Alouettes seeking revenge
It’s sort of like getting a special dispensation to re-write that exam you botched in school.
Except, in this case, it’s the Montreal Alouettes who will get another opportunity to get it right.
The Calgary Stampeders will play host to the Als Saturday in the back end of their home-and-home series. The latter will need to make some subtle or perhaps not so subtle changes to come up with a different outcome; the Stamps, meanwhile, will hope for a similar ending to the 22-14 triumph last Friday.
Playing the same team on consecutive weeks is apparently an acquired taste.
“I honestly don’t like it,” said Kevin Glenn, who as expected will make his second consecutive start at quarterback for Calgary. “When we get the schedule in the off-season and we see the back-to-backs, we always say ‘who made up the schedule?’ But it’s always the same guys every year that make the schedule up.”
“Sometimes they do it for certain reasons, travel purposes, Toronto with the Blue Jays sharing fields. The only good thing is when it’s an eastern team and you’re a western team and you get them out of the way.’’
Both teams will undoubtedly look to change things up to some extent, the Als probably to the greater one. But fans may have forgotten that Calgary posted just a single major score in that game — a Nik Lewis touchdown — relying on the money foot of Rene Paredes for the bulk of their output.
“Even if you’re the winning team, you still have to make adjustments because they’ve had a chance to see you for two weeks straight,’’ Glenn explained. “The team that reacts to the other team’s adjustments usually comes out as the victorious team. We know they’re going to do some of the same things as last week, but they’ll probably have a different wrinkle here and there.’’
While the injured Drew Tate has yet to throw a meaningful ball this week, the veteran QB is ready for another stern test.
“I keep going back to (the point) I prepare as if I’m going to start every week,’’ shrugged Glenn. “After the second day, typically you know with the reps whether you’ll be starting. So I’ll get to start again.’’
Stamps’ linebacker Juwan Simpson is another who would like to give back-to-backs a pass.
“Personally, I don’t like it,’’ he said. “It’s one thing to do it at Labour Day … it’s kind of rough. You just have to prepare each game like it’s your first time playing them and just move on with it.
“There’s not a chance we think we’re going to face the same Montreal team that we did in Montreal, there’s not a chance. They have a good coaching staff, they have veterans on offence, playmakers. It’s going to be another close game. We understand that; we’re not coming in feeling like, hey, it’s going to be an easy win just because we won last week. Last week was out of our minds last week.’’
Running back Jon Cornish, on the other hand, is a fan.
“I like it because whatever they did last week they can only do a slight difference the next week,’’ offered Cornish, who romped for 90 yards in the first meeting. “I’m sure they’ll have to figure out something with their offence to get a few more points on the board. Defensively, I look forward to seeing what changes they do have because football is all about change. You can’t be the same team that you were at the start of the year at the end of the year.
“Their defensive scheme has some strengths and us getting the opportunity to play against them last week has given us an idea what their strengths and weaknesses are. Hopefully we can exploit some of those weaknesses.’’