ALOUETTES STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A NEW TEAM UNDER JONES
For the first time in a long time, the Alouettes are giving their fans something to cheer about.
They’re also feeling pretty good about themselves — and with good reason — following Saturday afternoon’s impressive 36-19 win over Ottawa at TD Place that improved their record to 2-2 and moved them into a tie for second place in the East Division with the Redblacks.
It was a pretty wild scene in the Alouettes locker-room after the game as Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust blared over the speakers and players ran around screaming, hugging and exchanging high fives. Head coach Khari Jones was standing outside the room soaking it all in and it was music to his ears.
“I love it,” Jones said with a big smile. “This is my favourite thing is after the game seeing those guys excited in the locker-room. That’s why you coach, that’s why you play, just being a part of that. That’s why we work as hard as we do during the week, so the guys can enjoy it and have a good bus ride home. It’s a good feeling and I want them to enjoy it. They work hard for it. So enjoy it and get it out of your system and then come back to work the next week.”
The Alouettes will play the Edmonton Eskimos next Saturday at Molson Stadium (4 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN 690 Radio) and Jones hopes Montreal fans are starting to realize this is a different team than the one that missed the playoffs in each of the last four seasons.
It’s also starting to look like the Alouettes could have new owners in brothers Peter and Jeffrey Lenkov by the end of the month.
“I think we’re a pretty exciting ball club,” Jones said.
After an 0-2 start, the Alouettes have now beaten the firstplace Hamilton Tiger-cats and the Redblacks back-to-back.
You have to wonder how much better the Alouettes might be if Jones was named head coach before training camp started, instead of after it ended, replacing Mike Sherman on an interim basis.
“This whole team, we’re just gelling together,” quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. said after completing 23 of 30 passes for 327 yards with two TDS and no interceptions. “Guys aren’t giving up, guys aren’t pointing fingers this year. This is a different feeling in this room and we love it.
“He’s been a player in this league,” Adams added about Jones. “He knows the game. He’s a player’s coach. Guys can go up to him and give their suggestions and talk to him without being scared. It’s great.”
After playing a conservative game offensively in the first half, which ended tied 9-9, the Alouettes opened things up for the second straight week in the second half, outscoring the Redblacks 27-10. After running for 203 yards in last week’s
36-29 win over the Tiger-cats, Will Stanback carried the ball 18 times for 100 yards against the Redblacks.
“I did run for 100 today?” Stanback said after the game. “I didn’t know that. That’s great … it’s a great accomplishment. I just want to continue to build off that and continue to have my guys behind me and be behind them.”
Stanback and the Alouettes got a scare in the fourth quarter when he went down with a hip injury. He went to the locker-room for treatment and then returned to finish the game, saying afterward he will be fine for next week.
The big running back said the Alouettes’ team chemistry has totally changed since last season.
“I feel like last year a lot of guys were in dark corners and everyone had their own cliques,” Stanback said. “But now everyone hangs out together as a whole and that’s the biggest thing that I’ve seen that’s different.
“We’re also really close with our coaches. Me, personally, with (running backs) coach (André) Bolduc, he’s helped my confidence rise through the roof. That’s helping me. But I have a lot more learning to do and a lot more room for improvement. Khari is a player’s coach and he’s somebody that you can talk to on a different level — on the field or off the field. That’s why I appreciate him.”
It’s obvious the players really like Jones. After four games in his new job and back-to-back wins, does he feel now like this is his team?
“I feel good ... that’s for other people (to decide),” Jones said. “When they named me the head coach, I felt like I was the head coach. Now, it was just about putting the players in the best position to make plays and helping the coaches out and just doing whatever’s necessary to get this team going on the right track. I feel good so far about what’s gone on, but there’s a long season to go.”
Yes, there are still 14 games left, but there’s now reason for hope when it comes to the Alouettes.
That’s worth cheering about.