Bryan Hall pulls no punches when asked for a comment, minces no words when an analysis of Toronto’s defence is in order.

It’s why Hall’s take on everything and anything relating to the Argos resonates, why people should listen when he has something say.

Hall is a free spirit who talks the talk and walks the walk, his presence being felt at defensive tackle, the first-year Argo recording nine tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble in three games.

“We’re a work in progress,’’ said Hall as the Argos enter Week 4 with a 2-1 record and a chance to take first place in the East with a win over visiting Ottawa this Wednesday night at BMO Field. “We’re still not where we need to be at. There are mistakes out there, communication problems. We’re just trying to get better each week.

“That’s what I’ve been saying from the beginning. It’s a process and we’ll go through our growing pains. We’re building for down the road. We collect wins along the way, but we’re getting ready, getting better every week.”

The embarrassment on opening night against Hamilton has quickly been forgotten, replaced by improved showings against Saskatchewan and B.C., when a few plays were yielded, but turnovers were forced.

In Vancouver, a 35-yard completion to Manny Arceneaux set up the Lions’ first touchdown. They scored their second in the fourth quarter when poor tackling on Anthony Allen allowed the B.C. receiver to bull his way into the end zone.

Still, Hall noticed how tight the Argos’ defensive group grew on the road, staying in Regina following the win and then heading to Vancouver.

“It says we’re a team,’’ added Hall of the 2-0 trip. “This whole process, which is still early, has always been about the team. I worry about Ricky Foley. I worry about our guys. We don’t worry about what’s going on outside of this (locker room).

“We’re worried about making sure we give Ricky Ray as many opportunities to make plays.”

Defensively, it’s the one area of football’s three phases that has shown the most improvement during Toronto’s first three games.

If there’s one area of concern, it’s in the back end with players dropping and big plays being given up.

The Lions were able to run the football against the Argos, but Toronto’s second-half lead forced B.C., to go through the air.

With Ottawa coming to town, Toronto’s defence will be tested, but the Redblacks are a pass offence that has allowed former Argos QB Trevor Harris time to operate in the pocket because of good protection.

BUT INJURIES TO SECONDARY NOT HELPING

Three games into the season and it’s three injuries to Toronto’s defensive back end that may end up biting the team.

For now, the Argos have managed to fill in the gap when a player in the secondary gets hurt, the latest being Joshua Mitchell, Toronto’s first-year halfback who was hurt in Thursday night’s win over the host B.C. Lions.

Mitchell left with a suspected hamstring injury, unable to put any weight on his left leg when helped off the field. He was then taken to the locker room.

A lot more clarity should be provided when the Argos have their first team gathering and availability on Sunday, but changes seem inevitable heading into Wednesday’s home game versus Trevor Harris, Toronto’s former starting quarterback and MOP nominee, and the first-place Ottawa Redblacks.

In the Argos’ season opener, Jermaine Gabriel was injured, then hurt again a week later in Regina.

In Week 2, Joe Rankin left the game.

Brandon Isaac has experience in the secondary and played corner in Toronto’s win over the Riders.

Rich Stubler runs so many schemes and has players line up everywhere with the luxury of dropping linebacker Keon Raymond into coverage. When he joined the CFL, Raymond was a natural corner.

One of the storylines for this week’s game is Ottawa’s pass offence and how the Argos go about containing Chris Williams, the CFL’s hottest player who is coming off a three-touchdown performance in his team’s tie with visiting Calgary on Friday night.

Williams is lethal in the open field given his quickness and elusiveness.

You’ll likely see some other the top coverage and underneath schemes to try to take Williams out of the game and force someone else to beat the Argos.

When Harris started for Ricky Ray last season, he led the Argos to a three-game season sweep of Ottawa, including two wins on the road that featured one game serving as Toronto’s home date.

THE GOOD, THE BAD

As debuts went, it was a mixed bag for Argos’ defensive lineman Shawn Lemon.

Lemon began Thursday’s game in B.C., on the bench and was used along the line of scrimmage on a rotation to keep everyone fresh.

He did have a strip that led to one of four turnovers forced by the Argos, but he also took a roughing penalty on second down following an incompletion that would have resulted in a punt.

No one has been able to make sense of how the CFL doles out punishment, but Lemon went low on Lions QB Travis Lulay to draw the flag.

In Week 1, Argos’ Paul Hazel was fined for a late hit out of bounds on Hamilton’s Brandon Banks.

In Week 2, Cam Walker was fined for his hit on Riders QB Darian Durant, which wasn’t flagged during live action.