Far too many Americans new to the CFL view the game as just another game, blocking and tackling and the team emerging with the most points producing a win.

Football is football, in other words, a common refrain expressed by coaches and players alike, until reality begins to sink in and the many nuances of the three-down version become so overwhelming that a quick change in approach must be adopted to maintain job security.

For the Argos, there are many newcomers to the CFL, although they are far from new to pro football, having spent time in the NFL.

There is talent, but there is also immaturity and a lack of awareness for what awaits, especially at this time of the year.

NFL cuts are being made, Labour Day is fast approaching and the attention to detail becomes more pronounced with the stakes getting higher, the push for the post-season now in motion with playoff seeding on the line and so many divisional games in store.

It’s under this backdrop that the Argos have been preparing for Monday’s matinee in Hamilton, a huge moment for both franchises deadlocked atop the East with 6-3 records.

The rematch is next Friday night in Toronto, but so much will be based on what plays out on Labour Day. A win by Hamilton gives the Ticats the season-series edge in the event of a tiebreaker. A win by Toronto sets the stage for the tiebreaking differential.

The Argos ventured into Tim Hortons Field early last month and the game’s tenor was established when A.J. Jefferson, one of the many new faces in Toronto, fell victim to an onside punt, which the Ticats parlayed into a touchdown.

In Edmonton, Kevin Elliott, another of Toronto’s electrifying new pieces, gave up on a play thinking quarterback Trevor Harris was sacked.

Such moments become teaching tools, but they can’t be duplicated at this time of the calendar with the margin for victory so slim.

The Argos have been trying to convey the significance of Labour Day and what awaits each time they gather at their practice field, whether it’s head coach Scott Milanovich or veterans such as Dave Stala providing their insights.

It’s crunch time for the Argos and no stone gets left unturned, especially when the next two games against the Ticats could dictate the rest of the season.

“We’re just trying to get them to understand the rivalry,” said Milanovich, whose teams have yet to win at Tim Hortons Field in two trips, including last year’s Labour Day Classic when both sides were held to one touchdown. “We’re trying to get them to understand what this time of the year means and the back-to-back against Hamilton.

“I mean, these guys don’t know about tiebreakers, the relevance of the game and what it means in the long run.”

Milanovich would add only that it’s a coincidence that it’s the Ticats, Toronto’s chief rivals, when any opponent at this time would have prompted Milanovich to educate his inexperienced team of the potential rewards and consequences.

There’s a lot to like about the CFL, on most weeks when the game is being played at a high level, but there’s more to like when Labour Day rolls around and a game means so much to both teams as it will this Monday.

It’s football, but it’s more than football.

The intensity can’t be measured and no amount of talk among players can do it justice until one is in the cauldron, living it, being absorbed in it and hoping to survive.

“I didn’t recognize the intensity until my first Labour Day here,” confided Milanovich, whose Argos beat the Ticats in 2012 en route to winning the Grey Cup on a Monday afternoon in the Hammer, punctuated by a great behind-the-back reception by Chad Owens using one hand over the middle in coverage. “I didn’t think much of what we were going into because I hadn’t been in Labour Day games like this when it means so much.

“Until you are really in it, you don’t understand. The closest I can compare it to is a bowl game for the guys from the U.S., because that’s the kind of atmosphere, at least that’s how I feel. It’s got a different intensity, a different feel.”

Coaches, players, they all want to play in big games that mean something, bashing heads in an atmosphere teeming with fans and oozing bad blood.

“This is one of the best,” said Milanovich. “I don’t know if it means anything more to me than that, but it’s a game we look forward to, a game I look forward to, for sure.”

* * * * * *

He has miles to go before regaining his form, but each time Thomas Miles steps on the field, he’s re-acquainting himself with the game, slowly re-affirming his status on the Argos pecking order at middle linebacker.

The team knew it was losing a key piece when Miles tore ligaments in his right wrist during the pre-season. He was a steal for the Argos in the fourth round (33rd overall) of the CFL draft in 2014, the same year Toronto moved up to the No. 3 slot to nab Miles’ University of Manitoba teammate, Anthony Coombs.

Miles underwent surgery to repair the ligament and clean up some residual issues associated with the injury and completed his rehab before he regained mobility and range of motion.

When he returned to active duty, Miles was forced to wear a playing cast.

He now has two games under his belt, providing the Argos with a solid depth piece behind incumbent Greg Jones and becoming an asset on special teams.

In the CFL, teams are judged by the depth and talent of their Canadian pool and a fully engaged Miles makes the Argos a better team.

“I don’t know if he’s up to the standard I was expecting from him,” began head coach Scott Milanovich of Miles. “But some of that, I suppose, is understandable given he is playing with a cast on his hand.

“I feel strongly (about Miles) and I expect a ton from him. We thought it was a major blow when he was injured. Like anyone who has been out that long, he’s feeling his way through. I don’t worry about him. He’s a football player.”

There is much to like about Miles, even as he eases his way back. He plays with a motor, has a high football IQ and leaves all that he has on the field.

Looking back on the process, Miles recalls all the issues surrounding the wrist when he underwent an MRI. There was an option to forego surgery or go under the knife, a procedure that would require as much as 12 weeks of inactivity. He opted for surgery.

“I’ve got a pretty good scar to show for it,” said Miles.

When he returned for the Argos’ home game versus Ottawa, Miles was part of rotation with Jones, the incumbent playing two series, Miles playing one.

In Edmonton, Miles entered the game on specific packages, often on second-down passing situations designed to take advantage of his ability to drop into coverage.

“There will always be that curve when you get your legs back into it, your body gets used to the beating a football game imposes on you,” said Miles. “No time in the gym can really prepare you for what a football game feels like. I’m feeling more comfortable.”

Even when he was inactive following surgery, Miles was able to run, staying in shape by maintaining his cardio.

What he couldn’t do was use his right arm the way he wanted or has been accustomed to.

“My right arm shrunk to half of its size,” he continued.

The ligament needed to be repaired and there was some damage to the joint, areas that were addressed by the medical officials.

Then came countless hours working with head trainer Scott Shannon, who guided Miles through his range of motion and mobility.

“It got to the point where the mobility was good enough,” said Miles. “There was solidity in the ligament and, at that point, I got the go-ahead to get a cast.”

Miles needs the protective cast, but more than anything he just needs more reps.

* * * * * *

It’s often been said, but it bears repeating, that football is a sport of routine, a daily grind that tests both the mental and physical makeup of a player.

It’s also a game of superstition and comfort.

With the Argos, quarterback Trevor Harris has been the holder on field goals for Swayze Waters, who has evolved into the CFL’s elite.

In Edmonton, Harris had an issue with a finger, forcing the Argos to turn to veteran Dave Stala, who filled in for Waters in the season opener when the kicker hurt his hip flexor on the opening kickoff.

Waters hardly fails to convert, but he did in Edmonton on a 49-yard attempt, a distance he normally makes in his sleep.

Head coach Scott Milanovich prefers not to have Harris as the team’s holder, but there’s not much he can do.

“He has an affinity,” said Milanovich of Waters’ faith in Harris. “I just told him (Waters): ‘You can’t miss or you’d better make the tackle.”

Stala’s hold was fine, according to Milanovich.

“It was just a bad swing,” he recalled.

On Monday, the Argos return to the Hammer for the Labour Day Classic, the second to be played at Tim Hortons Field.

In last year’s inaugural at the new venue, Waters was a kicking machine, a combination of Ray Guy given his hang time, part Bob Cameron in how he handled the tricky winds.

The Ticats are coming off a loss, their first on their new field, and are banged-up.

Waters gives the Argos a leg up, but he has to be at his absolute best.

The Argos have been good on punt coverage because Waters has perfected directional punting and hang time.

There was a punt return for a touchdown in Edmonton, the game’s turning point as the host Esks turned a two-point game into a rout by scoring 21 fourth-quarter points.

Brandon Banks was held in check when Toronto visited Hamilton last month and the Argos can’t afford any errors on special teams.

* * * * * *

From the frying pan and into the pot, the Argos go from playing a Chris Jones defence to matching wits with Orlondo Steinauer.

The two worked in Toronto under Scott Milanovich, a tenure capped by a Grey Cup title in 2012, Steinauer’s final season as an Argos assistant before he was lured to Hamilton as its defensive co-ordinator.

Both Jones and Steinauer will throw different looks at an opposing offence, but one of the big differences is how an offence such as Toronto schemes its pass protection.

Jones covets long and athletic corners adept in press man coverage and, like Steinauer, runs a variety of looks in the back end.

Each is good, each forcing a team such as the Argos to be better than good.

Last Friday in Edmonton, the Argos produced one touchdown and were outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter.

“It’s not even close in terms of the same scheme,” said Milanovich of Jones and Steinauer. “His defence (Steinauer) is very unique to him and to his team.”

The good news for the Argos is the status of Chad Owens, who has missed the past three games with an ankle injury. He practised for the second day in a row on Friday and should be back on Monday.

Starting left tackle Bruce Campbell will also be back.

On defence, Branden Smith will likely replace an injured Travis Hawkins (shoulder) at halfback.