According to Kyries “Angry Bird” Hébert, “you can’t relax with your success, you have to build upon it.” And there’s no doubt this will be the team’s mantra come Saturday in Toronto. Last Friday night’s home win to start the second third of the season made a lot of people happy, but it was only the first step towards the quest for the ultimate goal.
This week’s mission remains the same – – beat the Argos – – albeit with one or two nuances: we’ll be playing away from home at BMO Field, and, Ricky Ray might be back. It will be a big challenge, but the guys are ready. Here’s what’s in store for you on Saturday starting at 4:00 p.m. on TSN and TSN690.
This is some serious stuff
We’ve noticed a difference the last few days at Olympic Stadium. The butterflies that were apparent at the beginning of the season are now gone, all units are more cohesive and the mood is quite serious. In an 18-game season, you have to quickly get into “playoff mode.” Jacques Chapdelaine’s men are prepared to dominate the Boatmen come Saturday, but it’s also the East Division lead that’s part of their focus right now. We’ve seen a lot of progress regarding discipline and concentration since the start of the season, and it’s continuing. We’re looking forward to seeing how it all plays out come Saturday.
Tyrell Sutton could steal the show
Jacques Chapdelaine said after last week’s game against the Argos that he wants to get the most out of Tyrell Sutton now that he has returned to the lineup. And the running back loves nothing more than to be in the heat of the action. Running backs coach André Bolduc confirmed that we can expect to see a more balanced run / pass attack this week. So get ready to watch our #20 blaze a trail through the Toronto defence on several occasions and outperform his good friend Brandon Whitaker. We won’t even feel bad.
Some big – – and we mean BIG – – additions to the offence
… and that’s not all that’s changing on offence. Samuel Giguère, our rock-solid receiver, will finally be back in action! The return of the Sherbrooke native to the lineup gives the team the flexibility it needs to shore-up its offensive line after the injury suffered by Philippe Gagnon. The O-line’s usual behemoths – – Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, Kristian Matte, Jovan Olafioye and Brian Simmons – – could welcome Jeremy Lewis, who stood out at practice this week. The 27-year-old, 6 foot, 3 inch, 320 pound American has got size, no question.
At fullback, Oumar Touré, also from Sherbrooke, will get his first start as a professional. We’re looking forward to him showing off his skills!
So it’s a lot of good news for our starting quarterback Darian Durant as well as for Jacory Harris who, following the trade that sent Vernon Adams Jr. to Saskatchewan, will likely be wearing our red, white and blue uniform more often.
The defence remains solid
The most recent perfomance by Noel Thorpe’s men did not disappoint. The ferocious tackling by Ky Hébert, Jonathon Mincy and Brandon Stewart got the fans out of their seats at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium on August 11. As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”… the guys are determined to play with the same intensity this weekend – – we have every confidence in the world that they will.
Personnel changes should be minimal on defence, but we can’t say the same about special teams. Newly arrived defensive end Elie Ngoyi, a Sherbrooke native (we’re starting to see a pattern here!), and Nate O’Halloran should help reinforce Bruce Read’s group. We’re willing to bet that we’ll be seeing both of them in action sooner than later.
Nik Lewis… (yes – again!)
We just can’t say it often enough this season: Nik Lewis is continuing his ascent towards being the CFL’s all-time career leader in receptions. The slotback had three catches against Toronto last week and now only needs four more to surpass Ben Cahoon for second place all-time. And we don’t think it’s going to take long for Nik to ultimately find himself at the top of the list. What a thrill it’s going to be to see him go into the history books wearing a Montreal uniform!
The month of August is definitely an exciting one! A few days after their trip to Toronto, the team will have a chance to retaliate, at home, against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, on August 24, and versus the Ottawa REDBLACKS, on August 31. As a matter of fact, the Revenge Pack was specifically created for those two grudge matches… Get your hands on one ASAP! Quantities are limited and it’s selling like hotcakes!
