Als’ strong start doesn’t last
Montreal looked solid against B.C. Lions until offence hit the wall in final 45 minutes
Tyrell Sutton, now in his seventh season with the Alouettes, has seen this movie before, more times than he would care to remember. Perhaps that’s why he sat there, in stunned silence, with his uniform on, staring straight ahead.
“We let one slip through our fingers. We have to do a lot better as an offence,” the Montreal tailback said following this seasonopening 22-10 loss to the B.C. Lions Saturday night. “You can write this is the same Alouettes. Whatever. It’s game one. I don’t like saying that, but that’s the reality.”
For head coach Mike Sherman, in his first season with the Als following a lengthy career in the NFL, this might have been his first screening, but he undoubtedly read the reviews and must have known what he was inheriting.
“Starting off 0-1 isn’t what we intended,” he said. “It had nothing to do with the flight or the distance. We had every opportunity to compete and win a game. They played better than us. They coached better than us.
“It’s one game. There’s a long way to go. We can take a step forward and build off this. There’s plenty of things we can correct. We have to get better next week.”
Four games were played in the opening week of the Canadian Football League, and the home team won three, all by West Division clubs against their eastern counterparts, just like last season. So, there’s no shame losing in Vancouver, where the Als have won just three times since 2000; it’s not like they were favoured.
But there undoubtedly must be some concerns moving forward. Remember, the Als were playing a team that finished last in its division in 2017, missing the playoffs. That’s not a condemnation against this season’s Lions club, just a fact.
The Als looked great in the opening quarter, scoring 10 points. Quarterback Drew Willy, who has faced his share of ridicule, didn’t throw an incomplete pass until six minutes remained in the second period. He found Chris Williams for a 56-yard gain and connected with Ernest Jackson for 54 yards. The visitors were actually stretching the field and taking advantage of a B.C. secondary that had five newcomers. Sutton was running effectively.
And then, the Als’ offence hit the wall, somehow failing to score a point during the game’s final 45 minutes. This is an offence that was terrible last season, averaging 17.4 points per game. Or perhaps Mark Washington, the Lions’ defensive coordinator who interviewed for the job that would be Sherman’s, simply figured out what Montreal was doing.
Willy, not the most mobile of quarterbacks, was sacked five times. Not all were the fault of the offensive line, which lost import right-tackle Ruben Carter just before halftime with an injury to his right shoulder that appeared serious, considering his arm was in a sling in the second half. But the math’s simple. An average of five sacks over an 18-game season means Willy will suffer an inevitable injury at some juncture.
“I gave up a sack today. That’s unacceptable,” said Sutton, who gained 65 yards on 15 carries — 29 alone on the Als’ opening series, which resulted in an 11-play, 92-yard touchdown drive. “For all I did today, that’s the only thing I’m looking at.
“I can’t get (Willy) hit. As long as we keep him clean, everything else should come together. We moved the ball. We have a great defence, as usual. We just have to stay consistent ... and not hurt ourselves. We have to stop beating ourselves.”
Willy completed 25 of 35 for 281 yards, but stats are meaningless for a quarterback if he loses the game. And for all he did, Willy also threw a critical fourth-quarter interception on a pass that never should have been delivered. He underthrew Eugene Lewis, who was covered on the play, and the ball was pilfered by Garry Peters at the Montreal 45.
The score was 15-10 at the time, and the Als were still in the game. But five plays later, when Jonathon Jennings passed 11 yards for a touchdown to Cory Watson, the end result became academic.
“Obviously, that interception didn’t help,” Willy said. “We need to be better in the second half. To not get any points there is unacceptable. We got it going, but didn’t finish drives. At the end of the day, you need touchdowns.”
The Als, arguably, deserved a better fate considering they had 19 first downs, 337 yards’ net offence and controlled the ball for more than 32 minutes. They won the statistical battle except on the scoreboard. They also took 14 penalties for 125 yards, although a roughing-the-passer penalty against Jamaal Westerman and an illegal contact call on Chris Ackie appeared borderline, at best.
And kicker Boris Bede, although averaging 42 yards on punts, did his team no favours, taking two penalties for illegal punts that went out of bounds. When the kicker’s an import, that’s inexcusable.
While the Als’ defence allowed two touchdowns, one came on busted coverage, and the other resulted following the Willy interception, giving the Lions a short field. The defence is going to have to carry the team until the offence gets things figured out, assuming that occurs.
Don’t hold your breath.
We have a great defence, as usual. We just have to stay consistent ... and not hurt ourselves. We have to stop beating ourselves.