to discuss the Roughriders' strong start to the season. Muamba shares his thoughts surrounding the Argos’ early-season struggles and the impact that Kenny Lawler has on the Ti-Cats.

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I'm doing very well. Thank you for having me. Our pleasure. So, Saskatchewan at 4-0, how much of a surprise is that? You know what? I kind of a surprise is that? You know what? I kind of had an idea that they were going to be successful this year. I felt like they had a great season last year and I had personal experiences with Cory Mace as a coach already and I was a huge fan of his when he was my defensive coordinator in Toronto.

As a matter of fact, I used to always tell him, coach, it's only a matter of time till you become a head coach. And sure enough he did. And you know, like you talk to anybody in Saskatchewan, you can hear and you can see how, you fall in love with him. It's so easy to fall in love with him and it's easy to play for a guy like him.

And you see how he changes the culture. And you look at last year, they went and lost in the Western sem, in the Western finals actually and you just know that they're going to take strides forward. They kept practically the same team and Trevor Harris comes back and AJ O'Lagg goes through this whole transformation and you know that they're going to be pretty good just because again the continuity plays a huge role.

So it doesn't surprise me too much. When you look at the Argos, Enoch, they've struggled out of the gate here, one in four, and there's an expectation that things will get better when they get Chad Kelly back and healthy, but you know, talk about this team, obviously it's more than just the quarterback, they've had some serious changes on the defensive side of the ball too. Do you see Kelly's eventual return as something that could be a turning point, or is there more that ails the Argos that

that may hold them back this season? I mean you got to look at this team and again like how new it is that key word right? I talk about it with the Skatsma Roughriders and it's a complete different opposite for them in Toronto. You know you look at the defensive staff period. Kevin Idaven's been there but he's still a co-defensive coordinator now with Shivers who came from Edmonton I believe and so that is a huge change already or at least one of the changes. Then you look at the defensive line it's practically a whole new one. The whole defensive line in Toronto from last year went all the way to Edmonton and so there's a lot of changes on the defensive side of the ball and then on top of that I haven't even talked about the offense yet but even on top of that

you also lose your pillar on defense the one constant you were supposed to have in Witton McManus so that's extremely challenging to overcome then yes to your point Chad Kelly not being there absolutely hurts as well. So you say, well, you know, Enoch, Nick Arbuckle was the starting quarterback at the Great Cup last year, yes, but he was the starting quarterback practically for a different team really.

And that's the challenge that it is when you're looking from the outside and you see the same jerseys, the same name, and they practice from the same building, and the same head coach and all of that, but it's a different team. You just got to realize that. I talked about it at length last year when Nick Arbuckle took over the team for at the end of the year there. He took over a team that was extremely defensive dominant.

I mean, they were extremely dominant from the defensive side of the ball. And again, not to take anything away from Nick, but he didn't have to do too much from a quarterback perspective. He came in and he didn't have to be a hero in the great cup. And then they ended up dominating on defense and playing extremely well as well and at least and didn't cause any turnovers on offense. So they were able to win the great cup.

So now you look at this team right now, they're a different team guys. And you think about the fact that when a new coach enters into his first season with a new team, we often give them grace, give them a little bit of grace because hey, look, it's a new environment for them because it's a new team. They gotta get acclimated and whatnot.

Well guess what guys, I'm not asking for grace necessarily, but I'm telling you guys that it's a similar situation from the standpoint that it is really a new team without Chad Kelly, Wood McManus and and the continuity that you thought you would have on defense. Well a lot of times in sports we talk about the next man up and that's totally relevant but but you have to have the right people in the right place and a good example that is Hamilton they had Lawler and suddenly Bo Levi Mitchell looks young again. Exactly, exactly.

I mean that combination was amazing and you've got to give credit to Ted Gavaya. Ted Gavaya who comes from Winnipeg, he's a guy that would have had a lot of experience with Kenny Lawler over the years. He was on the staff and so he knows Kenny very well. And he's seen him, how he works and obviously the impact that he has on the team that was in Winnipeg. So he comes out here, his first order of business is, hey, I have a gunslinger in in in Bowle Vy Mitchell why would I not pair him with the best receiver that I know from experience and seeing myself and so he brings you know he pays a pretty penny to bring Kenny Lawler to Hamilton and

now that we finally saw them clicking because you got to you got to remember the first few games of the season Bow Boley by Mitchell knowing exactly what Ted Gavaya also knew and Scott Milanovic bought into as well. They knew that the last game the potential of what happened in the last game was something that could have happened in any given day in any given game. However it was just wasn't happening. So it's a high-risk high-reward kind of scenario with a guy like a Kenny Lawler. But it's paying off and when you see it connect it's a thing of beauty. But again, Ted Gavaya deserves a lot of credit for bringing him there. But here's the thing guys, I think we're talking a lot about you know what Kenny brings to the table and what type of impact that he has

on an offense which well deserved we have to talk about that but what I love and the more I talk to the guys in in Hamilton is that this man actually transforms a team he changes that he impacts the people around them we often talk about great players and we talk about well they elevate the people that are around them this guy actually does just that and it's by the approach that are around them? This guy actually does just that. And it's by the approach that he has towards the game of football.

And what they are telling me in the locker room over there, and I have a good relationship with Kenny, but I've never played with him. And what they're telling me is the intensity that he brings paired with the talent that he possesses is absolutely unmatched. Because of the intensity that he possesses is absolutely unmatched because of the intensity that he brings. You have no choice but to give it your all every single day. I'm talking about a practice, I'm talking about a game. If you watched

last game Luke Wilson was asked, hey what impresses you the most about Kenny Lawler? He mentioned Kenny is over here screaming and chirping the opposing team's punter you know and and that's the intensity that I'm talking about and when you're a part of a team and your best player brings that intensity every game whether it's practice whether it's watching film whether it's playing a game you have no excuse but to do the same and so that is what we're not really often and we're not talking about enough but again that's the benefit of bringing Kenny Lawler and I'll tell you what he is worth every single penny and I'll

finish with this guy he's worth every single penny and I talked about how high risk high reward his game is and and you know you're gonna have to wait for another six catches and 207 yards performance that he had last week but here's the beauty about what he did him and both he now sent a message out to the rest of the league now you come into the game I don't know why Toronto didn't start double teaming and triple teaming after the first the third catch at least but you know they sent a message to the whole league. Now you're playing against the time of the Tigercats, you know that this is a

potential and they are going to get so much more attention, but to, to, they're going to give so much more attention to Kenny Lawler, whoever it is. But while they do that, now it opens up the door for the Tim whites, for the Shamar bridges and Keandre Smiths and everybody else to actually step in and even opens up the ability to have a balanced attack with a good running game and Greg Bell's involvement and so that is the beauty of Kenny Lawley. You do this one time and now everybody has that fear and they'll remember this game for the rest of the season and that's how it helps the Hamilton tag of cats And he doesn't have to repeat that performance, but he can do it anytime that he plays the game

Yeah, I love that you knock speaking of Intensity there was some there was some intensity after the game on Saturday after the the Lions recorded a Walk-off win at Montreal and then they had a walk-off brawl heading into the tunnel and the league suspended the Lions defensive lineman Kamoko Ture for one game for his role in what they said was inciting it. What did you make of that situation Enoch and in all your years of football, what's

your best memory of a brawl or worst memory of a brawl that you were a part of? Listen I mean 2021 Eastern Finals against the Hamilton Tigercats in Toronto I don't know if you guys remember that one we had teammates that crossed over and started fighting fans and you know fans were swinging It was Hamilton Tigercats fans. So I remember that and then I've been a part, you know, it's football and If you ever been a part of a football team, you know in training camp at some point or another I've been a part of a bunch of teams where guys go. Hey guys, it's been kind of calm now We got a we got to start a fight on defense now when it happens I kid you not this happens every training camp and

it happens but that's more for the sake of motivating and and creating a spark when especially on the days that things are kind of coming a little bit repetitive during training camp but when you talk about you know having things like this occur in a game, there's no space for this. There's no room for this in our game. And it comes down to the discipline that you need to, that you must possess as a team and the leadership that you have to have in the locker room as well. So you know, it's great to have all these emotions, but it's also better to be able to control them.

You want to have guys that have differences, different ways of dealing with different things. That's what makes up a great team where not everybody is on the same page necessarily or not necessarily the same page, but not everybody is the same type of individual. However, I'm not a huge fan of the extracurriculars in football and you know you can talk your trash if you need to and if you want to but post game you know you got to win with humility and lose with grace as well. So you know the league took action and there were multiple fines that were handed out as well as the suspension that you mentioned It would be impossible to keep everything in check with an Argos tie cats playoff game. I mean

All that I've seen I've seen I've seen quite a bit I think quite a bit when the Argos traveled to Hamilton and but the one that I was referring to was at home after a loss. Listen, the truth is this, man. Football players were human beings, right? And especially after a loss, the wrong word can incite certain things. And that's what happened in that case. And I don't know the particular details about this case but you know again I think there needs to be a level of discipline that that that allows you to not cross that line well look you brought up an interesting point game you brought up an interesting point no no athlete likes to lose losing dressing room is a morose

place to be but there's no bigger crash for me than a football loss. There's a lot of emotion there so much so many emotions and Man football is a beautiful game guys. I tell you guys. I'm not trying to be biased. I played multiple sports, you know Growing up I used to you know, my early days living in Montreal. I used to want to be a hockey player and Then it moved to basketball I fell in love with basketball and I played volleyball and then I fell in love with with football the rest is history but the football the game of football is one of the most beautiful sports there is out there for its inclusivity and and

the different sizes and people that get involved in the challenge of galvanizing a team and allowing them to work together, you know, the adversity that you have to overcome. And I've always been so grateful for the way that it allowed me to grow as an individual and the growth as far as a leader and how it translates to life, you know. It's a beautiful thing. But to your point, you know know you again you have different individuals with different circumstances and and and have have experienced life in different

ways and so you you know the challenge within the team is to kind of find ways to to work together as one and to win as many games as possible until you're able to hoist the trophy at the end of it all. However, yes, those challenges do occur and it's like, okay, I'm in a locker room now, who is going to be the leader to step up to put things into perspective so that we can learn as much as we can from the game that we just played, especially when you lose, right? And I'll tell you this, you talk about the challenges, sorry to make it so philosophical, but you talk about the challenges of being in a locker room after a loss in a football locker room after a loss. But one of the things that I learned is that,

you know, it's harder to learn the lessons that you need to learn when you win, right? Cause you feel like, okay, well, we got the win. But those are the times where you want to really harp on the things that need to be corrected. And so again, I love football for more than just the experiences it gave me and the life and the ability to make some money for myself.

It's so much deeper than that. So yeah, for the football is a beautiful thing. It's so much deeper than that. So yeah, for the football, it's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful game. Hey, never apologize for getting philosophical, Enoch. It's great to hear. Great to hear. Let me ask you this one, a bit of a hypothetical that was brought up by Devonte Adams the other day

on the Dan Patrick show. He was talking about LeBron James, and you were talking about yourself being a multi-sport athlete who delved into basketball Devontae Adams was making the case that if LeBron James would have chose football and he did play some high school football That LeBron would have been to quote Devontae one of the great wide receivers or tight ends of all time What do you make of that? I? Mean, it's hard to go against it. The man has been playing for

What do you make of that? I mean it's hard to go against it. The man has been playing for you know over 20 years now and and is still at the top of the NBA and Is one of the most competitive guys and you know, he's extremely that that D word discipline comes back into it You know the reason why he's he's still as relevant as he's been over the the last You know two decades is because of the discipline that he has within his own life and how he approaches the game and how he respects the game and he is a student of the game. I don't doubt it at all. It's really hard to go against that.

I know we're talking about hypotheticals, but you talk about the durability that he possesses and the physicality and that's the physicality and, and, and that's basketball physicality because that's two different things. If he had the football mindset, I think he would have been a, you know, a different level of physical. So, um, I, you know, it's hard to go against that, you know, the man you have, you have to respect the, the, the body of work that he's put together on the basketball court.

And you know, you can only, we can only sit here and appreciate the fact that this could have been a possibility. And if it was, yes, we would have probably still been talking to him. Definitely, probably not a, you know, two decades long of a career in football, but for sure a long one as well. Hey, thanks very much for stopping by. And just between you and me, Seasons Gamer or just Video Game Curious? This Week in Gaming is the podcast for you. We break down the latest in the world of video games, from basics to beyond. The hottest gaming news, insight and industry leaders and more. Weekly. Join me, Naomi Kyle, and stay ahead of the game with all the latest updates.

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