The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Als committed to struggling QB
At a time of need, we turn to those closest to us. For struggling Alouettes quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. , that means his mother, wife — a mental health therapist — even his agent.
And, of course, Als head coach Khari Jones, who endured his share of trials and tribulations on his way to a stellar CFL career.
“I've talked to all of them, people around the league
... teammates,” Adams said Monday, following practice. “Everyone's saying the same thing. I'm letting all the outside noise get to me ... thinking I have to be somebody else. I wasn't somebody else to earn this spot I'm in right now.
“Get the playmakers the ball, don't do too much, don't be Superman,” he added. “Do what's called.”
The Als are coming off a 27-10 loss to Hamilton last Friday. It marked the team's second consecutive defeat and, while the setback doesn't rest solely on Adams, he didn't play well. Again. He completed 16 of 31 passes for 171 yards and one touchdown.
But a critical fourth-quarter interception against him, on an ill-advised play when Montreal trailed 13-10, eventually resulted in a Tiger-cats touchdown and killed any momentum the Als were trying to discover.
Adams continues working through issues with his timing, accuracy and footwork. By his own admission he needs to slow down the game, trust his reads more and not feel like he must carry the weight of a team on his shoulders.
“I've just got to be better,”
he admitted. “I'm so upset because I worked so hard these last two years. I know how much time me and my guys put in. If I was just playing a little bit better, it would help this team out a lot more. It's me. I've got to get it right.”
If anyone can get Adams out of his funk, it's Jones, who was in his fifth CFL season, and seventh as a pro, before tasting success with Winnipeg, being named the league's most outstanding player and leading the Blue Bombers to a Grey Cup berth in 2001. The two have talked extensively since Friday.
“I saw what most people saw,” Jones said. “He was off his game. But I saw a lot of good things in practice last week that lead me to believe it's going to happen. He'll return to being the Vernon we know. It's taking a bit of time, but I'm not too worried about it. He's going to come out of it. I truly believe that.”
Jones made it clear the team remains committed to Adams and won't throw him under the bus. He also intimated the offensive coaches might simplify the playbook for Friday's game, at Ottawa, putting more high-percentage passes and plays into the script.
Adams had a 10-5 record as a starter in 2019, never losing two successive games. Nobody
in the organization believes his performance was an anomaly. His teammates have his back, remain in his corner and believe it's only a matter of time before the leader of this team emerges again.
“At the end of the day I trust V.A.,” receiver Eugene Lewis said. “I'm going with V.A. to the end. I know what he's capable of; his potential. I know he's going to get it together and we're going to fix all this.”
Meanwhile, safety Ty Cranston, middle-linebacker Ahmad Thomas and offensive-tackle Tony Washington have knee injuries and didn't practice.