“The key to success this week is that we play as a team. We play with enthusiasm, with great effort and we rely on each other.” That’s Alouettes senior defensive assistant Greg Quick’s gameplan. Seeing as we continue to have confidence in the performance of the defensive unit he operates alongside Noel Thorpe, Billy Parker and Jason Hogan, we’re going to agree with him!
On Friday, July 14, the Alouettes know that they’ll have to show a united front against the fiery Calgary Stampeders. Offence, special teams, defence: each group will have to power the next.
One for All, and All for One
When you are playing against the best offence in the league and a Bo Levi Mitchell who is at the top of his game, your best weapon is to have a defence that’s locked and loaded. Fortunately, since the beginning of the season, several members of the Alouettes’ defence have stood out. Veterans like John Bowman, Gabriel Knapton, Chip Cox and Kyries Hébert continue to prove their worth, and rookies like Dominique Tovell and Ivan McLennan are also showing that they belong on the team. On Friday, our defence will once again have to be at their best to stop the high-octane Stampeders. Calgary’s offence commits very few mistakes, we know that, so we’ll have to take every opportunity to destabilize them and stop them in their tracks.
We have to talk about our trio of linebackers – – Hébert – Cox – Tovell – – who, in three games, have combined for an impressive 51 tackles (Tovell is one of only two players with 10 tackles in a single game this year), but we also must mention the efforts of the entire defensive squad. By playing together as a team, our defence has limited their opponents to an average of 20.7 points per game since the start of the season – the second-best total in the league. Proof positive that with unity comes great work.
Time for Welding
While the Alouettes’ defensive performance has been on the mark since the beginning of the season, the offence is pursuing its reconstruction efforts. Clearly, all the pieces are in place and the scope of talent is undeniable. The aerial attack is getting better and better, and star tailback Tyrell Sutton has certainly found his rhythm (and he’s pretty darn fast, too!). If Darian Durant, with help from his standout receivers (special mention to B.J. Cunningham whose efforts have not gone unnoticed), continues to increase his success rate with the deep passing game, there’s no doubt we’re going to be seeing some great things.
Good things are also happening for our impressive and intimidating offensive line. Did you know the guys have not allowed a single quarterback sack so far this season? The Tiger-Cats hold the record of four games without allowing a quarterback sack, and that was set way back in 2000. LBJ and his teammates must be aware of Micah Johnson of the Stampeders who is second in the league with three quarterback sacks and four pressures. Once again, we must repeat: all the elements are there, they just have to be properly aligned.
The Cream of the Crop
Once again, we’ll need to keep our eyes on ”record man” Nik Lewis, who needs only 21 more yards to surpass the legendary Ben Cahoon for sixth spot on the CFL’s all-time receiving yardage list. It will be all the more special if he can accomplish that feat this week against the team he starred with for 10 seasons.
We’ll also be watching the number of rushing yards accumulated by another of our standouts, Tyrell Sutton. His former teammate – – Calgary running back Jerome Messam – – is hot on his heels, ranked third in the CFL in rushing yards.
And how could we forget our generous contributor, Boris Bédé! The near-perfect kicker has been showing-off his mad skills game after game.
Individual performances are all well-and-good and impressive! But this week, what we want to see is a cohesive team effort. A team that has come to know one another over the course of the past two months, that continues to work hard to refine their playbook and that plays with heart, with guts, and with one sole objective in mind: winning.
Don’t miss any of the action! Make sure to get your tickets before it’s too late!
Individual tickets HERE and Friend’s 4 pack HERE
