Inconsistent Alouettes deal with ‘growing pains’
First place on the line against Argos coming off nightmare in Winnipeg
Professional football teams generally enter the bye week of their schedules expecting to lose ground in the standings. But in the crazy Canadian Football League, and the weak East Division, that didn’t happen to the Alouettes.
More than a week has passed since the Als somehow managed to squander a 12-point lead in the final 100 seconds at Winnipeg. Montreal players walked off the field that night two points behind the Toronto Argonauts, a point up on the Ottawa Redblacks and four ahead of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
And that’s exactly where the Als remain today, the Argos and Ticats each having lost twice in the interval and the defending Grey Cup champion Redblacks suffering their fifth defeat by four points or less.
Coaches like to divide the 18game regular season into six-game segments, and hope their team is peaking as it enters the playoffs. Montreal’s record is 2-4, which isn’t great. But the Alouettes trail Toronto (3-4) by two points with a game in hand entering a critical home-and-away series against the Argos beginning Friday night at Molson Stadium.
“I think we had some growing pains the first six (games). It’s a foundation. You don’t build from the top. You build from the bottom,” linebacker Kyries Hebert said following Monday’s practice at Olympic Stadium. “We’re not in the best place we could have been, but we beat a couple of western teams and put ourselves in position to be second.
“If the playoffs started today, we’d have a home playoff game. Ultimately, that’s your goal.”
The Als are 2-1 at home but have dropped three straight road games. They have played only one game within their division, at Ottawa, and lost by five points. Curiously, of the 18 interlocking games that have been played, the West has dominated, winning 15 and tying one. Montreal is the only Eastern team that has defeated a West Division opponent — and it has done so twice, against Saskatchewan and Calgary.
“We’ve seen good growth in terms of the progress on offence,” head coach Jacques Chapdelaine said. “I think we’ve managed to navigate through the early injuries. That was a challenge.
“We certainly believe we could have come out with two, maybe three more victories. Some of them were a bit beyond our control. Our responsibility is to make sure it stays within our control.”
Translation: Don’t leave the game in the hands of the unpredictable officials.
“We just need to manage the game a little better, both as players and coaches,” Chapdelaine said.
If the first six games potentially make the last six easier, as veteran slotback Nik Lewis repeatedly states, the middle six is where teams begin to define themselves. After the Als have played 12, we should better understand whether this team still has potential and has displayed any progress.
“I want to see a progression of growth,” Hebert said. “It’s very important to peak in this league at the right time. If you peak in Week 3, where do you go from there? It’s a long way to plateau. You want to grow. Then, if you need to plateau come playoff time, you stay at the top.”
The Als have had games in which they have played well on offence. Or defence. Or on special teams. But they’ve failed to put all three phases together at the same time. That’s part of their challenge moving forward.
Against the Blue Bombers, they produced a season-high 40 points, yet failed to score a touchdown from the Winnipeg one-yard line. And the defence, which was so sound in the opening half, couldn’t stop anything down the stretch.
As the Als returned to work this week, their injury problems continued to mount. Safety Chris Ackie suffered a torn triceps muscle against Winnipeg, underwent surgery and has been lost for the remainder of the season. He’ll be replaced by rookie Dondre Wright.
Left guard Phil Blake also has a small tear in his triceps and will be placed on the six-game injured list. He was replaced against Winnipeg by Matt Vonk, acquired in a trade from Saskatchewan last June. But moving forward, it will be Philippe Gagnon who plays there. Gagnon was selected second overall in the 2016 draft and was likely rushed into the starting lineup as a rookie, playing right guard.
Both tailback Tyrell Sutton and receiver Tiquan Underwood are ready to return from injuries.
Following the two games against Toronto, the Als have a pair of home games to complete the month, against Winnipeg and Ottawa.
Montreal will have played 10 games by then, with five of their remaining eight matches on the road.
“I think we’re ready to turn the corner and sweep the month of August. Yeah, I said it,” Sutton said. “Go ahead and do it. You have to believe in it to achieve it.
“We’re that close. I’m looking for us to get over that bump. We’re right there. We’re very close.”
Notes: Tailback Brandon Rutley missed Monday’s practice to have X-rays taken on his hand . ... Cornerback Raymon Taylor, who has spent the season on the disabled list, didn’t show up Sunday, when the Als resumed workouts. He’s been suspended for now but is expected to retire . ... Canadian offensive lineman Chris Greaves, who spent time with Winnipeg, has been added to the Als’ practice roster.
We certainly believe we could have come out with two, maybe three more victories. Some of them were a bit beyond our control.