Argos pivot Allen breaks silence

Veteran Damon Allen spoke for the first time on Thursday since being demoted to the No. 3 quarterback by the Toronto Argonauts earlier in the week.

"I appreciate the Argos making this decision early … it's unfortunate because I would've liked that to have happened the first week," said Allen.

"I'm disappointed … what I control is what I do on the field and obviously it wasn't enough. But my dedication to this team and to winning remain the same."

Allen, who also apologized for not speaking earlier in the week, said he needed some time to digest it all.

"I've always been the type of person to look at a situation before throwing in my two cents worth."

The 43-year-old Allen went 14-of-18 for 130 yards and one touchdown during Toronto's opening-season 24-22 loss to the defending Grey Cup champion B.C. Lions.

Despite Allen's solid numbers, Toronto had problems moving the ball consistently and allowed six sacks to the Lions.

Argos coach Mike Clemons announced Monday that he would start pivot Michael Bishop for Saturday night's clash against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CBC, 7 p.m. ET).

As part of the quarterback shuffle, Allen drops to third on the depth chart, behind CFL rookie Mike McMahon.

Clemons decided to make the switch to Bishop in the fourth quarter, drawing cheers from the Rogers Centre crowd. Bishop threw a touchdown to narrow the margin and proved more elusive to B.C. tacklers, finishing 7-for-13 with 75 yards passing.

The relief appearance was reminiscent of last season's playoffs when Bishop came off the bench to replace an ineffective Allen in a pair of playoff games.