Arceneaux’s outburst has Als’ attention
Montreal will find out Thursday which team deserves respect
It was, in retrospect, an odd diatribe at the time, coming in the moments following an Alouettes victory at BC Place — a stadium in which Montreal had not won since 2000.
“Montreal isn’t good. They’re not talented whatsoever. I don’t respect nobody on their side of the ball,” Lions’ veteran receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux told a Vancouver radio station two weeks ago — not only after the Als had convincingly defeated his team by 10 points, but after he also basically made no attempt to catch a pass late in the game from Travis Lulay that resulted in an interception by Dominique Ellis.
Ellis dove for the ball. Arceneaux did not. It was a play duly noted at the time by head coach Jeff Tedford.
If Arceneaux’s statement has been festering inside the Als’ dressing room, Montreal players will have an opportunity to exact revenge Thursday night, when the teams meet again at Molson Stadium. The Als have a 4-5 record, having won two consecutive games, but had lost five of seven before the teams met at Vancouver. The Lions (3-5) have lost two straight and are coming off a bye week in the schedule.
“I heard that we were not respected. There’s a guy there that said he doesn’t respect us. He said we have no talent,” said linebacker Kyries Hebert, among the most vocal Montreal players when Arceneaux’s name was raised this week. “Hopefully he gets to take a trip across the middle and I can introduce myself to him. And hopefully some respect’s earned. I don’t want it to be given.
“He knows who he is,” Hebert continued. “I really don’t want to put a lot of focus on it but, like I said, respect’s earned. If we haven’t earned it yet by what we did in B.C., then we have another opportunity. And we’ll take advantage of that opportunity.”
While Hebert, thankfully for a print journalist, was foaming at the mouth, he seemed to be in the minority. Of course, who knows what’s being discussed behind closed doors about Arceneaux’s statement?
Als receiver Nik Lewis, one of the Canadian Football League’s mostrenowned trash talkers, said he understands the root of Arceneaux’s philosophy, suggesting the player simply is attempting to motivate his teammates.
“He can say we suck. He can say we’re not good. We just have to prove it on game day. The fact you say you don’t respect somebody is ridiculous,” Lewis said. "He’s trying to pump his team up. He’s trying to get them going. Sometimes you have to go with that mentality.
“I think he meant they’re going to show us no respect. It’s all fun and games. If I was in their shoes, I’d be doing the same thing.”
Als cornerback Jonathan Hefney, another player who was vocal in his early days but has toned down — somewhat — his routine, said Arceneaux simply provided the players with more motivation.
“If that’s how he feels about us,” safety Marc-Olivier Brouillette said, "I’m not too concerned with his comments. We’re just out there to play.
“Was he correct? You tell me. I guess we’ll find out (Thursday). It doesn’t matter who it is who crosses the middle, I’m going to lay them out. But I’m not the type of guy who’s going to say anything,” said Brouillette, who has a degree in law.
A lawyer who doesn’t like to hear himself speak. Imagine that.
Note: The Lions have revamped their lineup from two weeks ago. Among their changes was the signing of former Als running-back Chris Rainey. He has been activated against Montreal to return punts.