Als coach, players stand by struggling QB Adams

At a time of need, we turn to those closest to us. For struggling Alouettes quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., that means his mother, wife — a mental-health therapist — even his agent.

And, of course, Als head coach Khari Jones, who endured his share of trials and tribulations on his way to a stellar CFL career.

“I've talked to all of them, people around the league ... teammates,” Adams said Monday, following practice. “Everyone's saying the same thing. I'm letting all the outside noise get to me ... thinking I have to be somebody else. I wasn't somebody else to earn this spot I'm in right now.

“Get the playmakers the ball, don't do too much, don't be Superman,” he added. “Do what's called.”

The Als are coming off a 27-10 loss to Hamilton last Friday. It marked the team's second consecutive defeat and, while the setback doesn't rest solely on Adams, he didn't play well. Again. He completed 16 of 31 passes for 171 yards and one touchdown.

But a critical fourth-quarter interception against him, on an ill-advised play when Montreal trailed 1310, eventually resulted in a Tiger-cats touchdown and killed any momentum the Als were trying to discover.

Adams continues working through issues with his timing, accuracy and footwork. By his own admission he needs to slow down the game, trust his reads more and not feel like he must carry the weight of a team on his shoulders.

“I've just got to be better,” he admitted. “I'm so upset because I worked so hard these last two years. I know how much time me and my guys put in. If I was just playing a little bit better, it would help this team out a lot more. It's me. I've got to get it right.”

If anyone can get Adams out of his funk, it's Jones, who was in his fifth CFL season, and seventh as a pro, before tasting success with Winnipeg, being named the league's most outstanding player and leading the Blue Bombers to a Grey Cup berth in 2001. The two have talked extensively since Friday.

“I saw what most people saw,” Jones said. “He was off his game. But I saw a lot of good things in practice last week that led me to believe it's going to happen. He'll return to being the Vernon we know. It's taking a bit of time, but I'm not too worried about it. He's going to come out of it. I truly believe that.”

Jones intimated the offensive coaches might simplify the playbook for Friday's game, at Ottawa, putting more high-percentage passes and plays into the script.

Adams had a 10-5 record as a starter in 2019, never losing two successive games. Nobody in the organization believes his performance was an anomaly. His teammates have his back, remain in his corner and believe it's only a matter of time before the leader of this team emerges again.

“At the end of the day I trust V.A.,” receiver Eugene Lewis said. “I'm going with V.A. to the end.”