Glenn points the way forward for Alouettes
Veteran QB returns to the lineup as Als take on Argos at BMO Field
We get it. Kevin Glenn’s mortal. He can’t walk on water. Cut him, and he bleeds. He played well against Winnipeg. Not as well against Ottawa. But the veteran quarterback’s the best hope the Alouettes have at winning, for now.
“I don’t think one guy makes a difference. This is the ultimate team sport,” Glenn said, although he realizes he’ll be looked upon as the saviour.
“It’s always like that for a quarterback. When it goes right, it’s your fault — and if it goes wrong, it’s your fault. That’s the nature of the position.”
Glenn returns to the lineup Monday night (7:30 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN Radio-690), when the Als attempt to end a two-game losing streak against the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field. The Argos are 2-2, although they’ve lost both games played at their new facility after being forced by baseball’s Blue Jays to vacate the Rogers Centre.
Glenn missed a July 15 loss against Hamilton due to inflammation in his left eye. Without him, second-year pivot Rakeem Cato failed to produce a touchdown. But even with Glenn, the Als still have scored only three majors.
“It uplifts you in this sport to flush (bad performances) down the toilet. You have to have a short memory,” Glenn said. “You fight for the future and what’s ahead. What’s ahead is a lot more football. We have to be optimistic and excited to play more football — and good football.
“There’s only one way we can go — that’s up.”
The Als are about to enter a critical stretch of their season. After having a long break since losing to the Tiger-Cats, they’re preparing for two games this week and three over an 11-day stretch. They’re already behind Ottawa by five points and Hamilton by four — and they’ve already lost to both teams. A victory over the Argos would leave the teams tied, with Montreal enjoying a game in hand.
At the same time, issues on and off the field make it appear the Als are in disarray, one of the Canadian Football League’s most dysfunctional franchises. Again. As if a 6-12 non-playoff season in 2015, when they again struggled offensively, wasn’t bad enough.
“We’re paid to play, and we’re paid to win. We have to find a way to do it, by any means necessary,” said veteran offensive-tackle Jeff Perrett. “I don’t want to say it’s a make-it-or-break-it week — but it’s probably a make-it-or-breakit week.”
Many of his teammates don’t necessarily agree. Or they’re simply sugar-coating a scenario that appears bleak.
“If the playoffs started tomorrow, then I guess we’d be out. But they don’t, so we’re fine,” rush-end John Bowman said. “We have 15 more games. I don’t know why everybody’s bringing this up.
“Everybody’s hyping it up. Everybody’s making it seem like the downfall of Montreal. We’re 1-2. Edmonton’s (the defending Grey Cup champions) 2-2. There’s a lot of teams not living up to (expectations). We have to win games. Hopefully, we’ll find (the formula) sooner rather than later. But we’re not desperate. If we start playing desperate, I don’t think that’s good.”
While he’s not necessarily desperate, Glenn said he believes the mood of the team is anxious — anxious to atone for some bad football recently. He feels it in the dressing room and said he saw evidence of it at practice. He believes players have become more accountable and are beginning to look at themselves in the mirror.
“We have to do that. You have to win to stay here. It’s like you’re at a job interview daily,” he said. “If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. You don’t want to stay stagnant in this profession.
“There’s only one way we can go — up. The mentality at this particular point is we’re going up. You prepare to be successful.”
Issues? There are plenty more the Als must attempt to overcome. Montreal quarterbacks were sacked eight times by Hamilton. And the Als were one of the league’s most-penalized teams heading into this week’s games, having taken 40 infractions through three matches.
The Als knew there would be some growing pains up front this season, with some players out of position combined with youth and inexperience on the offensive line. This game might help determine whether the last performance was an aberration or part of a more serious trend.
As for the penalties, it has been discussed — ad nauseam — by general manager and head coach Jim Popp. Somehow, the message appears to be lost in translation.
“We all know the penalties are there, and it hurts your field position, especially when a big play’s called back,” Popp said. “And especially when you lose. It’s really affected our team.
“You’re going to have penalties, and you’ll do everything you can to eliminate it. We’ll talk about it over and over. At the end of the day, it’s having penalties at the right or wrong time. We have to clean that up.”
The Als will have at least one roster change against Toronto. Quarterback Vernon Adams, who replaced Cato in the fourth quarter against Hamilton, suffered a concussion in Friday’s practice. Management has stated that Adams, a rookie, has supplanted Brandon Bridge on the depth chart. Adams is on the one-game injured list.