TORONTO - Toronto Argonauts offensive lineman Rob Murphy still winces at what unfolded prior to the team's rebuilding process, when an over-matched coaching staff lost the trust of its players and the control of a season.

It was only last year, and the memories are vivid.

"I had a bunch of guys from other teams just come up to me and basically make fun of our offence while we were on the field," he said Monday. "It was the most mundane, simplistic offence. It was a joke."

The passage of time still hasn't made it very funny for Murphy, but the overhaul it sparked has left him optimistic. Toronto has won three of its first four games in 2010 -- matching its total under the short-lived reign of coach Bart Andrus last year -- and has a chance to claim sole possession of first place in the East Division by the end of the week.

Toronto (3-1) visits the Montreal Alouettes (3-1) on Thursday as one of the most surprising stories of the young CFL season. The Argos have won each of their last three games with a combination of stout defence and stellar special teams play -- the same kind of formula that delivered the franchise its last Grey Cup win, six years ago.

"We have a chance," offensive lineman Taylor Robertson said. "We believe. That's the difference."

Toronto rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat the B.C. Lions last week at Rogers Centre, nine days after squeaking out a 27-24 comeback win against the Calgary Stampeders. The Argos opened their run with a two-point win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Rookie running back Cory Boyd has established himself as the CFL's leading rusher, Chad Owens has been one of the league's most dynamic return men and only Calgary's defence has forced more turnovers.

Those successes have helped to mask the struggles of first-year quarterback Cleo Lemon, whose offence ranks dead last in passing yards. Toronto is the only team in the league that has not thrown for at least 1,000 yards yet this season -- managing only 791, as a team -- but even that is being viewed as a reason for more optimism.

"It's just exciting to know that, eventually, we'll click on offence," Murphy said.

It was not quite as easy to find reason for excitement in 2009.

Andrus was hired with the reputation of being an offensive-minded coach who had big plans for a pass-oriented offence. He brought in a staff without much CFL experience, but pledged to spend the off-season studying the league and its unique set of rules.

What emerged was an offence with a troubling inability to generate anything.

No team scored fewer points than the Argos, who were held below 20 points per game, on average. Toronto ranked last in rushing yards and second-last in passing yards.

The team finished the season with a 3-15 record, missing the playoffs for the second straight year.

"We didn't really know if we had an honest chance, week-to-week," Robertson said. "You believe going into the game, and you believe in your teammates, but when you look at things on paper, you just wondered if we kind of knew what we were doing."

Murphy agreed.

"There was just no hope," he said. "I mean, you're a professional and you go out and you try to win, but in the back of your mind, you know what you have to work with, as far as the coaching staff."

Andrus was fired in December, and the team officially announced it had hired Jim Barker two months later. The long-time CFL executive -- and former Argos head coach -- spent the rest of the winter rebuilding the team.

"You find out about people, truly, when things are not so good," Barker said. "So when that happens, we'll deal with it. But at this point, our players are just refusing to get to that point -- they're doing whatever they have to do."

That Argos used to embrace that approach under former head coach Michael (Pinball) Clemons, especially with the defence under former co-ordinator Rich Stubler. And the return of that feeling, even this early in the season, is more than a little comforting to the veterans who endured the trials of last season.

"We were all competitors, but maybe guys weren't expecting to win last year -- we were hoping to win," veteran defensive back Jordan Younger said. "We'd go out there and give a great effort, hoping that we'd come out on top. But I feel like, this year ... we expect to win."