Argonauts wide receiver Andre Talbot, left, struggled against Winnipeg in the regular season, combining for just 96 yards and zero touchdowns in three games. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

Toronto Argonauts quarterback Michael Bishop approaches wide receiver Andre Talbot, shakes his hand, walks a few more steps, turns around and cracks to a nearby reporter: "He doesn't look like a player."

All the five-foot-10, 186-pound Talbot can do is look to the ground and shake his head, sporting a wide smile.

"It's good to stay loose and have fun with your teammates," Talbot told CBCSports.ca. "It's a great locker room here. The guys like each other and it shows on the practice field and on game day."

Coming off a bye week, Bishop and company have had plenty of time to poke fun at each other. But they have also taken care of business, like practising and studying game film in preparation for Sunday's Canadian Football League East final against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CBC, 1 p.m. ET).

Some, like Talbot, have even helped out on the home front.

"I've become obsessive-compulsive," said the seven-year wideout, who lives in a downtown Toronto loft with his wife, Melanie. "I've been cleaning a couple of hours a day. The place is spotless because I've had so much energy."

But Talbot and his teammates will direct their energy back to football come Sunday. Despite a strong season statistically, he didn't stand out against Winnipeg during the regular season.

Talbot collected 803 yards in receiving this season, but combined for just 96 yards and zero touchdowns in three games against the Blue Bombers.

The winner advances to the 95th Grey Cup in Toronto, a trophy that hasn't been won by the host team since Montreal defeated Edmonton at Olympic Stadium in 1977.

Talbot and Bishop have shared great chemistry on the field since 2002, but the quarterback completed only 34.5 per cent of his passes (10 of 29) versus Winnipeg for 145 yards in an unimpressive 16-8 home win on Oct. 27.

Time for redemption

"We misread things as a receiving corps, dropped some balls and Bishop didn't play his greatest game," said Talbot, 29. "This is an opportunity to redeem ourselves from an offensive standpoint."

Argos offensive co-ordinator Steve Buratto told CBCSports.ca that sometimes you just have to tip your hat to the opposition.

"Part of it is Winnipeg has a very good secondary," he said in reference to Talbot's struggles. "They play good, tight coverage, hold and push on you and that makes it tough. You have to be strong enough, mentally and physically, to play off that."

Talbot said it is imperative that Bishop release the ball quicker while the rest of the offence takes what the Winnipeg defence gives them.

Talbot had little difficulty in that department in 17 games this season. He established career highs in receptions (53), receiving yards, touchdowns (six) and yards per catch (15.2).

"He's been the most consistent guy all year, the one guy the quarterback can lean on," Buratto said of Talbot, an Argos fan while growing up in Oshawa, Ont., just east of Toronto. "Andre's biggest asset is he's always where he's supposed to be. He makes very few errors.

"He has great hands, runs [pass] routes well and has the best understanding, other than [wide receiver Derrell] Mookie [Mitchell], of how to find the holes and adjust to coverages."

"The No. 1 thing with Andre is he doesn't get the credit he deserves in the league," Bishop added. "He runs hard and does everything he can to get open. He's always trying to make himself better, running extra routes and working on technique."

Early in the season, Talbot took advantage of an opportunity for added responsibility when fellow pass-catchers Arland Bruce III and Tony Miles were suffering from injuries. But Talbot stressed that a heavier workload, coupled with the team's 2-6 start, didn't cause him to change his approach to the game.

'Always thinking … the team needs me'

"I'm always thinking the team is relying on me, the team needs me and I need to work hard," Talbot said. "I'm working on my game every week."

A former two-time all-Canadian with the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Talbot pointed to health and confidence to explain his breakout season.

"Definitely with more experience comes more confidence," he said. "I've grown through that confidence. People have put confidence in me and that makes me confident.

"The fact that the starting quarterback has confidence in me translates to the offensive co-ordinator. The more Michael throws to me the coaches realize I'm not afraid to get more balls."

As a personal trainer, Talbot has taken care of his body more seriously during the last three years and, as weird as it may sound, learned how to practice and play the game.

"The first few years I didn't know how to practice and play, how to adjust my speed and hold something back during the week, so I wouldn't be wiped out come the game or get hurt," Talbot said.

"I ran everything out. But the only time you should go full out is when you have the ball, the ball's in the air or when you're trying to get separation from the defender."

Talbot, like those close to him, is counting the minutes until he can show what he can do and hopefully realize his dream of playing for a Grey Cup championship in his hometown.

"I have friends and family that are just itching for [Sunday's] game to start and for us to win," he said. "I'm getting calls every day from people saying 'Good luck' and 'Go get them' and 'How do I get my Grey Cup tickets?' But I'm not thinking about that until Monday.

That's when Talbot wants to be thinking about a Grey Cup matchup, not another game of "what could have been" against Winnipeg.