We’re finally here. On Thursday at 7:30 p.m., the Montreal Alouettes’ 2017 season begins. And it’s more than ”just” the regular season home opener: It will be a historic encounter played out at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium. For the first time, honourable Darian Durant will go up against his former Roughrider teammates. For the first time, we’ll see the line-up painstakingly assembled by the Chapdelaine-Reed tandem. And more than ever, perfect cohesion will be seen in the Montreal locker room.
Here’s what’s in store for Thursday night’s match-up.
A team with spunk and spine
Do you have high hopes for this season? Good, because so do we. In an interview with RDS, Alouettes general manager Kavis Reed didn’t hesitate to emphasize that point. “We have high expectations as well. I feel encouraged that we’ve put together a very good football team. Our coaching staff is tremendous, our players are high-character guys. We have championship caliber players. Our fans deserve a good product and that’s what I’m most encouraged and enthusiastic about.”
The operative word this year: character. The players who will take the field starting Thursday have a whole lot of spunk. They are physical and extremely motivated. They know their roles and they also know their only option is striving for perfection.
The outcome of the game against the REDBLACKS was not some fluke, but an indication of the new culture that has been instituted with the arrival of new leadership. What you will be seeing on Thursday is a fine-tuned machine whose one and only objective is winning.
Top-notch players
It only took a couple of plays last week for Darian Durant to dispel any doubts people might have had about him. The quarterback with 12 years of professional football experience, two Grey Cup championships and more than 28,000 passing yards has every intention of making his mark in Montreal and assuming his rightful place. “The team has stated that it hasn’t had a leader in a while. I’m looking forward to being that guy who they can believe in and who can lead this team to the Grey Cup.” And he especially does not want to give any opportunity to Chris Jones’ Roughriders which includes two former Alouettes on their roster, namely quarterback Kevin Glenn and newly signed defensive back Jovon Johnson. As the expression goes, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
Other things to watch out for: the man we have taken to calling “Action Jackson” – – Ernest Jackson – – our number 9 who has had numerous spectacular catches throughout his career, one more glorious than others in the 2016 Grey Cup. We’re betting that the Alouettes’ coaching staff will not hesitate to put him on the field this season and he will quickly become one of Durant’s go-to targets. Rumour has it the pair developed strong chemistry during training camp.
More power on the offensive line
We’re not going to lie. And we know what many of you have been thinking. The Alouettes’ offensive line was seen as the team’s Achilles heel last year. But with the return of crowd-favourite Luc Brodeur-Jourdain at centre, and the arrival of tough as nails Jovan Olafioye at tackle, we couldn’t be more optimistic. Only 29 years of age, Olafioye has been a CFL all-star for six consecutive seasons, was named the most outstanding offensive lineman in 2012 and won the Grey Cup in 2011 while with the B.C. Lions. In other words, we won the lottery. There’s no question that our new quarterback is well-protected.
Some rough and tough. Others nimble and skilled.
The pieces of the puzzle appear to be in place. All that remains to be done is execute the head coach’s game plan. On the defensive side of the ball, we’ll be closely watching defensive end Gabriel Knapton. The “bearded barbarian” does not mess around. In only three seasons with the Alouettes, he’s had 137 tackles and 29 quarterback sacks. He sure knows how to mark his territory!
One of the nice surprises of the pre-season was Tiquan Underwood. In a beautiful display of athleticism, Underwood caught a 40 yard pass from Durant on June 15 for the game’s first touchdown. Before joining the Alouettes in September, 2016, the wide receiver had ten touchdowns and 1,006 receiving yards in the NFL. Tiquan, it will be a pleasure to watch you shine with us!
A special shout-out must also go to our boys Boris Bédé, who up until now has been absolutely perfect, and Nik Lewis who only needs 70 more receiving yards to bump Ray Elgaard from the 7th highest ranking spot in CFL history. We can’t wait to see how these two will continue doing!
A truckload of entertainment
It’s rather obvious that this game has all the makings of being an instant classic, but we have a few tricks up our sleeve as well! To celebrate the start of our 2017 season, we’ve got a sensational tailgate planned featuring the music of the Yves Lambert Trio and Socalled, a pre-game ceremony that will take your breath away (including a Canadian Armed Forces CF-18 flyover) and an impressive half-time performance from the Cirque Éloize. Not to mention all the new features at the stadium this year!
Still don’t have your tickets!? What are you waiting for? The St-Jean-Baptiste long weekend starts Thursday night at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium. We also have various packages that are sure to meet your needs.
Thursday Night Party Pack: 4 tickets and 4 drinks starting from $33 per person.
Kickoff Pack: tickets for the June 22 and July 6 games starting from $43.
GO ALS GO!
