By Jack Bedell
MontrealAlouettes.com
June 15, 2011 – It seems as though it’s been a long time coming, but the Alouettes are finally set to kick off their first pre-season game. Thursday night against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Alouettes will debut a new defensive coordinator, a bevy of running backs competing for the starting job, and a ton of new talent on the roster.
As much as I’d like the game to answer the laundry list of questions I’ve been chewing on all off-season, I’ve seen enough pre-season tilts to know I’ll most likely come out of the game with more questions than resolutions. Even so, getting a chance to watch all those issues sort themselves out before week 1 comes around is the main reason why I enjoy the pre-season so much.
Game plans might be vanilla, veterans might be making brief appearances, and the good look we get at several players might be the last look in many cases, but the next two games will offer a great gauge of the team’s depth, not to mention an early peek at its attitude and chemistry being built in camp.
Here’s a quick look at a few other things I’ll be scoping-out come game time this week.
1) TEMPO—Even though the Alouettes are sure to be rotating personnel heavily, I’m very interested to see how fast the team is able to play on offence, defence, and special teams considering how little time they’ve had to digest the new playbooks.
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Will Brandon Whitaker live up to expectations? |
2) RUSHING ATTACK—With Avon Cobourne out of the picture, several backs will be vying for regular season carries this pre-season. I can’t wait to see how Brandon Whitaker, Yvenson Bernard, DeAndra’ Cobb, and the other candidates attack the line of scrimmage. The pre-season games will give them limited chances to earn roster spots, and I’m eager to see who makes the most of the opportunity.
3) KICKING GAME—Another serious opportunity exists within the Alouettes’ kicking game. With Damon Duval now in Edmonton, newly-acquired vets Sean Whyte and Sandro DeAngelis will have the chance to compete for the team’s kicking and punting duties. Field position is integral to the overall success of the squad, and few players have as much control over that positioning than the kicker. I couldn’t be more excited to see Whyte and DeAngelis show off their abilities in that respect this coming pre-season.
4) DEFENSIVE LINE DEPTH—With John Bowman and Anwar Stewart drawing limited snaps off the edge, I’m eager to see a few of the Alouettes’ younger defensive ends like Jermaine McElveen get a shot at bringing down QBs during the next couple of weeks.
5) NEW-LOOK RECEIVING CORPS—This week’s pre-season game will be our first chance to get a glimpse of the Alouettes’ receiving corps minus Ben Cahoon. I’m particularly stoked to see how S. J. Green operates out of the slot. I’ll also be looking forward to seeing Eric Deslauriers and Brian Bratton put their hands up for more balls in Cahoon’s absence.
Win or lose, the Als start their road to the 2011 Grey Cup when pre-season kicks off Thursday night. And while no games count in the standings until June 30, there’s still a lot on the line. You can bet I’ll be hanging on every play.
