Music: {allcanada} Lopsided lessons

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MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- In Willie Pile's mind, there's no such thing as a good loss.

But the Toronto Argonauts captain says two valuable lessons he and his teammates can take from Thursday's lopsided 41-10 defeat to the Grey Cup-champion Montreal Alouettes are the importance of playing a complete 60-minute game and not falling behind and having to rely on a fourth-quarter comeback to gain a victory.

"We realize we have a ways to go to develop that identity we want to have as a physical team, a team that's not going to miss tackles, not going to make mental errors and finish drives on defence, offence and special teams," Pile said following Tuesday's practice. "Until we get to that point we're not going to be satisfied whether it's a win or a loss.

"It just so happens we learned this lesson via a loss."

An upstart Toronto squad headed to Montreal riding a three-game win streak. What's more, the Argos were brimming with confidence after successfully rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit for the win in all three times.

Toronto started off well against Montreal, leading 10-7 in the second quarter before the home team rallied for the 17-10 half-time advantage. The Alouettes took over in the second half, outscoring the Argos 24-0.

"It's not necessarily us having to go back to the drawing board, it's getting focussed on the things we're good at," Pile said. "The Alouettes know what they're good at and tweak different things but they know their identity.

"We have certain things we're good at, we just have to perfect those and stay away from the things we're not so good at. Right now as a defence we know we need to work on our tackling and create big plays on special teams. That's our goal and I'm sure the offensive guys are saying the same things."

Montreal's offence was certainly firing on all cylinders, rolling up 566 yards to 227 for Toronto. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo was a stellar 30-of-36 passing for 394 yards and two TDs while tailback Avon Cobourne rushed for 115 yards and two TDs while adding 116 yards receiving.

"You learn you have to play a full four quarters, you learn you can't make mistakes and every play can turn into a big play because they don't make mistakes," Toronto head coach Jim Barker said of facing the Als. "Crucial penalties will always hurt you against a team like that.

"They're very proficient in what they do and that's where we have to get to as to where we're that proficient for four quarters, not for just one half."

The three fourth-quarter rallies effectively took attention away from the Argos' penchant for falling behind and their heavy reliance on tailback Cory Boyd. In all three wins Boyd rushed for more than 100 yards, becoming the first Toronto running back to register three straight 100-yard games since 1968 when the legendary Bill Symons accomplished the feat.

But Boyd had just nine carries for 53 yards against Montreal as offensively Toronto mustered just 35 total plays. By comparison, the Alouettes ran 67 plays.

And Barker says falling behind to an experienced team like Montreal only compounds the situation.

"You try to do more than you should and you fumble the ball and it caves in on you," he said. "But that's part of the learning process."

Taking Boyd out of the mix would seem to be sound defensive logic considering Toronto has struggled with its aerial game this season. The Argos are ranked fourth in the CFL in rushing (124.4 yards per game) but last in passing (188.4 yards per game).

Quarterback Cleo Lemon, an NFL veteran in his first CFL season, has completed 76-of-132 passes (57.6 per cent) for 906 yards with three touchdowns against four interceptions. Against Montreal, Lemon was 8-of-17 passing for 143 yards.

And while Lemon threw to six different receivers versus Montreal, four finished with just one reception.

So for the first time in a month the youthful Argos (3-2) find themselves having to rebound from a loss. Toronto is in Edmonton on Friday to face the struggling Eskimos (1-4), who beat the B.C. Lions 28-25 last week before firing GM Danny Maciocia.

"Nobody likes to lose, I must say, but we still have that little chip on our shoulder about the (Montreal) loss," veteran receiver Jeremaine Copeland said. "What it all comes back to is what kind of players are we going to be this week?

"We have to go back to Edmonton and will face a team that has its back against the wall and will be scratching and clawing. Are we going to be a better team and rise up to the challenge and make plays like we're supposed to or are we going to fold our tent? I really don't think we're going to fold up. We're going to see a hard-nosed, 60-minute fight."

Toronto will have to make due without defensive linemen Adriano Belli and Etienne Legare, both of whom are wearing a walking boot on their right foot.

As a captain, Pile carries the added responsibility of making sure his teammates remain accountable during practice. But for Pile, that means leading by example.

"When they see me practising or coming in on a day off and watching film then that triggers that, 'Hey, we need to get back to what we're doing and the true essence of what type of team we are,' and that's a confident, physical football team in all three phases of the game," Pile said. "Edmonton might be struggling but that's still a very talented team with two or three of the best receivers in the league, a great quarterback and a running back who is shifty and can break tackles.

"From a defensive standpoint we've got our hands full. But at the same time it's a great opportunity to get back out there and show why type of team we are ... we have a lot of guys who are ready to step up to that challenge."