The Montreal Alouettes have done everything right the last few seasons and seem to have dominated the east for the past 10 years. Even with an aging Anthony Calvio the Als seem poised and ready to be in another Grey Cup battle.

I think that Montreal will have a great season but with the long and cold fall ahead of them I don’t think they will have the depth required to repeat as CFL champs.

Prediction

13-6 and lose the East Final to Hamilton.

Players to Watch

Offence

Anthony Calvio the future Hall of Famer may or may not have a few good seasons left in him if he can remain healthy I see him leading the Als to another big year offensively.

Defence

Chip Cox lead the Als with 80 tackles in 2010 and shows no sign of slowing down. The veteran Linebacker will look to lead this Defense to the promised land again in 2011.

Courtesy Globe and Mail:

They’ve rolled to a 9-2 record on the season and bestride the CFL, but the Montreal Alouettes can’t quite bring themselves to be content.

There are niggling problems with offensive consistency, and their league-leading defence has shown occasional signs of fraying.

Which may explain the attitude heading into the final stretch of seven eminently winnable games in which the Als will play four against the lowly Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts, two against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and once at home against the defending Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders.

“Every game is like a playoff game at this time of year we need to win, pure and simple,” veteran centre Bryan Chiu said yesterday.

And after last year’s Grey Cup fizzle, there’s an ever sharper focus on the details of successful football in the Alouettes’ fold.

“We have a head coach [Marc Trestman] who reminds us daily of that. It’s a great thing, he just refuses to let the little things slide, he’s on you, correcting the mistakes. … We’ve always been held to a high standard, maybe the difference this year is that as players we expect more from ourselves,” Chiu said.

The Als travel to Hamilton for tomorrow’s game knowing a victory over the Tiger-Cats (6-5) would effectively clinch the East Division championship.

Though a loss wouldn’t be catastrophic, given their commanding lead in the standings, it’s not something the Als are especially inclined to contemplate.

“If we win, it will certainly be an advantage, but if we lose, it will be a dogfight to the end,” quarterback Anthony Calvillo said.

The Alouettes are also mindful of the perils of playing at Ivor Wynne Stadium in the fall. Last year they were 9-4, and had won seven of eight when Ticats quarterback Quinton Porter smoked them for 429 yards and five touchdown passes, leading his team to a 44-38 triumph in Hamilton.

The loss was a harbinger of sorts for the Als, who limped to a 4-3 mark to close out the regular season, and had their failings laid bare in the CFL championship game in front of a home crowd at Olympic Stadium.

And this year, the Ticats have proven a tough nut to crack at home, piling up a 5-1 record – last week, they surprised the Stampeders 24-17.

“We know it’s going to be noisy, it’s going to be a playoff environment,” Trestman said, before adding his team’s main challenge will be coping with Hamilton’s “vicious defence” and containing Porter and running back DeAndra’ Cobb.

The Alouettes are unbeaten against East opponents this season (they’ve outscored the division 118-34 in four games) but are coming off a short week of preparation.

But any suggestion the Alouettes will have difficulty maintaining focus as they cast a sidelong glance at their remaining regular-season schedule invites a swift rebuff.

“We understand that we’re not functioning at 100 per cent, we know there’s plenty of room for improvement, and we have to do the job, starting this week,” Chiu said.

That’s an unsettling prospect for the rest of the CFL.

Read more….

Courtesy Montreal Gazette:

Montreal ­ In his first season as a starter on the Alouettes’ defence, Shea Emry quickly is gaining a reputation as one of the Canadian Football League’s fiercest hitters.

“So be it,” said the native of Richmond, B.C. “I’m a middle linebacker.”

Two months ago, Emry knocked Hamilton quarterback Quinton Porter out of a game for one series. And last Sunday, Emry ended Winnipeg slotback Terrence Edwards’s day in the fourth quarter with a vicious hit while Edwards was running a crossing route.

On Monday, Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly

accused Emry of catching

Edwards with a “right hook from Mike Tyson,” and later that night, on his weekly radio show, Kelly said he would be sending a video of the incident to league officials in Toronto.

A league spokesperson yesterday confirmed as much. The CFL’s football operations department reviews each game after the weekend,

including any hits or plays that might warrant discipline – including Emry’s hit.

But the 6-foot, 235-pound Emry said he was simply attempting to push Edwards off his route while the receiver looked back at quarterback Michael Bishop. Emry said he put his hands out – nothing more. But Edwards appeared to be knocked out and was slow to regain his feet. Kelly has said he might not play this weekend against Toronto.

The supposed right hook, Emry said, “is a metaphor to explain what happened. It’s football. People get caught. It has happened to me before. I don’t think I hit him that hard. I just tried to push him off his route path.

“It was one of those things that happens in football. There was no intent to injure. You want to be as physical as you can, but you want them to walk off the field as well. Whatever happens, happens. But I’ve got a game this week.”

The Als will practise for the first, and only, time this week today before travelling to Hamilton for a game against the Tiger-Cats Friday night. The Als lead the East Division with a 9-2 record. The Ticats, who won only three games last season, are 6-5 and seem destined to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2004. But if they have any chance of catching Montreal, a victory this week is crucial as the Als have defeated Hamilton once this season.

“This game has big-time implications,” slotback Ben Cahoon said.

Cahoon is one of a handful of players who will be seeking more consistency from an offence that has seemingly struggled of late after appearing virtually unstoppable in July.

Although the Als scored 33 points against Winnipeg last weekend, most of the damage was produced by Damon Duval, who kicked five field goals and was named the league’s special-teams player of the week. Montreal was held to two touchdowns by a Bombers defence that surrendered

55 points the week before.

Other than the game-ending drive that finished with the Als running out the clock at the Winnipeg 2-yard line and showing mercy, Montreal had five scoring opportunities inside the Bombers’ 20. In the fourth quarter, after a Jerald Brown interception, the Als failed to score from the Winnipeg 6. Anthony Calvillo attempted two passes to Jamel Richardson rather than try to run it into the end zone with Avon Cobourne.

The Als’ record and the superb play of their defence masks what appears to be an obvious problem – one that might catch up to this team. Remember last year’s Grey Cup, in which Calgary held the Als to 14 points and only one touchdown?

“We need to do a better job of sustaining drives and putting together long drives,” Cahoon said. “I’m not satisfied with the ball we’re playing.

“But the great thing is this is a team sport. It doesn’t matter if one element or phase struggles as long as the others pick up the slack. Our defence has won several games. That’s wonderful. They deserve accolades. Offensively, I don’t think it matters. We’re on the road to constant improvement.

“Where we are is meaningless. The goal and direction’s for perfection,” Cahoon said.

Read more….

Courtesy Montreal Gazette:

Ricky Santos was superb in college, but his professional career had reached a dead end with the Alouettes; a fourth-string quarterback not about to play behind Anthony Calvillo, Adrian McPherson and Chris Leak.

But now, following his trade to Winnipeg, Santos gets a new lease on life. In exchange for Santos, as first reported in The Gazette, the Als receive a pair of Canadian defensive ends – Riall Johnson and Shawn Mayne; the latter, a Montreal native.

On the surface, it appears the Bombers were fleeced by Als management. “From our standpoint, we felt a need this was something we had to do,” assistant general manager Marcel Desjardins said.

“I can’t speculate on the Bombers, except that they must need a quarterback,” he added. “We’ve added two Canadians, which obviously was an area of concern. This gives us a lot more flexibility to do things.”

The Als have been devastated by injuries to their non-imports, especially those who play on special teams, although they appear set on the defensive line, which is manned by rush-ends Anwar Stewart, John Bowman and Jermaine McElveen, all Americans. Both Johnson and Mayne have played on special teams.

Johnson, 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, was acquired by Winnipeg in a trade from Toronto last February. The five-year Canadian Football League veteran enjoyed his best season in 2007, with 10 quarterback sacks for the Argonauts. Johnson was a sixth-round draft choice by Cincinnati in 2001 and spent three seasons with the Bengals.

He’s eligible for free agency this February and was unlikely to re-sign with the Bombers. Coincidentally, he told several Montreal players before Sunday’s game – a 33-14 Winnipeg defeat at Molson Stadium – he was anticipating a trade. Johnson had two tackles in the game.

Mayne, 6-foot-3 and 248 pounds, has been predominantly a backup with the Bombers in four seasons although he dressed on Sunday and contributed three tackles.

Both players became available after Winnipeg acquired defensive-lineman Odell Willis from Calgary in a multi-player deal following Sunday’s defeat.

Although the Als now take on two contracts, Desjardins denied they’ll have issues with the $4.2-million salary cap. Santos has spent the season on the nine-game injured list, although he’s eligible to come off this week. His salary hasn’t counted against the cap.

“We invested a lot of time and money developing a quarterback,” Desjardins explained. “We weren’t looking to get rid of an asset. We have nearly a half-season to adjust and we’ll be fine, cap-wise.”

Santos set school records at New Hampshire for passing yards and touchdowns, with 13,212 and 123, respectively. But he never played a regular-season down for Montreal in two seasons and undoubtedly was growing frustrated.

“Every athlete’s a confident guy, but you can’t go wrong playing any of those other guys,” he said. “I was the odd man out, although they kept me around for a year and a half. But it was extremely frustrating not playing or dressing. I’m extremely happy to be getting this opportunity.”

Note – Bombers head coach Mike Kelly is considering sending a tape to the CFL of Shea Emry’s fourth-quarter hit on Terrence Edwards, which knocked the slotback out of the game. “He pretty much caught a right hook from Mike Tyson,” Kelly told the Winnipeg Free Press.

Read more….

Courtesy Montreal Gazette:

The Alouettes continue being powered by their defence while their offence performs sporadically and searches for an identity.

Montreal allowed an early Winnipeg touchdown Sunday afternoon at Molson Stadium, and then kept the Blue Bombers off the scoreboard until early in the fourth quarter. The result was a methodical 33-14 victory before the usual capacity crowd of 20,202.

The Als remain undefeated at home in six games this season and improved their East Division-leading record to 9-2 heading into Friday night’s game at Hamilton against the 6-5 Tiger-Cats, the only divisional rival within breathing range of Montreal.

The Bombers, meanwhile, are now 3-8 and lost for the 15th time in 19 games at Montreal.

Winnipeg running back Fred Reid opened the scoring with a four-yard touchdown run barely more than six minutes into the game. The score came following a 33-yard pass to newcomer Dudley Guice. But otherwise Reid, who required 92 yards to reach 1,000 for the season, proved to be a non-factor.

The Als started slowly on offence. Damon Duval kicked a 64-yard punt single at 8:47 of the first quarter and then added a 27-yard field goal after John Bowman sacked quarterback Michael Bishop and recovered the fumble.

Montreal finally scored its first touchdown near the end of the opening quarter, marching 67 yards on four plays, capped by a 20-yard pass from Anthony Calvillo to Avon Cobourne at 14:43.

The Als scored their second touchdown just before halftime on a one-yard run by Cobourne following a 21-yard pass to Ben Cahoon. Cahoon, limited to one catch in each of the last two games, was more productive against the Bombers. His reception, on the Als’ first offensive play, marked the 120th consecutive game in which the veteran slotback has caught a pass, moving ahead of Craig Ellis into third place.

Montreal, however, couldn’t find the end zone again – not even after a Jerald Brown interception and long return gave the team a first down at the Bombers’ 6-yard line.

Instead, the rest of the afternoon belonged to Duval. He kicked three more field goals, giving him five for the day. He connected from 33, 15 and 13 yards out. He also added another punt single. Mike Renaud conceded a safety for the other Montreal points.

Bishop was replaced by Casey Bramlet late in the opening half. Bramlet, a former Cincinnati Bengals draft choice, became the fifth pivot to play for the Bombers this season. His second pass in the CFL, however, was intercepted by Billy Parker.

Bishop returned early in the fourth quarter, only to be intercepted twice. He nonetheless engineered one scoring drive, connecting with Adarius Bowman for a 55-yard pass-and-run touchdown at 1:12 of the final quarter. Bowman broke several tackles on the play.

Bombers receiver Terrence Edwards, a former Alouette, left the game in the fourth quarter after a violent collision with middle linebacker Shea Emry.

Read more…

Courtesy Montreal Gazette:

We’d like to tell you Ben Cahoon has lost a step – but the ageless Alouettes slotback never was the fastest guy on the field.

We’d like to suggest something juicy to help sell newspapers, such as a personal feud between Cahoon and quarterback Anthony Calvillo. But except for the fact Cahoon never allows Calvillo to beat him at golf – so we’re told – their relationship never has been better.

It’s not route running; Cahoon hasn’t lost that basic element after 12 Canadian Football League seasons. And it’s not like he’s dropping passes. We can’t even state defences are building their game plan around Cahoon. No, guys who are 5-foot-9 and 184 pounds and catch 10-yard routes never have been considered game-breakers.

It might just be a coincidence but, in each of Montreal’s last two games – both against British Columbia – Cahoon has been limited to one catch. He caught a 14-yarder in the second half at Vancouver and, late in the first quarter last Sunday, caught one of six yards.

The latter marked the 119th consecutive game in which Cahoon has made at least one catch, tying him with Craig Ellis for the league’s third-longest such streak.

“Sometimes, it’s nothing more than dumb luck,” Als offensive co- ordinator Scott Milanovich said. “Ben would be the first to tell you his number was called, but sometimes the coverages don’t work out. We haven’t changed anything. Ben’s still a clutch receiver.”

Calvillo couldn’t shed much light on the matter, either. The Als have many plays at their disposal from week to week, with an allotment designed for every receiver. But Calvillo’s reads, or the coverage provided, have taken him elsewhere.

“We play 18 games, and he’s still going to be part of our offence,” Calvillo said with confidence.

This is all relatively new for Cahoon, who is more accustomed to having clusters of reporters around him after big games. Since the streak began in August 2002, he has been held to one catch in nine games during a seven-year span, including the last two games.

“I prepare every week figuring ways to catch 10 balls,” Cahoon said after the Als conducted a light walk-through workout at Olympic Stadium. “If I have to figure out how to catch only one, I’m too old to be playing this game. And age,” the 37-year-old quickly added, “isn’t a factor.”

There are many variables, Cahoon said, that during a game. A play can be called for him and he doesn’t get open; the route against the defence being played isn’t conducive, or Calvillo is under pressure and must change things on the fly.

“Every single receiver on every team has balls not come his way,” Cahoon said. “I’m not getting concerned. There are a dozen factors that affect whether balls come your way.”

Lions head coach Wally Buono said he couldn’t understand the phenomenon, either – unless he’s being coy in case the teams should meet again in the postseason.

“Ben’s a very talented, possession receiver. Montreal utilizes him well,” Buono said. “Is he beat up? I can’t imagine he isn’t, a little. He plays in high traffic and runs short routes. He’s going to get some shots. But I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the next two games, he doesn’t have 20. Still, I can’t understand a guy who’s that productive having so little.”

Cahoon has 50 catches this season for 594 yards. Although he still has only one touchdown, it would be hard to imagine him not producing his eighth consecutive 1,000-yard season with eight games remaining.

“I’ve been in the arena with some great receivers. Once in a while, they hit a slump,” Als head coach Marc Trestman said. “His number’s been called quite a bit, as it always is.”

Notes – Special-teamer Joel Wright (knee) has been placed on the nine-game injured list, effectively ending his season. … Offensive-tackle Josh Bourke (knee) passed a strength test and can begin limited practising.

Read more….

Courtesy Montreal Gazette:

They couldn’t take this touchdown away from Avon Cobourne.

Cobourne’s 12-yard scoring run at 14:10 of the fourth quarter carried the Alouettes to a dramatic 28-24 come-from-behind victory against the British Columbia Lions Sunday afternoon before the usual capacity 20,202 Molson Stadium spectators.

Cobourne, of course, believed he scored last week, at Vancouver, in the fourth quarter. But his eight-yard run was denied by off-field officials who believed the clock had malfunctioned and order the down replayed. The Als protested, and while the CFL admitted its error, the protest was denied.

This time, there was no controversy. Cobourne’s winning touchdown came three plays following a 56-yard reception by Kerry Watkins put the Als into scoring position.

Montreal remains undefeated in five home games this season, improving its record to 8-2. The Lions slipped to 4-6. Had B.C. triumphed, it would have been the 232nd career victory for head coach Wally Buono. Instead, he remains tied for the lead with former Als coach Don Matthews.

Although the Als scored a trio of offensive touchdowns – something they were unable to accomplish last Friday, at Vancouver – they were hardly a slick and polished operation.

Calvillo’s first pass of the game was intercepted, by Dante Marsh. The Als also turned the ball over on downs in the same quarter.

Calvillo fumbled in the third quarter, after being hit by Aaron Hunt. The ball was recovered by Jeremy Gibbs. And Larry Taylor fumbled a punt in the fourth quarter.

Both fumbles were converted into touchdowns by the Lions.

Following a scoreless opening quarter during which both teams struggled, Calvillo led the Als on a five-play, 72-yard drive, culminating in a two-yard touchdown pass to Jamel Richardson at 8:53. The big play of the drive was a 33-yard reception by Kerry Watkins.

Damon Duval’s 19-yard field goal made it 10-0 at 12:45 of the second quarter and he gave the Als a 13-3 halftime lead with a 25-yard kick at the end of the half. In between, Sean Whyte kicked a 32-yard field goal for the Lions.

One play after Calvillo’s fumble, Jarious Jackson connected with former Alouette O’Neil Wilson for a 19-yard touchdown at 1:43 of the third quarter.

But the Als responded immediately, going 64 yards in seven plays. The drive culminated in Calvillo’s nine-yard touchdown run at 6:02, giving Montreal a 20-10 lead.

The Als seemingly were in control of the game at this juncture, only to suffer some brain cramps in the fourth quarter.

Two plays after Taylor’s fumble, Ryan Grice-Mullen scored on a one-yard end-around at 3:37. The Lions then went 67 yards in four plays, capped by Jackson’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Geroy Simon at 7:16. Davis Sanchez attempted an ill-advised interception on the play.

The Als entertain Winnipeg next Sunday.

Read more….

Courtesy Vancouver Province:

The Canadian Football League on Wednesday dismissed a protest from the Alouettes concerning an error made by officials in the fourth quarter of last Friday’s game against the B.C. Lions in Vancouver.

The Als were forced to run a play from the Lions’ eight-yard line three three times. Cobourne scored on one of the plays, but the league’s command centre, in conjunction with the stadium supervisor, paged the officials, believing the clock required re-setting.

Once the page was sent the play didn’t count, according to the league. The Als contended the play should stand, since it was run, and dispute any whistle sounded until after the score, which would have reduced their deficit to 19-18, before the convert.

In a statement, commissioner Mark Cohon agreed that “significant” errors occurred, but said that “a mistake, notwithstanding the severe effect it may have upon the outcome of a game, does not provide sufficient grounds for the commissioner to allow the protest and determine a remedy.”

Cohon added that no discipline of the officials is being considered, even though the referree exercised “a lack of judgment, under pressure.”

The Als entertain the Lions Sunday at Molson Stadium.

Read more…

Courtesy Montreal Gazette:

It appears Avon Cobourne’s late TD that was disallowed wasn’t the only transgression the Alouettes were forced to deal with last Friday against British Columbia.

On the game’s second play, after a 55-yard reception by Jamel Richardson, Kerry Watkins fumbled at the Lions’ 12. Anton McKenzie forced the fumble that was recovered by Korey Banks. But many of the Als contend McKenzie, a linebacker, had one foot out of bounds.

They believe the reception should have counted. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo argued in vain, while head coach Marc Trestman was advised the play wasn’t reviewable, meaning he couldn’t throw a challenge flag.

Any player forced out of bounds can re-enter the field. If not forced out, they can still re-enter, but they can’t make the first play on the ball or the carrier, which McKenzie did.

Watkins claimed McKenzie went out on his own, quickly adding: “I should do a better job of protecting the ball.”

Calvillo argued McKenzie couldn’t create the turnover. The response he got is one reason CFL officiating is often ridiculed.

“They determined they didn’t see it,” Calvillo said, shrugging. “We’re all human. There were mistakes we made on offence. The refs are going to make mistakes. It’s part of the CFL. The refereeing has improved 100 times from when

I entered the league.”

Trestman, in only his second CFL season, said he hopes to get more information from Tom Higgins, the league’s director of officiating.

“It’s a good lesson for our players; he (McKenzie) never stopped playing,” Trestman said. “We all saw what we saw, and A.C. was over there, arguing. We didn’t get the result (we had hoped for), but I’m not going to belabour it.”

Meanwhile, CFL chief operating officer Michael Copeland yesterday acknowledged that commissioner Mark Cohon received the Als’ written protest over Cobourne’s disallowed TD along with $5,000 – forfeited should Cohon reject the protest.

For a protest to be upheld, there must be evidence an official intentionally misinterpreted or misapplied a rule. That, on the surface, seems to indicate the Als won’t win the argument.

“I don’t think the league will reverse the decision,” Cobourne admitted. “If they do, great. What happens after that? Who knows? I’m just glad we’ve got upper management fighting for it.”

Late in the fourth, the Als were forced to run a play from the Lions’ 8-yard line three three times. Cobourne scored on one of the plays, but the league’s command centre, in conjunction with the stadium supervisor, paged the officials, believing the clock required re-setting.

Once the page was sent the play didn’t count, according to the league. The Als contend the play should stand, since it was run, and dispute any whistle sounded until after the score, which would have reduced their deficit to 19-18, before the convert.

Still, the players suggest the game never should have reached that pivotal juncture. Too many plays and scoring opportunities were left on the field by an offence that failed to score a touchdown.

The Als entertain the Lions Sunday at Molson Stadium

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