Aug
Als offence stuck in neutral
Courtesy Montreal Gazette:
They looked incredibly impressive during the first three games, when they were averaging 44 points. But lately, the Alouettes’ offence has been nothing but offensive, being held to three touchdowns in two games.
That has led offensive co-ordinator Scott Milanovich to admit the team must improve its production. And Milanovich vowed the Als will.
“There certainly is a level of concern,” Milanovich said. “We understand why we
didn’t score.”
Two games ago against Hamilton, quarterback Anthony Calvillo passed for more than 400 yards. Although it appeared the Als were moving up and down the field at will, they scored only 21 points and two touchdowns against the Tiger-Cats, yet won.
But last Thursday at
Edmonton, it was an entirely different scenario as the
Eskimos handed the Als their first defeat this season.
Montreal scored only one touchdown, which didn’t come until well into the fourth quarter, and 19 points overall.
It seemed the Als were unable to go downfield against Edmonton, relying on frequent short passes underneath. At the same time, the Eskimos did a superb job of tackling, which led to minimal yards after the catch.
The Eskimos played more zone defence than the Als
anticipated. But, although
Edmonton made this adjustment, Montreal coaches appeared unable to come up with a counter move. And the Als’ staff had two more days to prepare than did Edmonton’s coaches.
“You can look back and say we scored 19 points. Something wasn’t fixed enough,” Milanovich said. “We’ve got to show ways to do better. It looked like we were dinking and dunking when they played zone. But against Hamilton, we ran three deep passing plays in a row. It’s based on coverage.
“We certainly want to push the ball downfield. We’ve had shots and we’ll continue to.”
There are twàq‡atistics the Als should be concerned about. Their 18 field goals is the most in the Canadian Football League, but isn’t one the team should be proud of. At the same time, the Als have scored touchdowns on only eight of 18 drives in the red zone, inside the 25-yard line.
“We all say we want to be 100 per cent,” Milanovich said. “We certainly have to be higher than that (ratio). Our problems in the red zone have been minimal. We know what they are. We’ll get them fixed and you’ll see us get better.”
Running back Avon Cobourne, who could have been utilized more against the Eskimos – he was limited to 11 carries, gaining 58 yards – said the problem was a lack of execution. A player would slip, go the wrong way or miss a block, he explained.
“We started off fast. We just didn’t score touchdowns,” Cobourne said. “They were the better team that day, short week or not. But we still feel we’re the better team in general.
“We are also the team with the best record,” he added. “As long as we get the win, it doesn’t matter if we’re kicking field goals. It just solidifies our kicker.”
Slotback Ben Cahoon said he and his offensive teammates get upset each time they don’t convert drives into the end zone, but denied there’s any reason to panic. Cahoon said the Als haven’t become predictable.
“I think we have a multi-dimensional offence,” he said. “I don’t think any defence can expect a short passing game exclusively. Teams haven’t caught up to us. We’ve got a new offence every week. It’s very hard for teams to get our tendencies … when we have to work daily to try and figure out what we’re doing.
“We discovered we’re not good enough to play mediocre and get the win.”
Head coach Marc Trestman, to his credit, blamed himself for electing to kick a 31-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter instead of gambling on third and seven. The kick pulled the Als to within seven, but Damon
Duval’s ensuing kickoff travelled only 30 yards. The Eskimos scrimmaged from their 46. Three plays later, Fred Stamps beat Jerald Brown on a 48-yard touchdown pass.
“I think we played hard, but without energy and an edge, like earlier on the road,” Trestman said. “But the guys never quit.
“We’ve been focusing on details and fundamentals. We’re like a great hitter in a slump. The difference between one and eight in this league is very minimal. We’ve got to play with an edge and hard all the time.”
Notes – Linebacker Diamond Ferri is questionable this week, against Toronto, with an ankle injury. … Cahoon’s nursing a foot injury but should play. … Rookie special teams member Mike Giffin is out two to four weeks with a hamstring injury. He’ll be replaced on the roster by receiver Eric Deslauriers, who had his own hamstring issue.
