So far so good for Alouettes
OPTIMISM: Chapdelaine encouraged by performance of Durant in season-opener
For a team that has won 13 games over the last two seasons, any positive news is a welcome sight.
In that regard, the Alouettes’ season-opening victory against Saskatchewan last Thursday, as head coach Jacques Chapdelaine said at the time, beats the alternative. On the other hand, Montreal won its first game last season as well, at Winnipeg, and we all know how that train wreck turned out, so let’s not get carried away.
The Als have a new quarterback, a rebuilt offensive line and have added receiver Ernest Jackson, one of the Canadian Football League’s most-coveted free agents last February. And all they have to show for the investment so far is 17 points and two touchdowns.
But it’s early. And quarterback Darian Durant missed most of the opening week of training camp with a knee injury.
“We’re not at all concerned about the offensive output. I have supreme confidence everything’s going to work,” general manager Kavis Reed, the architect of this team, said Monday as he watched his club practice indoors at Olympic Stadium.
“After watching the film, we saw what was available. There were lots of execution mistakes we had. It was an excellent game-plan. We just missed some opportunities,” Reed added. “That’s Week 1 for you.” Yes, there’s that argument. Toronto in Week 1, with new head coach Marc Trestman, scored 32 points against Hamilton, quarterback Ricky Ray passing for more than 500 yards. Edmonton scored 30 against British Columbia, the Lions producing 27 points in defeat. Even Ottawa and Calgary, in a Grey Cup rematch that ended in a tie, both scored 31.
Although Durant played sparingly in the Als’ second exhibition game, Ray played less for the Argonauts through camp. But he wasn’t coming off an injury and is operating under much the same offensive system utilized by Scott Milanovich, Trestman’s predecessor, according to Chapdelaine.
“The learning curve’s not as great,” Chapdelaine said. “As much as Darian’s comfortable with what we’re doing, there’s a lot of new people in that environment. I thought Darian was very wise in his decisions. There were no turnovers (by him) or sacks. The run game was decent.
“We could have done better. Darian will tell you that,” admitted Chapdelaine, who has a long history as an offensive co-ordinator in the CFL and will call the Als’ plays this season. “I’m not overly concerned in terms of comparing ourselves to other teams.”
Durant, in his first game with his new team, managed the contest well. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 233 yards — good for a quarterback efficiency rating of 108.7. Although his Roughriders counterpart, Kevin Glenn, passed for 298 yards while completing 70.5 per cent of his throws, he had one touchdown, one interception and ended the evening with a rating of 87.1 per cent.
Few of the Als’ receivers stood out individually, although B.J. Cunningham led Montreal with four catches for 90 yards, including a 65-yard pass-and-run touchdown. Nik Lewis caught five for 60 but also fumbled in the fourth quarter. But Jackson caught only two passes for 16 yards, despite also finding the end zone.
Chapdelaine has said his offence will be more committed to the run game, knowing it will open up passing possibilities. Tyrell Sutton gained 68 yards on 13 carries for a more than reasonable average of 5.2 yards.
But the Als had a modest 16 first downs and 331 yards’ net offence, controlling the ball for only 28 minutes and 26 seconds.
Montreal could have scored more points, of course. Boris Bede missed a 43-yard field goal on the opening possession, while a late incompletion to an open Sutton in the red zone — the throw was too low — likely would have resulted in a touchdown. Instead, the Als settled for an 18-yard field goal, squandering a potential four points.
And had the Riders’ Tyler Crapigna made a 45-yard field goal on the game’s final play, after making three earlier kicks, the visitors would have won — bottom line. So the Als definitely dodged a bullet.
“We had people play good enough to win the game. We made the plays to win the game,” Lewis said. “We missed a field goal, too. I fumbled the ball. We made our own mistakes. Because they made their mistake at the end of the game doesn’t mean we were any luckier than they were.”
In their never-ending quest to field the strongest possible offence, the Als on Monday signed veteran quarterback Drew Willy as a free agent. The 30-year-old has five years’ CFL experience with Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Toronto, having passed for 8,539 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Willy joins Montreal strictly as insurance, providing the team with another option — down the road — in the event of an injury to Durant. Nothing more.
“We’re always going to look to solidify that spot,” said Reed, who worked out former NFL first-round draft choice Josh Freeman during training camp but couldn’t reach a contract agreement. “If anything catastrophic were to happen to Durant, we want to make certain we have a seasoned guy around and someone in the room who can also provide some balance and education for our backup guys right now.”
Notes: Defensive-back Greg Henderson suffered a broken bone in his hand against Saskatchewan and will be sidelined indefinitely . ... Fellow DB Travis Hawkins sustained an arm injury against the Riders early in the second half, while corner Raymon Taylor remains out with what management believes to be an inner-ear problem . ... Canadian receiver Alex Charette has been released, while import DB Willy Dorcin comes onto the practice squad.