IT’S OFFICIAL: NO PLAYOFFS
Awful season flatlines
The inevitable end came Monday afternoon. At least it occurred at home, in familiar surroundings, while family and friends sat at the bedside of the patient.
It was, somewhat tragically, the perfect setting for a funeral; it rained throughout most of the day at Molson Stadium, and while the air was warm for this time of year, a bitter wind from the south made it seem colder.
The patient, of course, has been on life support most of the season — this now infamous Alouettes eight-game losing streak began Aug. 19, at Toronto. History will note the official time of death came at 4:54 p.m., when the final gun was fired; Montreal’s 42-24 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos officially eliminating the team from Canadian Football League playoff contention for a third consecutive season, something that hasn’t happened to this franchise in nearly 50 years.
The attendance was listed as 18,849, but only a fraction of that total came to brave the elements. And at the end, the only one crying over the corpse was John Bowman, who was seen in tears on the sideline as the patient gasped for its final breath.
He claimed his contacts were dry. He was lying, of course. The 35-year-old has spent his entire 12-year career with Montreal and almost certainly will retire at season’s end. Unless he’s dealt by Wednesday afternoon at the league’s trade deadline, his career will end in disappointment.
“It feel like s---. I really just wanted to make the playoffs. That was my goal coming into the year,” he said. “I wanted to give this team an opportunity to hoist the Cup again. I’m just going to finish off my last three games and we’ll see.”
The Als’ record is now 3-12, not that it matters. This team never deserved to make the playoffs, even in the lousy East Division. Instead, they’ve become the punchline to every bad joke, just as they’ve become the antidote for every struggling CFL team. Edmonton, now 8-6, had lost six straight, but took advantage of the free space on the bingo card to solidify its playoff position in the West Division.
“In a nine-team league, you never want to be down like this,” Bowman said. “Every team has had a down period. The great teams now were once down. I came into the league and Calgary sucked ... Winnipeg went through a bad six- or seven-year period. Toronto ... Hamilton was winning two games a year.
“It just sucks for me that, at the end of my timeline, that it’s our turn.”
The Als briefly showed some signs of life on this day, taking a 15-0 lead in the first quarter before the wheels started falling off. They made some plays; Nicolas Boulay blocked a punt, while Brandon Stewart recovered a fumble, returning it 55 yards for a touchdown.
But the defence, as has been the case since coordinator Noel Thorpe was fired last month, imploded again.
They had no answer for Brandon Zylstra, who caught seven passes for 201 yards and scored once. Tailback C.J. Gable, playing his first game since his trade from Hamilton, gained 111 yards on 22 carries, finding the end zone twice.
Boundary cornerback Jonathon Mincy, Montreal’s best defensive-back, was a late scratch with an injury. The
Als started two Canadians — Tevaughn Campbell and Michael Carter — on the corners and both were exploited.
And then, of course, the Als’ offence self-destructed, as usual. Drew Willy threw two fourthquarter interceptions. But the first was tipped at the line of scrimmage. On the second, the ball popped out of Ernest Jackson’s hands — as it has so frequently this season — directly to Chris Edwards, who returned it 68 yards for a touchdown when Montreal trailed by only two points.
It personified everything that has gone wrong for this team in general, and Jackson in particular.
“Those are the things that have plagued us all year. Teams didn’t beat us. We were doing things to beat ourselves. Once again in a close game we did things to beat ourselves,” said general manager and interim head coach Kavis Reed. “When you self-destruct ... it’s very disappointing.
“In a thousand years we wouldn’t have expected coming into the season at this juncture we’d be out of the post-season.”
Although he was credited with a questionable fourth-quarter fumble, Tyrell Sutton acquitted himself well, gaining 139 yards on 14 carries while scoring the Als’ opening touchdown.
Montreal should have continued giving him the ball, ad infinitum.
“It’s uncharted territory. I feel like I haven’t done enough,” Sutton said. “I’m trying to put the team on my back, do everything I can. We all are. It’s not translating. I don’t know (why).
“I feel bad for the old heads ... especially Bowman on his way out. It hurts. I feel so bad for him. He’s poured his heart and soul into this organization.”
The Als are now 0-4 since Reed replaced head coach Jacques Chapdelaine and Greg Quick took over Thorpe’s defence. Draw your own conclusions. But Hamilton made a coaching change when it was 0-8 and has won four of six under June Jones.
The only thing that’s certain is the future starts now for the Als, who could make a flurry of deals by Wednesday, eradicating the dead wood on this team. There’s plenty of it.
“That’s our responsibility, to look at how we can improve this team,” Reed said. “We have to look at every aspect.”
I really just wanted to make the playoffs. That was my goal ... I wanted to give this team an opportunity to hoist the Cup again.